Joint booth is a possible industry first
When attendees of the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts strolled the site last fall, they came across a possible first for the hot tub industry.
Great Bay Spas & Saunas and New England Spas had set up a joint booth where both companies were selling their products. Although it was a new concept, the two companies had a connection that goes back years.
Norm Coburn, the president of New England Spas, based in Massachusetts, first met Jamie Burson, owner of Great Bay Spas & Saunas, about 20 years ago and says the two hit it off. Working for New England Spas since 1978 — he became president of the company in 1985 — Coburn says he has collaborated with other businesses, particularly spa dealers around the region, with the mindset of “playing nice in the sandbox.”
With that approach to doing business, Coburn agreed to a joint booth at the Topsfield Fair.
“We hadn’t done a fair in years, and I believe it was the same for them,” Burson says. “With the market shifting coming out of COVID, we’re looking for various opportunities to do different event sales.”
The collaboration was more of a handshake deal, Coburn says, with each company agreeing to split the expenses for setup, labor and staffing.
“We kept track of everything down to the man hours as best we could,” Burson says. “We split the staffing so that it was evenly spread. Both teams put in the same amount of effort, same amount of man hours. That was probably the easiest piece of it.”
But when it comes to sales, Burson admits things can get tricky. Coburn believes that if one company makes more than the other, there needs to be a reduction of the costs of doing the joint booth to ensure equity for both companies.
Amid the challenges, one shared feature simplified the process — the companies sell many of the same brands. At the Topsfield Fair, they sold Sundance Spas, Hydropool swim spas, Sauna360 saunas and Leisure Concepts covers.
According to Coburn, running the joint booth created a memorable experience for everyone from the owners to the salespeople. Both sales teams learned from one another, and the marketing team at New England Spas brought in a local high school swim team to demonstrate how to use the swim spa. Aside from drawing attention, money was raised for the team’s charities.
Even more exciting for Burson and Coburn was being told that they were among the first spa businesses to collaborate. Sundance Spas awarded both companies Best Event of the Year during a recent industry conference.
This is a kinder, gentler way to cooperate with competition.”
Norm Coburn, New England Spas
“We were delighted to receive that award and the recognition that this is a kinder, gentler way to cooperate with competition,” Coburn says.
After the event’s success, New England Spas and Great Bay Spas & Saunas have a few recommendations for other companies who want to do something similar.
Burson says it is crucial to have a good working relationship with another company, especially considering how small the industry is. It’s also important to consider the geographic areas served by each company because not all customers want delivery within two hours compared to 30 minutes, especially if they’re within the territory of a different business.
Coburn emphasizes the crucial role of trust in a joint venture. “[It’s a] leap of faith,” he says. “But we felt like whatever the results were, we’d be able to make everybody happy.”
