International spa and wellness professionals have flocked to Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend the 31st annual ISPA Conference and Expo, kicking off today at the Mandalay Bay hotel.

Hosted from 9-11 May, the event is organised by the International Spa Association (ISPA) and is designed to arm attendees with actionable takeaways that will serve to refresh, rejuvenate and strengthen their spa and wellness businesses.

A major event in the spa industry calendar, the conference includes a vast expo showcasing the latest in spa products as well as three days of speaker presentations and town halls covering a range of spa industry topics including business and talent strategy, customer service, management and more.

The full keynote lineup includes bestselling author Neil Pasricha, digital communications specialist Erica Dhawan and ISPA’s 2023 Humanitarian Award recipient and “bucket list” proponent Ben Nemtin.

An annual highlight of the event is the presentation of ISPA’s annual report, conducted in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Called the ISPA US Spa Industry Study, the report presents the state of the industry as indicated by total revenues, spa visits, average revenue per visit, the total number of spa locations and staffing levels. These are referred to as the ‘Big Five’ statistics and are collected through a nationwide survey of spa businesses.

The findings from the 2023 ISPA US Spa Industry Study will be presented on day two of the event.

As in previous years, time has also been carved out in the schedule to celebrate industry excellence. This year, Technogym CEO and founder Nerio Alessandri will be presented with the ISPA Visionary Award. The accolade is presented each year to someone in the spa industry who has made significant contributions to both the definition and positive movement of health and wellness over the lifetime of their career.

The conference schedule is populated with a host of networking opportunities, such as the Welcome Party on night one, both Live and Silent Auctions and much more.