NEWS
Clockwise from top left: Keynote John Kao provides some musical inspiration; Amy Margerum, Aspen Institute; Steve Kass, American Leisure with Michel Gras, Thalgo; Dr Daniel Friedland, SuperSmartHealth, with Nader Vasseghi, Self Optima, and Roberto Arjona of Rancho La Puerta. Below: Susie Ellis, President of SpaFinder Wellness
Global Spa & Wellness Summit 2012
View from the top 30
Susie Ellis, President of SpaFinder Wellness and Board Member of the GSWS, gives us her top takeaways
This year’s theme, Innovation through Imagination, was spot on. The entire event reached a higher level of conversation thanks to discussions about larger global and geopolitical issues from speakers including Philippe Bourguignon and former President of Costa Rica Jose Maria Figueres-Olsen. The emphasis this year on innovation was perfectly timed, as it really is the most important focus for the industry. A surprise discovery was learning
that one of the key factors in sparking imagination, creativity and, ultimately, innovation is a state of reduced stress – the very thing our industry does best. I feel it warrants some thought and discussion on how we might be able to educate, incorporate and take advantage of this unique and important contribution as the world focuses on innovation as a key driver for the future. Partnerships, collaboration and
initiatives are always important. Already there are several underway: efforts to benchmark industry numbers via cooperation with technology companies; a group getting together for the purpose of legitimising wellness; and an ongoing discussion regarding spa education curriculum development and improving industry/education connections. I am also excited about creating a
Watching the moon Fuelling the imagination, GSWS’s Co-Chair Philippe Bourguignon’s presentation ‘Understand the World or Imagine the World?’ took delegates on a personal journey back to his fi rst visit to Aspen in 1979. Bourguignon, who is also Vice Chairman of Revolution Places and CEO of Exclusive Resorts, then fast-forwarded to 2050 using geo-political trends to paint a graphic picture of how the world might look in 40 years’ time. He pictured a scenario where climate change, mass unemployment, the failure of traditional economic models and the diminishing infl uence of the super powers we recognise today would impact on every aspect of our lives.
He also pointed out that by 2050 there will be two billion more people on the planet, with the vast majority of them living in Africa, Asia and Latin America. This alone, he said, will present huge demographic challenges, from food supply to immigration.
virtual version of this Summit and future Summits so we can make them available to many more people.
Bourguignon anchored this thought back to spa industry developments by asking delegates to consider how these many forces could, in fact, catalyse an increasing need for people to focus on improving wellness.
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All that jazz
The imagination baton was passed to keynote speaker John Kao, billed as an Innovation Activist, who is the author of several notable publications, including Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity and Innovation Nation, US
. Kao
has built a notable reputation as a leading thinker on large scale innovation. Tinkling the ivories of a beautiful Steinway concert piano, he deftly demonstrated how the disciplines of jazz musicality could successfully be applied to the creative thinking process. He asked his audience to consider how they could turn the spa experience inside out and make the transition from ‘pampering’ to ‘meaning’.
He also asked delegates to contemplate how to make the spa experience sustainable, accessible and more relevant in future, particularly to younger generations and across cultural boundaries.
Future healthcare models
The opportunity to listen to Dr Richard Carmona, 17th US Surgeon General and Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch, was a highlight of GSWS. His fast, knowledgeable presentation ‘Pursuit of Global Health and Wellness: The Value Proposition of the
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