The American Suntanning Association is excited to announce that they will be hosting the indoor tanning industry’s international trade show and educational conferences beginning this fall in Nashville. Over the past several months, negotiations have been under way for the ASA to acquire the industry’s only international trade show and conference, which has been held in Nashville for more than a decade. Negotiations were completed in February, and ASA management immediately went to work to reconfigure an event schedule that meets the needs of all industry stakeholders.

The ASA, Smart Tan, and industry vendors worked together to develop future events that will bolster the industry’s efforts to defend and grow the market while uniting all market segments through focused sessions and networking opportunities. What resulted from these discussions is a very dynamic event format offering new and exciting opportunities for all market players while being sensitive to the high costs of producing and attending a three-day trade show and conference every year.

This year on October 6-7, the ASA World Summit – Convention and Open Board Meeting will be held again in Nashville. The Friday and Saturday event will primarily focus on the most critical issues facing our industry. Market leaders will attend meetings to discuss the state of the tanning industry including government regulations, legal actions, industry research and PR, and more. There will also be breakout sessions for salon managers and operators focusing on frontline sales and new product opportunities. Vendors will be displaying their new products and services while supporting the industry’s annual event in a more cost-effective venue. “We have designed our October 2017 event to bring all industry players to Nashville to celebrate being a part of the indoor tanning industry and to show everyone just how bright our future will be,” said ASA President Melinda Norton.

In 2018, the ASA will host the ASA World Expo – International Trade Show and Conference. This three-day event will follow a similar format to past trade show and conferences and will include several days of educational sessions and a larger exhibit floor. Details of this event will not be available until early 2018.

With this transition, our industry events will be completely focused on building a future for the tanning salon market with the resources that have been developed by the ASA over the past four years. “Our industry must become completely unified to overcome the obstacles we see in front of us,” said Norton. “This is one more step the ASA has taken to strengthen the market and get our industry back on track.”

Details on upcoming ASA events will be published soon. For more information, please contact ASA at info@americansuntanning.org or 855-879-7678.