The AQUA Live Leaders Retreat will be held in Fort Lauderdale (Florida) from December 11-13 2023 at the Marriott Harbour Beach Resort & spa. This retreat is designed to help top managers and business leaders take their businesses to the next stage. Our education program is designed to provide you with new ideas and solutions for your business.
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Monday, December 11
Workshop: Marketing Bootcamp
Scott Reynolds
Scott Reynolds, CEO and co-founder of The Get Smart Group will lead an in-depth workshop on marketing to help you prepare your spa and pool business for the year 2024. This class will cover everything, from how to spend your advertising dollars to establishing a budget and proper sales training. This three-part class will help you understand what’s going to work in 2024. You’ll also learn what data to focus on and how to motivate salespeople with clear goals. Participants will create a 12-month calendar of marketing activities, establish realistic goals and advertising budgets, as well as develop an evergreen (or two) offer to take advantage of the “downtimes” during the year.
- Part 1: Where and how to advertise your pool and spa store
- Part 2:Developing an Annual Marketing Calendar
- Part Three:Why CRMs are Important and How to Get Your Team To Use One
About Speaker Scott Reynolds is co-founder and CEO at The Get Smart Group. This full service marketing agency focuses on the pool and spa industries. He has over 25 years’ experience in marketing, 14 of which were spent in the pool and Spa industry. His knowledge is vast and he can provide real-life examples that show what works in today’s difficult marketing environment. In 2009, his small marketing firm with wife Ali grew to 45 employees across 15 states and generates 10s of thousands in leads each year.
Workshop: Succession Bootcamp
Scot Hunsaker
Scot Hunsaker is a pool industry veteran who runs the Ardent Group. The group’s mission is to prepare business owners for a successful succession. He was the former CEO of Counsilman-Hunsaker where he increased the revenue of the company by a factor 10. He also opened four new office locations and sold the firm in 2012 to his employees. He offers a three-part workshop in the afternoon for those who have begun to or are contemplating a plan to step away from their business and to transition to new leadership.
- Session I:Defining Your Priorities in a Succession Planning
- Session 3: Preparing your Leadership Team for Succession Planning
- Session 3. How to implement the ownership transfer process
About Speaker:Scot Hussaker was the former CEO of Counsilman-Hunsaker. He quadrupled their employees and opened four offices in North America. In 2012, Scot sold his firm to employees in cash. Scot runs the Ardent Group. Its mission is to teach employees to think like business owners, and help owners prepare for a successful succession. He also served as a director of the National Swimming Pool Foundation and The Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code.
Tuesday, December 12
8 a.m. – 10 a.m. — Cornell University School of Business, “The Customer Journey”.
Neil Tarallo
Innovation or you will be left behind. Today, companies are challenged to innovate or get left behind.
Companies that foster entrepreneurial behavior among employees and set up processes to support it are more competitive–experiencing transformative breakthroughs and lower employee turnover.
The Cornell University Senior Lecturer Professor Neil Tarallo says that when employees are given the opportunity to own an idea and take ownership of it, they feel more satisfied with their jobs and turnover is reduced.
10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. — Panel Discussion: Navigating the Labor Shortage: Challenges, Solutions and Opportunities
The importance of managing your workforce is magnified when you are short of good workers. The ability to recruit, train and retain pool and spa professionals who are of high quality is crucial to our industry’s profitability. A panel of pool and spa owners and managers discusses new thinking and practical advice.
*Panelists are to be determined.
11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. — Breakout Session: Maximize Revenue in Retail
Ted Lawrence
How can pool and Spa retailers improve their showroom design, including their product selection, to increase profits and make their customers’ shopping experience more enjoyable? Ted Lawrence, an experienced retail specialist in the pool and hot tub industry with more than 30 years’ experience, will discuss best practices for maximizing your retail sales. He will not only suggest new products that will increase revenue, but he will also discuss the placement of products in your store. This includes both new products and products you’ve already tried and tested.
About Speaker: Ted Lawrence has been in the swimming pool business for more than 33 years. Ted Lawrence has operated retail stores and e-commerce websites, managed large retail operations, and held various leadership positions within the pool distribution industry. He oversaw four national chemicals brands and retail product strategy for the organization.
