UC Irvine Extension Fills Void in the Market with Launch of "Spa Marketing and Retailing Management" Course

Innovative New Course Answers Trend of Booming Spa Industry

IRVINE, Calif. – 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 bourgeoning 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.

Gronvold, a graduate of the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology, has more than 15 years professional experience in the spa and wellness industry. She has held executive business development and marketing positions with world-renowned resorts such as the Golden Door® in California and Rancho La Puerta® in Mexico, and is founder of Chicago based Spectrec, a company providing integrated business development and marketing communications services for the spa, resort and healthcare industries nationally and abroad.

Buckingham, co-founder and CEO of Solana MedSpas, the nation’s leading medical spa consulting company, is a founding board member of the International Medical Spa Association and serves as their vice president of corporate affairs. Previously, he served as chancellor and president of the Brooks College System. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy with distinction from Purdue University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Buckingham also serves as an advisor for the Spa and Hospitality Certificate program at UC Irvine Extension.

This unique curriculum is part of UC Irvine Extension’s Spa and Hospitality Management certificate program which features in-depth studies taught by esteemed industry professionals from throughout the United States covering everything from business planning and processes to opening a spa, managing day-to-day operations and positioning for managed future growth.

Enrollment is offered online at extension.uci.edu or by phone at (949) 824-5414.

As the continuing education arm of the prestigious university, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a transforming learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. UC Irvine Extension continues to provide a university-level learning experience to all students. For more information about UC Irvine Extension visit them on the web at extension.uci.edu.