By Alex R. Thiersch, JD, CEO of the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa)

Starting Friday, November 3, AmSpa will host its Miami Medical Spa Boot Camp at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, and we’re extremely excited for the opportunity to help medical aesthetic professionals develop their practices. There’s still time to register for the event—just sign up here. Here’s a quick overview of the program:

Friday, November 3

The Boot Camp kicks off with a welcome reception., sponsored by Allergan Aesthetics.

6 – 7:30 p.m.: Boot Camp and AIA Kickoff Reception—Meet other medical aesthetic professionals attending the Boot Camp, as well as the Academy for Injection Anatomy Advanced Cadaver Course. This event features a full open bar and passed hors d'oeuvres.

Saturday, November 4

The Boot Camp begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast. My opening keynote follows at 8:30 a.m. From there, we will move into the main program:

• 9 – 10 a.m.: The Plan, presented by Bryan Durocher (Durocher Enterprises)—What are the most effective ways to develop a business plan for your medical spa? Medical spa consultant Bryan Durocher discusses the ins and outs of the planning process and helps determine how long it realistically takes to open a practice.
• 10 – 11 a.m.: The Financials, presented by Judy Kozlicki (Skytale Group)—Do you know your medical spa’s strengths and weaknesses? This presentation will discuss how to maximize, predict and follow up on financial metrics to reach your medical spa’s financial goals.
• 1:45 – 3:45 p.m.: The Law, presented by Bradford Adatto, JD, (ByrdAdatto) and Alex R. Thiersch, JD (AmSpa)—In this presentation, Bradford Adatto, JD, and Alex R. Thiersch, JD, will discuss the long-standing and emerging legal issues that every medical spa owner needs to know about. As you can imagine, there is a lot to cover here, since new concerns seem to be arising daily.
• 4:15 – 5 p.m.: Consultations That Convert, presented by Terri Ross (APX Platform)—As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Learn how to put your best foot forward with effective patient consultations—and how to turn them into consistent business.

Saturday continues its programming with drinks and appetizers from 5 – 6:30 p.m., sponsored by CosmoFrance. Following drinks is the Boot Camp and AIA reception and Dr. Surek book signing opportunity from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., allowing Boot Camp attendees to meet other medical aesthetic professionals who are attending the Academy for Injection Anatomy Advanced Cadaver Course. Saturday concludes with an educational keynote and session* from 7:30 – 9 p.m., sponsored by Galderma.

Sunday, November 5

The Boot Camp begins at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast.

• 8:30 – 9 a.m.: How Emotional Intelligence Will Make or Break Your Business, presented by Cathy Christensen (AmSpa)
• 9 – 9:30 a.m.: KPIs: How Knowing Them Will Maximize Your Revenue, presented by Terri Ross (APX Platform)—Ross will teach you about the top 12 most important service categories and common mistakes to avoid. This session will help you determine how to increase your hourly value and learn to measure your KPIs to increase overall profitability.
• 10 – 11 a.m.: The Marketing Plan and Social Media, presented by Ryan McElwain (DoctorLogic)—Learn the right marketing techniques for your medical spa, along with budgeting frameworks and a social media strategy that aligns with your goals and manpower.
• 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Medical Spa Success Panel, Moderated by Cathy Christensen (AmSpa); Panelists: Paula Brezavscek, PA-C (Azala Skin Clinic); Rylie Bland and Kylie Ricketts (House of Preservation); and Sahar Saghezchi (Cupertino Facial Esthetics)—Medical spa leaders will discuss their paths to growth and success in this dynamic industry.
• 1 – 2 p.m.: The Team, presented by Bryan Durocher (Durocher Enterprises)—A medical spa is only as good as its personnel, so it’s important to make sure you hire a staff that can do everything you want it to—and more. In this session, you’ll learn about recruiting, hiring and retaining employees who can make your medical spa dreams come true.
• 2 – 3 p.m.: Choosing the Right Treatments for Your Medical Aesthetics Practice, presented by Sahar Saghezchi (Cupertino Facial Esthetics)—Saghezchi will teach you how to weigh and assess the right treatments for your practice to offer, from injectables to lasers to ancillary treatments, like hair restoration and sexual wellness offerings.

