Jim Gilmore, author of The Experience Economy, Authenticity, and his newest release, Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills, and Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president and group head of market insights for Mastercard, will keynote the International SalonSpa Business Network’s annual conference, “Building the Ultimate Experience,” May 7-9, 2017. The business-building, networking and fun will take place at the luxurious Ritz Carlton, Grande Lakes Orlando, where attendees will enjoy ultimate experiences and first-class service.

 As co-author of The Experience Economy: Updated Edition (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011), Gilmore literally wrote the book that spawned worldwide interest in experience design, customer experience management and experiential marketing. During his keynote and breakout, he will share insights into how to ‘build the experience’ in the salon, spa and barbershop, and share the “Look” concept of taking attendees deeper into understanding what will help them sculpt the best experience that’s unique to their business.

Quinlan, who is sponsored by Obliphica Professional, and her team analyze and predict spending patterns, based on the billions of anonymous purchases that Mastercard processes every year. They use that data to create solutions that help clients make better business decisions. During her ISBN keynote, she will cover global macro spending trends based on actual consumer data for both the overall economy and the beauty sector. She will then provide actionable insights that leverage the data to help attendees make smarter, more informed decisions.

“When I heard Sarah Quinlan speak last year, I knew ISBN members would be fascinated with her message,” says Dalal Moussa, CEO of Obliphica Professional. “She weaves valuable analytics and insights on spending patterns for beauty, luxury products, spa services and more into predictions on future spending patterns based on billions of anonymous Mastercard purchases every year. She’ll leave attendees with solutions that will help them make better decisions about their clients’ future purchases.”

Building the Ultimate Experience is the third pillar to creating a successful multi-unit salon and spa company, joining the first two foundational steps—Humanology and The Multi-Generational Workplace—that were established over the past two conferences. The content will dive deeply into the “how” behind creating the experiences that will link salon and spa guests, team members and the community—both locally and the broader salon industry community—with strong, long-lasting bonds. Informative keynotes, thought-provoking panels and breakouts, networking sessions and social events will provide multi-unit salon and spa owners, vendors and guests with new insights, opportunities and friendships.

“The post-conference feedback shared over the past two years has told us that our members, vendors and VIP guests understand what they need to do to grow their companies in a new society, economy and culture,” says Rhoda Olsen, ISBN president. “Now, they want to leave our conference with a strategic blueprint for how to create the plan that will make it work for their individual business models, within the context of where the industry is going over the next 5 to 10 years. That will drive the content and context of ISBN’s 2017 Conference.”

To learn more and to register for or sponsor the conference, visit salonspanetwork.org/annual-conference.

To learn more and join ISBN, visit https://salonspanetwork.org/membership/

 Save the date: ISBN’s 2018 Conference is scheduled for May 6-8 in Scottsdale.

More on Jim Gilmore

As co-author of The Experience Economy: Updated Edition (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011), Jim Gilmore literally wrote the book that spawned worldwide interest in experience design, customer experience management, and experiential marketing. Tom Peters has called The Experience Economy “a brilliant, absolutely original book.” Now published in 18 languages, the seminal volume continues to find new readers across myriad industries as companies find their goods and services commoditized and customers increasingly spend their time and money on experiences—memorable events that engage them in an inherently personal way.

His most recent book, LOOK: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills, details his personally derived approach for seeing the world and discovering new ideas.

Gilmore’s other book, Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want (Harvard Business School Press, 2007), contends that businesses must learn to manage authenticity as a distinct business discipline. As people encounter intentionally staged experiences in both their physical and digital lives, they want the real from the genuine, not the fake from some phony. In 2008, Time magazine featured the core of Pine & Gilmore’s thinking on authenticity in its cover story on “10 Ideas That Are Changing the World.”

Gilmore is co-founder of Aurora, Ohio-based Strategic Horizons LLP. He has been described as a “professional observer,” sought by enterprises around the globe for his expertise in conceiving and designing new ways of adding  value to their economic offerings. He is a keynote speaker, as well as workshop facilitator and executive coach.

Gilmore’s ideas have been featured in numerous articles on business strategy and innovation for such publications as the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal and Investors Business Daily, among others. He is also co-editor of Markets of One: Creating Customer-Unique Value through Mass Customization (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2000).

Gilmore is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a BS in Economics.  He began his career with Procter & Gamble and then spent more than 10 years consulting with Cleveland Consulting Associates and Computer Sciences Corporation, heading CSC Consulting's process innovation practice before starting his own firm. He is currently a Batten Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, where he teaches a course on the Experience Economy. He also teaches a design course for MBA candidates at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. In addition, Gilmore is a visiting lecturer in Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, where he teaches a course on cultural hermeneutics. He has also co-taught a course on creative thinking at Savannah College of Art & Design.

About Sarah Quinlan

Sarah Quinlan is the senior vice president and group head of market insights for Mastercard. Providing macro-to-micro economic trends related to consumer spending and retail sales, Quinlan advises executives across industries, including retail, banking, capital markets and government agencies. She and her team analyze and predict spending patterns, based on the billions of anonymous purchases that Mastercard processes every year, to create solutions that help clients make better business decisions.

Quinlan is widely recognized as an expert in her field and appears regularly in the media, including CNBC, the Associated Press, Fox Business Network, Bloomberg TV, the Times of London, The Daily Telegraph and Women’s Wear Daily. She is also a frequent speaker at prominent industry conferences, such as the Financo CEO Forum, Milken Institute Global Conference, WWD CEO Summit and 100 Women in Hedge Funds.

Prior to joining Mastercard in 2013, Quinlan spent 28 years in the capital markets as an investment banker, portfolio manager and hedge fund manager. She earned her BA and MBA from the University of Chicago in Politics, Economics, Rhetoric and Law, with special honors in finance and accounting.