Light Sources/IST Announce Contest
Does your salon have “Sol?” If so, we want you to show us – enter the Light Sources/Island Sun Times “We’ve Got Sol” video contest.
by John P. Ribner

The word “sol” has many meanings. It’s French for “the sun,” of course, and tanning salons have plenty of that. It’s also the name of Light Sources’ newest sunlamp technology – Sol Glass. The term can also refer to a personal quality – an authenticity, style, or passion – that is uniquely yours, and this is the kind of “sol” that Light Sources and IST want you to share. It’s our great pleasure to introduce Light Sources’ first-ever “We’ve Got Sol” video contest that encourages you to send us a video showing why your salon has “sol,” for the chance to win some awesome prizes (We’re talking Vegas, baby!). You also have the opportunity to become a star, because all video entries will be posted on Island Sun Times’ website.

For the “We’ve Got Sol” contest, we want you to express yourself. You and/or your staff should come up with a song, jingle, skit, or anything else that illustrates why you’ve got “sol,” then, you must capture your performance on video (30-second maximum). Whether it’s a professional grade digital videocam or simply the camera on your cell phone, the important thing is that you shoot something and enter it. The video entries will be posted on islandsuntimes.com, where people can view and rank each entry from 1-10 on its creativity, adherence to the rules and entertainment value. The contest runs from June 1, 2007 to September 9, 2007, with winners announced in the October issue of IST.

“ We’re very excited about our Sol Glass technology, and we thought this would be a fun way to get the word out to salon professionals,” said Christian J. Sauska, Light Sources Vice President of North American Sales. “This contest is perfect for our industry because it’s fun, unique and filled with many talented and creative people, and this will showcase that talent. Personally, I’m excited and looking forward to seeing what people come up with!”

There’s three good reasons why salon pros should enter this contest – prizes, prizes and prizes! The contest’s grand prizewinner gets a two-night/three-day stay in beautiful Las Vegas, including hotel and airfare. For the second prize, Light Sources will re-lamp two sunbeds or booths with their premium Sol Glass lamps, and the third prize is a 32-inch widescreen LCD HDTV with built-in digital tuner. “The three videos with the highest overall average ratings will be declared the winners,” explained Christian J. Sauska. “And the first 250 video entries will receive an ‘I’ve Got Sol’ T-shirt and coupon for significant savings on the purchase of Sol Glass sunlamps.”

As with any contest, there are some rules, of course. First, you must be at least 18 years old and currently employed at a commercial indoor tanning facility to participate. Secondly, the video must be no more than 30 seconds long, and must somehow utilize the words “Light Sources” and “Sol,” as well as at least three of the following words – “Budapest,” “Hungary,” “superior,” “bronzing,” “long-lasting,” “innovation” and “satisfaction.”

This contest, an IST/Light Sources exclusive, is centered on promoting the sunlamp manufacturer’s Sol Glass sunlamps. Engineers at the Light Sources/Lighttech glass manufacturing plant in Budapest, Hungary have designed a new type of glass that allows for light transmission at a different area of the UVB spectrum. “This results in a smaller amount of UVB placed at a much more efficient area of the spectrum to yield spectacular melanin stimulation,” explained Joe Schuster, Light Sources. “It also allows for a greater amount of UVA to be used, producing what we feel is simply the best tan the industry has ever seen.”

The name of the contest is “We’ve Got Sol,” and we want to see how many of you actually do. So what are you waiting for? Record your video and send it to us today! We’d love to see your “sol.”

Be Creative… Have Fun…& Good Luck!