SpaClique.com announces the Grand Opening of Spa IExpo Virtual Trade Show

Spa iExpoTM is the first on-line virtual trades show in the hospitality industry not just the spa segment.

Roswell Ga., November 5, 2008 - After a four month soft opening, SpaClique.com is announcing the Grand Opening of Spa iExpoTM a virtual trade show open to spa professionals. Spa iExpoTM earns the title of "Virtual Trade Show" by offering an innovative, interactive, graphically rich set of features well beyond that of existing directories of products and services offered to the hospitality industry.

SpaClique.com was re-commissioned in May of 2008 as a social and professional community site for spa and salon professionals dedicated to connecting them and keeping them up to date on the inner workings of their industry.

SpaClique offers professionals the ability to create a profile, write a blog that is shared with all members on the site, upload press releases, join a "clique" (ie. estheticians, vendors, etc), as well as connect and network with other members.

Spa iExpoTM, offers companies providing health, fitness and beauty products and services a Virtual Trade show environment to showcase their company with an image gallery, Video Gallery, down loadable brochures, tabbed information about their brand as well as purchasing product samples.
"When we started on the redevelopment of our old spa products and services directory system, setting the goal of making the experience as much like a bricks and mortar trade show as possible just seemed to be obvious" stated company owner and CCO (Chief Community Office) Brian Cunningham "We were already several months into the development process when we first went looking for examples of how others had developed virtual trades shows. We were very surprised to find almost nothing! We did find one site dedicated to huge retailers that had executed on the Trade Show concept marginally well but that was it. That at first made us pause but since then a number of well executed virtual trade show offerings have appeared".

With no real examples to follow being unique was a given and innovative a necessity.

Easy Value Proposition - Compared to the cost of attending or exhibiting at a brick & mortar trade show, the cost benefits of Spa iExpo are obvious. This is especially true during the current economic down turn. Attendance is free to SpaClique members. SpaClique membership is free. Exhibitors pay a small base fee and then only per click on your exhibit as compared to the costs involved for travel, set up, product samples and large trade show fees.

Product Samples and Swag - Exhibitors may offer attendees Wholesale product samples (free or paid) They may choose separate pricing and availability to standard attendees and attendees who have registered as qualified whole buyers.

Web 2.0 - All exhibits offer customer reviews and Social Networking bookmarking links facilitate "viral marketing". The exhibit itself is SEO optimized so that outside of the Spa Clique community itself, your exhibit will come up in search.

Get the Details - Exhibits offer separate product, service, sample program, career and event narratives. Each may have unlimited rich html text with the option to embed even more images. Information is available 24/7 on demand. It's customizable, if services or products change, you can update them keeping prospects interested in coming back to your exhibit for new and interesting information.

Image Slide Show - There is an Image Gallery that pops up into a beautiful slide show with navigation.

Flash - Embedded Flash gallery for audio video product and service demonstrations. You Tube Videos may also be available.

Downloads - Exhibitors may offer multiple brochures, order forms or almost any file type for attendees to download

Leads - Exhibitors can choose the type of email inquiry form most appropriate to their product andor service. Form types include product, service, education and resume submission.

SpaClique does not see Spa iExpoTM as a replacement for traditional spa conferences. Mr. Cunningham commented, ISPA, DSA PBA and other spa associations serve their members by taking on the serious business of getting members together face to face, representing them to government, supporting charitable foundations and other valuable service above our pay grade here at SpaClique. Nothing really beats meeting face to face. We see Spa iExpo as a ways to augment services provided by the associations rather than competing with them. Where the associations put on great Brick and Mortar trade shows, SpaClique has developed a virtual version were vendors and members often committed to just one or two conferences can afford to have a presence year round.

To help support ISPA, DSA and the other associations, we now enable Spa iExpo exhibitors to show the logos of the associations they belong to. The Whiter Image Spa iExpo exhibit offer a good examples of how this works. Exhibitors must respect the same rules as they do for their own web sits and not list associations they do not belong to.

First of it's kind Samples and Swag Program

SpaClique.com now provides Spa iExpo® exhibitors with the ability to offer product samples and promotional items (swag) from their Spa iExpo® exhibits. Exhibitors may offer Samples and swag to all members andor just to "Verified Buyers". They may also set pricing levels individually for standard members and qualified wholesale buyers.

Two Buyer Levels:
Spa iExpo Swag - Pick up swag and limited promotional samples while browsing Spa iExpo®. Qualified Buyer information is not required.

Spa iExpo Verified Buyer - Qualified wholesale spa buyers are offered a wider range of product samples andor preferred pricing. To qualify a a verified buyer, members must complete an extra set of questions in their SpaClique member profile.

How the Samples and Swag program works.

1) Much like a bricks and mortar trade show, simply browse Exhibitors in the Spa iExpo® virtual trade show floor looking for items of interest. To find exhibitors offering samples and swag look for the samples icon in search results and at the top of each individual exhibit. You may also go directly to the "Samples and Swag Aisle" via the isle guide found in the left hand column of all Spa iExpo pages.

2) When viewing an individual exhibit, look under the samples tab to view what the exhibitor is offing.

3) Add items to your swag bag (cart). Look to the left column in all Spa iExpoTM pages to see what is already in you Swag Bag" The Show Cart link takes you to your Swag Bag details where you can check out.

4) After check out, SpaClique.com then sends separate Order Fulfillment notices to each Exhibitor who will confirm receipt of the order fulfillment notice to you directly. The order fulfillment notice contains the information found in your SpaClique "My Spa Book" Professional and iExpo tabs.

5) Samples and Swag will be delivered to you in separate shipments from each exhibitor.

Spa Clique is geared towards spa and salon professionals to connect them and keep them up to date on the inner workings of their industry.

Spa Clique offers professionals the ability to create a profile, write a blog that is shared with all members on the site, upload press releases, join a “clique” (ie. estheticians, vendors, etc), as well as connect and network with other members.

ActivityTec llc dba SpaClique
220 Willow Lake Cove
Roswell Ga., 30075
Brian Cunningham
Chief Community Officer
Brian.Cunningham@SpaClique.com
http://www.SpaClique.com
Phone: (404) 474-1913
Press Contact: Bryan Fisher

This release was published on openPR.