Alex Thiersch here, director of AmSpa. I'm back from AmSpa's first ever Medical Spa Show and, after sleeping for 3 days straight, I wanted to reach out to all of you and say THANK YOU to each of you who attended. The turnout and feedback we received was absolutely overwhelming and I couldn't be prouder of everyone who turned up to show their support. Anyone who was there can attest to the fact that the energy at the meeting was palpable. And the most exciting thing to me wasn't the speakers (which were incredible), the diverse and engaged exhibitors (all of whom brought their A game), or even the absolutely incredible facility (Aria has to be one of the coolest resorts in the US).

No, the thing I was most proud of was you, the attendees. How incredible was it to FINALLY get everyone in the industry together, in one place, for an event that was dedicate solely to med spas? We had nearly 250 med spas represented from all over the country (even Canada, Chile and Africa!), from all different walks of life, representing an incredible array of innovation, technology, grit, and entrepreneurship. And again...the energy, the excitement about the future, and the goodwill of all who were there was truly overwhelming. I'e been to many conferences, and I have to tell you I have never experienced a group of people so engaged with one another, so excited to be part of something, but most of all, so nice. This industry is on rocket fuel right now, and so long as all of you continue to pour your heart and soul into growing into a profitable, safe, compliant industry, I promise that we at AmSpa will put all of our resources to bear to support each and every one o f you. I couldn't be prouder to be a part of it, so thank you, each of you, for your participation in the meeting.

I did want to plug our Boot Camps since many of you have asked about them. For those of you who haven't been, AmSpa has been putting on Medical Spa and Aesthetic Bootcamps for three years now. These are different from the Medical Spa Show in that they are two days of extended, intense training in an MBA-style format. We limit the number of attendees and offer extended periods for our speakers to teach – 60 to 90 minute sessions, minimum. Many of the incredible speakers you saw at the show are there to teach you everything they know about how to run a profitable aesthetic practice. Regardless of whether you are open, getting ready to open, or just thinking about opening, I can't recommend enough coming to a Boot Camp. But beware – it's an intense two days, and you will leave absolutely exhausted, filled with information, but incredibly pumped up to move forward. And if anyone has any doubts, we are more than happy to refer you to over 300 satisfied customers who have attended, any one of whom will be happy to discuss their experience.

We're kicking off our Boot Camp season in Rosemont on March 10-11 (this is the city that O'Hare Airport is located in Chicago, so it's super easy for anyone in the country to get to ... it's being held at the Hilton Rosemont, which even offers a shuttle to and from the airport), and have six other dates planned. With our increased membership and the attendance at the Medical Spa Show, these dates are already filling up and they will sell out. So check your calendar and sign up right away because we don't want anyone to miss out!

Thanks again to all of you, and we look forward to a strong and successful 2018!