Industry Pool & Spa Show

[castletonia]

Looking for advice from those within the industry.  I have been out of the industry for about 6 months but will be coming back soon.  My first question is, are there any upcoming pool/spa shows that are actually worth attending?  I never had the opportunity to attend any before and can only remember about the shows in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Second question, considering factors such as complete product line, reputation, quality, and company experience, what brands would you want to carry and why?  With the area I am located in, Hot Springs, Sundance, Bullfrog, Master Spas, Maax, and probably Jacuzzi are already taken and based on prior experience, Cal Spas is not being considered.

[Ryan VSO]

Beachcomber , Artic , viking ( just kidding :p ) ,

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 You might take a look at Artesian Spas out of Vegas!     

[castletonia]

Jacuzzi Jim, I have little to no experience with Artesian.  Do you believe you could be successful with Artesian and how is the company to deal with?  I guess what I am asking is, do you see Artesian as a brand that you would want as your #1 brand or are they better suited to compliment another brand?

Also, and I know this is off topic, but does anyone have thoughts on infrared saunas?  Finnleo is out of the question as there are already local dealers and I am concerned with the cost of TheraSauna, but I don't want junk imports either.

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 We originally started with Artesian back in 2000 they were made in Victorville Ca at that time.   Our Rep jumped ship to Jacuzzi and we brought them on in 2002, we sold way more Jacuzzi than Artesian so we let them go. Ironically the rep went back to Artesian and is still there as far as I know.    They actually are a very nice spa and the company was easy to deal with.    Good warranty with little hassle unlike Cal-spa :roll:    We have looked at Artesian over the years but just never felt they would be a good fit along side Jacuzzi.   They have a complete line with high end and mid to low, along with I believe their own line of swim spa's.       

[Hottubguy]

How about marquis, caldera or sundance?  I have been carrying marquis for awhile now and have been very happy with the product, customer service and everything else with the company

[Jacuzzi Jim]

  Yes Marquis would be another good one!   

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

you just missed the Vegas show...I killed it on the craps table, oh and there was an industry trade show going on as well 

In all seriousness it looks like your stacked up against all the big boys, Marquis as mentioned would be a good offering but now days you'll most likely need multiple lines to meet "all" price points, ie Viking, Nordic, Artesian, etc. you need diversification if you plan to survive against not only your local spa dealers but also against the big box junk like Costco.  Also website, web presence, facebook etc. is absolutely crucial, I cannot stress this enough, over the past 2-3 years we've avoided print, radio, tv, etc. and put almost every single marketing dollar into the web and it is paying huge dividends...more leads, more traffic, more interest, more everything basically since we started doing it.  Good Luck

[Hottubguy]

Agree with twin cities on the marketing aspect. I have done virtually the same thing. I also carry the nordic line as my second line and have been happy with them. They switched up the line a bit this year and the improvements make the tubs look a lot nicer

[castletonia]

Are there any other upcoming shows?

I am familiar with Nordic,  but what are the "MS"  versions of their tubs?  Between Marquis and Caldera, which would be your preference and why?  Also, what approximate price range would the Celebrity series by Marquis and their E-Series sell for?

Any feedback on infrared saunas from anyone?

[TwinCitiesHotSpring]

Jacuzzi Jim, I have little to no experience with Artesian.  Do you believe you could be successful with Artesian and how is the company to deal with?  I guess what I am asking is, do you see Artesian as a brand that you would want as your #1 brand or are they better suited to compliment another brand?

Also, and I know this is off topic, but does anyone have thoughts on infrared saunas?  Finnleo is out of the question as there are already local dealers and I am concerned with the cost of TheraSauna, but I don't want junk imports either.

We do Helo saunas which is an offshoot of Finnleo which you prob. already know...I'm more into custom cut and traditional because that is what they specialize in, but to answer your question, yes on avg. their infrared is more expensive than online options but there is some reason behind...first and foremost they are ETL listed, I'm not sure about you or your customers but I'm not putting some crap that was shipped from China into my home that isn't either UL or ETL listed (huge expense for a manufacturer), I've seen quality control from China that hasn't been inspected by a third party and it isn't pretty.  Secondly most (soon to be all I believe) of their units are Low EMR, and yes they are better than the competition because I have first hand used a meter to test them vs. a few different competitor brands....in some cases they emitted 3x- 5x less radiation.  With all that said, I'm sure there is a "middle ground" company that can offer better pricing but I just haven't had motivation to look because like I said our custom cut/traditional business is where the money is at, if you don't sell that Infrared to the customers on their first stop into your store and they start looking around online, you have about a 5% chance or less to close that deal with all the "crap" info. and cheap chinese garbage they can buy online for half the price

[castletonia]

My only concern with sauna pricing is TheraSauna is expensive and IMHO too expensive for the market I am in.  I will look more into Helo

[Hottubguy]

Are there any other upcoming shows?

I am familiar with Nordic,  but what are the "MS"  versions of their tubs?  Between Marquis and Caldera, which would be your preference and why?  Also, what approximate price range would the Celebrity series by Marquis and their E-Series sell for?

Any feedback on infrared saunas from anyone?

The different lines are 110, ms, se and ls and classic. The 110 line is pretty self explanatory all the tubs are 110 only, ms is single 1.5 hp pump with fewer jets, se is the nicer lighting with a 2.5 hp motor, ls is dual 1.5 hp with the most jets and Classic is mostly the rounds that made them famous

[hottubdan]

What city are you in?  Caldera is part of Watkins, so you have that strength behind it.  Marquis is a smaller brand, so you might get more personal attention. Both brands hit most price points.  With Caldera you would probably have a shot of carrying a roto mold brand from Watkins also, so you can hit the low end.

[gyro]

If you have not visited the Marquis Spas web site , I encourage you do to so to learn more about Marquis.  There is a video on each model that Marquis offers in addition to how they are made, the hydrotherapy story, and the new MicroSilk option which is one of the most exciting innovations to hit the spa industry in years.

The Celebrity line retails for under $5,000.00 at a 40% margin, and Marquis offers price points starting at $3,995.00 to over $10,000.00 for consumers in the market for a spa with three 160 GPM pumps, 82 jets, and a pop up flat screen TV.

Marquis offers a complete line of chemicals and accessories to help brand your business in addition to the Environments components to surround the hot tubs with matching steps, benches, counters with stools, planters, etc to dress up any spa.

I'd enjoy speaking to you about what all Marquis has to offer retailers that want a long term relationship with a manufacturer that will help them dominate their market.

Sincerely,

Bill Wells
National Sales Director
Marquis Spas
(503) 871-7850
bwells@marquiscorp.com