11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. — Breakout Session: How to Win the Hearts, Minds and Wallets of Your Prospects
Brett Lloyd Abbott
The bottom line is: It does not matter what the vision or ideas of a client are, because when they see that you care just as much as you do about their emotional needs and wants, you will win their hearts and wallets.
About Speaker:Brett Lloyd Abbott, founder and CEO, Pool Builder Marketing LLC is a marketing consultancy agency that exclusively works with swimming pool builders and pool service companies, as well as high-end landscaping professionals around the world. He is also a regular keynote speaker, and he leads workshops and seminars.
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. — Panel Discussion: Tech Splash: Investing in Technology for the Future
Our business is driven by technology. The variable-speed pumps, advanced controls, and salt chlor generator have revolutionized the equipment pad. Smaller innovations such as mobile, light pool vacuums and software routing offer businesses a significant technological edge. What innovations and technologies will be the most influential in the pool and spa industries of the future? Where should owners and managers make investments to gain an edge over their competitors in the next decade?
*Panelists are to be determined.
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Roundtables: Roundtable Discussions
Speakers are available to answer any questions that you may have regarding their seminars. Participants will be able to freely discuss ideas, topics and trends in the industry with their peers. Both participants and speakers will gain new insights and information.
Wednesday, December 13
9 a.m. – 10 a.m. — Session General: Trends in the Pool and Hot Tub Industries: Updated Data on Project Backlogs and Employment
Sabeena Hicman
How does your business compare to other businesses in the same industry? What are the challenges that pool and spa companies expect to face in the next year? PHTA and Industry Insights partnered to launch a data-collection survey of a variety of companies from all specialties and sizes in the industry, providing you with a benchmark of your own performance. You’ll also get insights on 2022, 2023, predicted future earnings and more. Results will provide real data about how to better serve customers and adapt in this ever-changing market.
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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General Session: Employee Engagement Comes Before Customer Engagement
Ruby Newell Legner
Are you constantly trying to improve the customer experience in your business? Invest in your employees, who are the face of your business every day. To improve your organization, you must help them use their talents to do their jobs. Choosing the best way to train and onboard your employees will help them become more productive and successful in the long term. Customer engagement will increase once we tackle employee engagement. Happy employees are happy customers.
About Ruby Newell-Legner:For nearly 27 years, Ruby Newell Legner has inspired new customer service cultures among executives, managers, and guest services staff at more than 1,700 sports, recreation, and leisure facilities around the world. She has created customized staff development programmes for 400 municipal and local governments, 144 recreation facilities, 97 arenas and stadiums, 66 professional sporting teams, 60 colleges, universities and military bases, 44 new facilities about to open, 15 hotels from five to seven stars, and six major international sporting events.
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. — Lunch & Learn, Panel Discussion: Observations From the Next Generation
This industry is quietly undergoing a change. Each month and every year more senior leaders are retiring, and we look forward to a brighter future for this industry, thanks to the ingenuity and energy of the younger generation. This session features three newcomers who are part of the next generation of leaders that will guide the industry through the mid-century period. They discuss their legacy and how they see the future of the industry.
Panelists’ bios:
Chase Decker
Chase Decker
Shane Decker, his twin brother owns Tennessee Valley Pool & Spas. In 2012, he began his career in the pool and hot tub industry by installing fiberglass pools and servicing indoor pools and spas. It was then that he developed a passion for high-end spas and a desire to build strong relationships with clients. He is certified in every area of the spa industry.
Maggie Wood
Maggie Wood
Hansen’s Pool & Spa, Kenosha, Wis. She is in the process of taking over the ownership of her company from her parents David and Paula Sturino who founded the business in 1982. Maggie can be found doing anything in the business. She may work with the marketing department, visit build sites, assist the sales team or help customers at the retail store. She is looking forward to what the future holds for the industry and working with many talented people both within her company as well as in the industry.
Michael Krause
Michael Krause
First Response Pool Service, a pool and spa service business in Simi Valley in California, was only founded in March 2022. But he is not a newcomer to the industry. Michael started doing simple repairs at 15 for his stepdad who owns a business that provides pool and spa services. He began a full-route at age 18. He has been in the industry for about 10 years and continues to keep up with industry trends.
