MAY 21, 2009 — Most tanning businesses attend distributor-hosted conferences in the winter and spring to learn about the latest in tanning lotions. But Wisconsin-based tanning salon chain Lectric Beach Tanning Club took the lotion symposium concept one step further, hosting a conference themselves for their tanning clients.

“You are our ambassadors for tanning,” Lectric Beach owner Dion Borkowicz told the crowd of clients, as he kicked off the night of free appetizers and beverages which included education about tanning and how lotions extend the life of your tan, take care of your skin and ultimately improve the tanning experience.

Lectric Beach, a 21-year veteran tanning business based in Milwaukee, has four locations. The company is a Smart Tan member. The customer symposium was billed as part of it’s “Educational Enlightenment Series” meant as both an educational outreach for club members and a giveaway and appreciation night to reward loyal customers.

Symposium attendees also viewed a short history of tanning — from the Roman, Egyptians and Greeks who worshipped the sun, to CoCo Channel who made a tan fashionable in the 20th century, to those who try to spread inaccurate facts and sun scare today. “I started thinking, how did we get so far way from the idea that sunlight is natural and needed?” said Lectric Beach vice president Melanie Murphy, who used YouTube clips to make her points.

“There is mounting evidence — an avalanche really — that shows maintaining a healthy vitamin D level in your body may be the most important thing you can do for your health,” Murphy added.