Spa Finder, Inc., the global spa resource, announced today that it has invited 450 elite senior executives from across the world of spa to participate in the first-ever "Global Spa Summit." Drawing together the world's foremost experts in the spa hospitality, property development,investment, architecture, design, research, marketing, consulting and medical arenas, this unique forum will showcase the changing landscape of the global spa industry and introduce evolutionary practices and innovations in the field. The invitation-only inaugural 2007 Global Spa Summit will be held from May 20th-22nd at Manhattan's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The award winning Cornelia Day Resort will provide spa services and host a special cocktail reception.
"The Global Spa Summit evolved through years of dialogue among senior hospitality and spa executives, who all felt frustrated that there was no formal process to address international spa issues at a senior level," said Spa Finder, Inc. CEO Pete Ellis, a member of the Global Spa Summit's planning committee, "Spa and wellness has become a truly global industry; now we'll finally have a way to learn, share ideas, solve problems and provide leadership on a global level to help shape a healthy future."
Rather than merely presenting information through a limited number of keynote speakers, the summit will elicit the unique insights and expertise of its entire roster of leaders via group discussions facilitated by topical experts. Specific agenda topics will include: global spa trends, innovations in spa design and architecture, emerging ideas for making eco-friendly business decisions, benchmarking performance, optimizing recruitment and retention, brand-building, implementing yield management for revenue optimization, capitalizing on technology, and creating sophisticated spa retailing programs. Attendees will also be encouraged to introduce their own discussion topics.
An over-arching goal of the summit will be to consolidate the latest spa-related research from around the world. Research presenters will include Peter Yesawich from YPB&R, who will present his latest spa industry research, and PhoCusWright President and CEO Philip Wolf, who will host a special session on online travel trends and the future of the spa industry. Cornell University will unveil its new spa industry research in conjunction with Smith Travel Research; and Spa Finder, Inc. will share research from its latest spa lifestyle consumer and industry surveys. The summit will also feature the first-ever national study on the spa industry in Japan, presented by a Japanese government-commissioned research firm.
Informal networking and discussions will be facilitated at a number of Spa Finder-sponsored social events. These include an opening night gala, and 'dine-around' meetings at some of New York's most famous restaurants(including Daniel, Gramercy Tavern, Jean-Georges, Le Bernardin, and Nobu Fifty Seven). In addition to the cocktail reception at the renowned Cornelia Day Resort, guests and spouses/significant others will have a chance to partake in the ultimate spa experience by enjoying the spa amenities offered at Cornelia.
Integrating a Fragmented Industry
According to Spa Finder data, the spa industry has grown 40% in the last three years alone. As it's grown, however, the industry has become increasingly fragmented across countless global markets and numerous health, wellness and lifestyle categories, creating unique marketing and business challenges for industry players looking to increase their global reach. One of the higher-level goals of the summit will be to explore ways to integrate the universe of spa as it continues to grow and diversify.
Proposed ideas include creating common terminology for spa offerings and categories to simplify global spa travel, and establishing standard financing and accounting measures (similar to RevPAR in the hospitality sector) to create more meaningful spa performance benchmarks.
Although Spa Finder is sponsoring the inaugural Global Spa Summit, the long-term plan is to incorporate the GSS as a non-profit foundation jointly spearheaded by industry leaders. Future events, Ellis emphasizes, will be held all over the world, reflecting the Summit's global mission.
"Our goal is to make the Global Spa Summit the most important spa industry event of the year, every year everywhere it's held," added Ellis. "We're looking forward to an inspiring inaugural event in May and to establishing an institution that will help shape and grow the spa industry for decades to come."
Learn More
To learn more about the Global Spa Summit, including topics, speakers and events, contact Betsy Isroelit at 213.300.0108, [email protected] or Beth McGroarty at 213.300.0107. [email protected]