UC Irvine Extention Launches "Spa Marketing and Retailing Management" Course
Innovative New Course Answers Trend of Booming Spa Industry
IRVINE, CA, July 15, 2005. UC Irvine Extension is launching a new course in the Spa and Hospitality Management Program entitled, "Spa Marketing and Retailing Management." The program is the first on the West Coast established to provide real-world curriculum to meet the demands of the burgeoning spa market. The innovative new course will take place August 8 through 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the UCI Learning Center in Orange, Calif. and will be co-instructed by leading industry experts Janice Gronvold, M.S., and John Buckingham, M.B.A.
"The spa industry is booming," said Buckingham. "New spas are being built in large and small towns across the globe - from club spas, cruise ship spas, day spas, destination spas, resort/hotel spas, medical spas and mineral spring spas to service providers such as physicians, wellness instructors, nutritionists and massage therapists - spa professionals are in increasingly high demand. This program is the first to provide the unique training these professionals need to excel and succeed."
Spas have become the fourth largest leisure industry in the U.S., with revenues surpassing amusement and theme parks as well as motion picture box offices. The new course was designed to meet the ever-growing demand for qualified professionals, skilled and trained in spa marketing and retailing.
"The objective of this three-day course is to provide a business school approach to the fundamentals of marketing and retailing specifically applied to the spa industry in an interactive classroom environment," said Gronvold. "Effective marketing and retailing means more customers and increased sales. This course takes an in-depth look at the uniqueness of marketing and retailing within a spa environment and offers specific 'how to's' that every spa professional can translate into increased revenues."
Students will explore the development of strategic marketing plans through the study of sample case studies from leading spas in the industry. They will also develop their own strategic marketing plans inclusive of a situation analysis, mission and position statement, S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)-analysis, a step-by-step action plan that identifies the objectives, tactics, competitive analysis and metrics for plan implementation and evaluation. Additional topics to be reviewed include: principals of retailing, branding, media and public relations, print and electronic marketing channels, building customer and employee loyalty.
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