
The AQUA Live Leadership Retreat, scheduled for December 11-13, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, will help managers and owners take their business to the next level. The compelling education program is designed to send leaders back with tangible solutions and new insights to improve their bottom line in 2024. In order to keep the event small and facilitate one-on-one communication, attendance is capped at 300. The event is expected to sell out quickly.
Learn More About Registration Here!
Monday, December 11
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — Workshop: Marketing Bootcamp
Scott Reynolds
- Part One: Where and How to Advertise Your Pool and Spa Store
- Part Two: Developing a 12-month Marketing Calendar
- Part Three: Why a CRM is Critical and Getting Your Team to Use One
About the Speaker: Scott Reynolds is the co-founder and CEO of The Get Smart Group, a full service marketing agency dedicated to the pool and spa industry. With over 25 years of marketing experience (14 solely in the pool and spa world), he brings a depth of knowledge and real-life examples of what is actually working in today’s challenging marketing environment. What started as a small marketing company with his wife Ali in 2009 has gr own to over 45 employees in 15 states, generating 10s of thousands of leads per year, nationwide.
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. — Workshop: Succession Bootcamp
Scot Hunsaker
- Session 1: Defining What Is Important for You in a Successful Succession Plan
- Session 2: Preparing Your Leadership Team for a Successful Succession Plan
- Session 3: How to Implement the Ownership Transfer Process
About the Speaker: Scot Hunsaker is the former CEO of aquatic design firm Counsilman-Hunsaker. Scot now runs the Ardent Group, whose mission is to help business owners prepare for a healthy succession, teaching their employees how to think like owners. He has also served on the board of directors, including the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF) and The Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC).
Tuesday, December 12
8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. — General Session: Cornell University School of Business: "The Customer Journey"
Neil Tarallo
Companies that foster entrepreneurial behavior among employees and set up processes to support it are more competitive—experiencing transformative breakthroughs and lower employee turnover.
“When you have those opportunities to take responsibility and ownership for an idea, it increases the level of enjoyment employees have in their job, and it reduces the amount of turnover that’s happening,” says Professor Neil Tarallo, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University.
10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. — Panel Discussion: Navigating the Labor Shortage: Challenges, Solutions and Opportunities
With good workers in short supply, the importance of all aspects of workforce management are magnified. In our industry, the ability to hire, develop and retain quality pool and spa professionals is essential to profitability. A panel of successful owners and managers discuss new thinking and practical tips.
*Panelists to be determined.
11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. — Breakout Session: Maximize Revenue in Retail
Ted Lawrence
About the Speaker: Ted Lawrence is the vice president of Pro Sales at KIK/BioLab and has served the swimming pool industry for over 33 years. Ted has owned and operated his own retail stores, e-commerce sites, managed large-scale retail operations and held several leadership positions in the pool distribution space where he oversaw four national chemical brands and retail product strategies 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
About the Speaker: Brett Lloyd Abbott is the founder and CEO of Pool Builder Marketing LLC, a marketing consulting agency that works exclusively with swimming pool builders, pool service companies and high-end landscape professionals throughout the world. He is a frequent keynote speaker and leader of workshops and seminars.
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. — Panel Discussion: Tech Splash: Investing in Technology for the Future
Technology continues to drive our business. Game-changers, such as the variable-speed pump, advanced controls and the salt chlorine generator, have transformed the equipment pad, while smaller innovations, such as light, mobile pool vacuums and routing software, offer companies a significant tech edge in day-to-day operations. What new technologies and innovations will shape the future of the pool and spa industry, and where should owners and managers invest to give their companies an advantage in the decade to come?
*Panelists to be determined.
2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Roundtables: Roundtable Discussions
Speakers will be on hand to answer any additional questions you might have based on their seminars. Each roundtable participant will have the opportunity to discuss other ideas, topics and industry trends freely among their peers. Participants and speakers alike will take away new perspectives and information from the discussion.
Wednesday, December 13
9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. — General Session: Pool and Hot Tub Industry Trends: New Data on Revenue Generation, Project Backlogs, Employment and More
Sabeena Hickman
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — General Session: Employee Engagement Comes Before Customer Engagement
Ruby Newell-Legner
About the Speaker: For 27 years, Ruby Newell-Legner has inspired new service cultures for executives, managers and guest relations staff for nearly 1,700 sports, leisure and recreation facilities worldwide. Through consulting and training, she has designed customized staff development programs for 400 municipal and county governments, 144 leisure facilities, 97 stadiums and arenas, 66 professional sports teams, 60 schools, universities, colleges and military installations, 44 new facilities preparing to open, 15 five- to seven-star hotels, and six international sporting events.
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. — Lunch & Learn, Panel Discussion: Observations From the Next Generation
Quietly, this industry is going through a shift change. Every month, every year, more veterans are stepping away from the job, and a new generation is clocking in, as we look to the energy and ingenuity of youth to steer this industry towards a future even brighter than the one bequeathed by the senior leaders, now putting down their tools. In this session, we talk to three successful newcomers, part of the emerging cohort that will lead the industry into mid-century, about their inheritance and the direction of growth in the coming years.
About the Panelists:
Chase Decker
Maggie Wood
Michael Krause