As the wind and rain swirled around the thriving metropolis of Philadelphia, The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa (I.C.E.S.) closed out its’ 2012 tradeshow season on October 28th. Like years past, thousands of skin care professionals traveled from far and wide to attend this event at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans in mind and by late Saturday evening, it was clear that hurricane Sandy was going to make landfall within the next 48 hours. Due to circumstances out of their control, show producers decided to continue as scheduled for Sunday – but that Monday’s events would be cancelled siting that “the selling of products and the acquisition of new clients is not as important as the safety and security of our attendees and exhibitors,” says William Strunk, co-producer of I.C.E.S. and publisher of DERMASCOPE Magazine.
As the saying goes … The show must go on! That sentiment rang true bright and early Sunday morning as exhibitors prepared their booths for the day’s events and attendees waited in line to enter the tradeshow. Known for its arts and culture, this City of Brotherly Love, did not disappoint attendees or vendors. Once the doors opened and attendees quickly began exploring the vendor booths, the exuberant energy was infectious – it was impossible to not relish in the excitement and inspiration created.
Michelle D’Allaird hosted the General Session by welcoming the attendees on behalf of herself, Les Nouvelles Esthetiques and Spa, and DERMASCOPE Magazine. The General Session was sponsored by Circadia by Dr. Pugliese and PCA skin®; lectures consisted of respected leaders in the aesthetics industry; from aestheticians, medical aestheticians, doctors, makeup artists and business owners the wealth of knowledge and expertise available was immeasurable. Sunday’s speakers included lectures and demonstrations by Michael Ibbott, Eileen Strong, Alma Bocanegra, Peter T. Pugliese, M.D., and Tim Maurer.
The educational opportunities were abundantly available and show producers were amazed by the turnout during General Session and the afternoon workshops regardless of the weather outside. All told there were five education classes and 21 product knowledge trainings, and those numbers do not even include the product demonstrations that were taking place continuously on the exhibit hall floor. From the General Session to the Salon/Spa Management Business Seminar, Medical Spa Business Seminar, AIA Education Classes, National Aesthetic Spa Network Classes, and Manufacturer Workshops… there were a multitude of classes for everyone to choose from.
By the end of the tradeshow, the consensus among attendees was unanimous; this year’s Philadelphia show delivered on education, was innovative and up-to-date, and had an abundance of vendors – in spite of the looming weather outside.
We would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all who made this event possible from the educators and exhibitors to the attendees and sponsors. We look forward to seeing all of you in Philadelphia again next year, October 27th and 28th, 2013.
DERMASCOPE Magazine and Les Nouvelles Esthetique & Spa co-sponsor four International Congress of Esthetics and Spa tradeshows annually in Miami Beach, Florida; Dallas, Texas; Long Beach, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa 2013 conference dates are:
- Miami Beach, Fla – April 7-8, 2013
- Dallas, Texas – May 5-6, 2013
- Long Beach, Calif – September 29-30, 2013
- Philadelphia, Penn – October 27-28, 2013
