Spa and wellness professionals are preparing for the start of the annual ISPA Conference and Expo, which opens in Las Vegas later today (16 October).

Speeches at the three-day event, organised by the International Spa Association (ISPA), cover everything from business strategy to customer service and management, while the exhibition hall showcases the latest spa products and services.

Today's keynote speech comes from social psychologist Amy Cuddy, a professor at Harvard Business School, who has written on the power of nonverbal behavior, prejudice and stereotyping – and the ways people can affect their own thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

Tuesday’s speech will be given by author and presenter Daniel H Pink, the former host of the National Geographic Channel social science TV series Crowd Control. In 2015, Pink was named by Thinkers 50 as one of the top 10 business thinkers in the world.

On Wednesday, one of the National Football League’s (NFL) greatest players of all time, Peyton Manning, will take to the podium. The two-time Super Bowl champion retired after the 2015 season and has since become a popular speaker on success.

Prior to the event, ISPA also released its 2017 ISPA US Spa Industry Study.

Conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the study highlights that the US spa industry achieved record-breaking revenues of US$16.8bn (€14.2bn, £12.7bn) in 2016.

In total, US spas recorded more than 184 million spa visits during the year.

As an indicator of further growth, there were 33,000 vacant positions were available in the industry at the time of the study – with 61 percent of spas actively trying to fill positions.

“Spa visits are now at an all-time high – over 184 million visitors walked through the doors and benefited from spa treatments in 2016,” said Colin McIlheney, global research director for PwC.

“The key metrics are continuing their upward trend, highlighting the importance of the spa industry.”

Launched in 1991, ISPA represents health and wellness facilities and providers in more than 70 countries.

Members encompass the entire arena of the spa experience, from resort/hotel, destination, mineral springs, medical, club and day spas, to service providers such as physicians, wellness instructors, nutritionists, massage therapists and product suppliers.