What’s the great idea? People of ISPA website

Who’s doing it? International SPA Association

What’s involved? ISPA is sharing its members’ unique stories through a new website inspired by the Humans of New York project.

The People of ISPA website features mini profiles and photos of the group’s members worldwide. “The goal is to promote our diverse membership and then also the industry as a whole, which includes the profession and career opportunities within the industry,” says Crystal Ducker, vice president of research and communications.

On ISPA’s main website, members respond to a survey of rotating questions about their background, interests, and how they got into the health and wellness industry. Staff then turns the survey responses into profiles. Since People of ISPA launched in September 2016, the association has published a new profile almost every day.

What are people saying? The profiles have been widely viewed and shared on social media. “The spa industry as a whole is very much a family-driven, community-driven group of individuals,” Ducker says. “And they are always inspired by others, and they feed off that inspiration. So we have received a lot of positive feedback and excitement about the sharing component of it.”

And the profiles haven’t just reached current members. They’ve expanded ISPA’s audience by starting conversations with prospective, former, and nonmembers as well.

[This article was originally published in the Associations Now print edition, titled "In The SPA-tlight."]