Speaker in the Spotlight - Julie Bach

Professional Spa & Wellness Convention returns to Professional Beauty in London on February 28-29, 2016, once again attracting some of the most senior speakers in, and outside of, the industry. We talked to Julie Bach, Executive Director at Wellness for Cancer, about the topics, presentations and the key issues facing the sector.

What will you try to deliver in your presentation, for the delegates attending? Perspective that we cannot offer wellness for only well people.
A call to action to set up, get trained and recognise that cancer is more about wellbeing and wellness than disease care. That we have a responsibility - people are human beings, they are not defined by their disease.

What do you enjoy the most about speaking at events like the Professional Spa & Wellness Convention?
The straight forward nature of rocking people in to truth versus dancing around the issue.

What type of presentations do you most enjoy when you're in the audience yourself? Some speakers are, for example, more relaxed and off the cuff, others more focused on facts and figures.
Ones that provide context and tactical steps.

What do you think makes a great audience? What would be your ideal audience at an event like this?
Always an interactive audience because they will feed off of each other.

Spa is a growing sector, the word over, and there has been quite a buzz around wellness for a number of years now. What do you think is the single most important role the global spa and wellness industry can play at the moment?
To visualise what wellness means at a personal, professional and brand level. To make the investments in what it will take to deliver upon the promise to deliver a quality and effective client experience. This is more than window dressing of the same many without investing in our internal resources.

If you could name one thing you would like to see happen within the global spa and wellness industry this year, what would that be?
To embrace clients healing from cancer as a pilot to understand our capability for wellness and wellbeing. Clients with cancer are much evidenced and the behavioural changes required for them to get well can be seen more dramatically than someone who already appears to be well.

Events like the Professional Spa & Wellness Convention are not just about the programme; the networking element is also a very important element. To what extent have you found networking to be key to your career?
Very key. Gaining the support of others and helping others makes us stronger. We are more than our occupations or positions, we are social and are stronger when we collectively come together around common purposes.

What made you interested in chairing the 'Exploring the positive impact of spas for cancer patients, survivors and their families session'?
The opportunity to create change at the human being level.

Click here for the full Convention programme