2016 Global Wellness Summit theme announced
Sue Harmsworth on stage at the 2015 summit
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) has announced the theme for the 2016 summit in Kitzbühel, Austria. The event, the 10th annual summit, will be held under the theme of Back to the Future.
The GWS said in a statement that the summit will “examine the future of spa and wellness through the lens of history”. The summit, taking place in the Austrian Tyrol on October 17-19, will look at a series of wellness topics predicted to be key going forward.
These include the fusion of wellness and medicine, wellness within communities and the extent to which government policies around the world are increasingly beginning to cover wellness.
Other topics at the summit will include the technological advancements making wellness more accessible, the economic outlook for the spa market in Europe and the difference between “wellness” and “wellbeing”.
The summit will be co-hosted by Sue Harmsworth, founder and chief executive of skincare brand and spa consultancy Espa and Franz Linser, founder and managing director of international consulting firm Linser Hospitality.
As part of the summit’s future focus, delegates will be asked to submit their predictions for the wellness industry, to be locked in a “10th anniversary time capsule” and opened at the 2026 summit.
The 2016 summit will also see a change to the annual student competition. This year, university students from around the world will be encouraged to submit an “innovative, impactful business idea” covering any aspect of wellness.
Three finalists will then be flown in to the summit to present their ideas on stage in front of delegates.