*Non-CME approved classes

Learn from Our Panelists’ Success

Paula Brezavscek, PA-C, Azala Skin Clinic

Paula Brezavscek, PA-C, is the CEO and founder of Azala Skin Clinic in Coconut Grove, Florida. Her passion for dermatology and aesthetics grew soon after her own personal battle with adult acne. She received her Bachelor’s in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and received her Master's in Clinical Medical Sciences from Barry University, and is a board-certified physician assistant. She strives for perfection when it comes to her work, but appreciates every person's unique, individual features, and aims to maintain a “natural” appearance with all her patients. She wanted a place where her patients could feel comfortable in their own skin and not feel pressured when expressing their own personal struggles, knowing that she and her staff would listen and help them with feeling better, not only externally but internally.

Rylie Bland and Kylie Ricketts, House of Preservation

The process of bringing House of Preservation to life was a combined effort of lifelong friends Brittany Ricketts and Rylie Bland. Unsatisfied with their corporate jobs in 2016, they decided to take a leap of faith and pursue their passion for all things skincare and beauty related. They embarked on their journey by enrolling in esthetician and laser school where they launched their blog, House of Preservation, as a platform to educate like-minded skincare junkies. Following graduation, both landed jobs in a med spa to learn the business from the ground up.

Throughout their time in school and working in the industry, House of Preservation (@houseofpreservation) garnered a cult-like following with their full-disclosure tips, tricks and opinions on buzzworthy beauty ingredients and treatments. Dubbed 'The MedSpa the Internet Built' by D Magazine, House of Preservation is truly just that, a business that leapt off social media into the real world. In 2019, Ricketts and Bland made the leap from the digital-scape to the real world with their first brick-and-mortar location on Fitzhugh Avenue in Dallas, Texas, and expanded with an Austin location at The Triangle in spring 2023. Scouting their third location with an ever-growing following on social media, House of Preservation is setting the tone for how to engage with clients and retain business, all while staying focused on the overall goal; to make people feel confident bare-faced.

Sahar Saghezchi, Cupertino Facial Esthetics

Sahar Saghezchi is the founder of Cupertino Facial Esthetics, a Bay Area medical spa specializing in medical aesthetics, intimacy wellness and cosmetic dentistry. She started in plastic surgery as a patient care coordinator, gaining the majority of her experience learning every inch of plastic surgery from renowned plastic surgeons. She moved into consulting and assisting medical spas grow and expand. Her passion for esthetics and her background in practice growth led her in the direction of using her expertise to expand her father’s cosmetic dental practice with the addition of the medical aesthetics side, Cupertino Facial Esthetics. Combing the expertise of herself, her father and her brother (an oral maxillofacial surgeon) to create a specialty center focusing on the face, neck, chest, intimacy wellness and smile.

Visit Industry-leading Vendors

Also, you’ll have the chance to visit with a number of exceptional vendors through-out this event. Attend the Miami Medical Spa Boot Camp to check out the latest and greatest from the following companies:

• Aerolase
• Allergan Aesthetics
• APX Platform
• Boulevard
• CareCredit
• Clarius
• CosmoFrance
• DoctorLogic
• Environ/DermaConcepts
• Epicutis
• Epionce
• Galderma
• Jackie by Love My Delta
• Merz Aesthetics
• MyAdvice
• PatientNow
• Podium
• Sciton
• Skytale Group
• Solta Medical
• Symplast
• TouchMD
• Xite Realty
• ByrdAdatto
• AmSpa

We hope you can join us in Miami on November 3 – 5. This AmSpa Medical Spa Boot Camp is your opportunity to join us to get your medical aesthetic business headed in the right direction and learn some tips and tricks that can take it to the next level. Sign up here to register!