Pulse October 2015 | Page 52

DEFINING MOMENTS ISPA EVOLUTION BY MAE MAÑACAP-JOHNSON here are so many highlights within ISPA’s 25-year history. It’s impossible to sum up all the many milestones and historical firsts, but we can’t move forward unless we learn to look back and appreciate the journey made. Here’s to 25 years—and cheers to 25 more! T Attendees joined the stretching activity at the 1999 ISPA Conference & Expo at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida. 1. The idea of creating a community like ISPA was sparked by a group of spa professionals who first gathered in 1990 for a spa symposium at New Age Health Spa in Neversink, New York. Envisioning an association that will serve as the voice of the global spa industry, the group founded the International Spa and Fitness Association and held its first ISPA Conference a year later. 2. & Club in Aventura, Florida. A total of 150 attendees representing 10 countries attended the event. The first gathering that sparked the idea. The first ISPA Conference. In 1991, the first ISPA Conference was held at Turnberry Isle Resort 50 PULSE ■ October 2015 3. The launch of ISPA’s logo. The first ISPA logo was offi- cially released in 1992. It has since undergone several makeovers, including a redesign in 1994 and a logo refresh in 2014. 4. The publication of the first Pulse newsletter. The publication of the first Pulse issue in spring of 1992 solidified Pulse’s role in I SPA’s history as its official trade publication and the preeminent resource for spa professionals.