Category Archives: Medical

Medical Tourism Taking a Back Seat to Wellness Tourism

WellnessTourismReport Medical Tourism Taking a Back Seat to Wellness TourismI rarely do this, however am making an exception in this case because I feel it is that important.  Rather than just giving you a link to an article, I am retyping the entire article here for you (with attribution, of course).  It is from today’s (Feb 20, 2012) Manila Standard Daily newspaper and  titled, Tourism plan zeroes in on ‘wellness.’

The reason this is important is because it shows that what the research from the Global Spa and Wellness Summit has been predicting, is, in fact now happening.  I don’t think many people really “got it” before because it was more theoretical however this is reality.  The spa industry should be all over this – and making sure that government entities recognize how valuable it would be for them to help promote their country’s spa tourism.

Tourism plan zeroes in on ‘wellness’

Medical tourism is likely to take a backseat to health and wellness programs because the Aquino administration intends to focus on those booming tourism sectors, an official said Sunday.

Tourism Undersecretary Daniel Corpuz said most of the Philippines’ major hospitals were internationally accredited but only a few foreigners were going here for treatment.

“So we would rather concentrate on non-invasive procedures or the health and wellness [programs] than procedural operations.” Corpuz told reporters at the sidelines of the National Tourism Statistics conference 2012 in Manila.

He made the statement even as Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said his department would be pushing the municipality of Oslob in Cebu as a tourist destination because of its famous whale sharks.  Tourists visiting the area and Donsol in Sorsogon in Sorsogon could swim with the giant but docile creatures.

Corpuz described medical tourism was a complicated market segment and therefore hard to push.  The Tourism Department launched its medical tourism program in 2007 to boost the country’s tourism industry.  It pushed aesthetic surgery, complex orthopedic procedures and cancer and cardiovascular care among other things.

The department said the country’s beaches and resorts, world-class facilities and friendly people would entice foreigners to come here for treatment.  Macon Ramos-Araneta.

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on /2012/february/20.)

Lessons for Spa Industry from Clinton’s “Health Matters” Conference

billclinton 300x235 Lessons for Spa Industry from Clintons “Health Matters” Conference

I got lucky. Then I got super-lucky.  I heard about the Clinton “Health Matters” Conference scheduled just prior to the Bob Hope  Classic Golf Tournament (now called the Humana Challenge Golf Tournament) that was going to be taking place in Indian Wells, CA just a week before it was actually going to happen. Then I found out they were only giving out 200 tickets – yikes. Through a flurry of emails and phone calls, I was lucky enough to be able to attain one.  Actually, it was two; I ended up attending with Deborah Szekely, founder of Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door – my mentor and, in recent years, a very close friend.  So we went together.

Oh yes, I should mention right up front, we did have a chance to chat with Clinton at the end of the day.  Deborah gave him one of her Rancho La Puerta cookbooks which he loved, and I told him something that he could add to his story: that Bob Hope walked an hour a day and lived to be a 100.  (Bob Hope also had  a massage every day!)

There we were – Deborah almost 90 and the “godmother of the modern spa industry” – and me, feeling fortunate to have been part of the industry she ushered in for the past three decades.  Both of us noticed that it wasn’t super well organized (they served a nice healthy buffet breakfast with fruit, eggs and such but provided exactly three tables with four chairs each to sit down).  Very odd.  However, we gave them a pass because it was their first health conference – a somewhat last minute idea I believe.  Kudos for hosting the event however.  They pulled in a slew of VIP’s:

  • President Bill Clinton – personal health crisis, now vegan, has lost 20 lbs
  • Chelsea Clinton – focus is childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes
  • Dr. Nancy Snyderman – Today Show’s medical expert
  • Jillian Michaels – former Biggest Loser drill sergeant
  • David Satcher – former U.S. Surgeon General
  • Billy Jean King – tennis legend
  • Goldie Hawn – actress and advocate for Brain Health
  • Notah Begay III – first Native American golfer to win a PGA title
  • Dick Gephardt – Former House Democratic leader
  • Reed Alexander – teenager and star of Nickelodeon’s iCarly
  • Susan Dell – wellness advocate and “super-mom”

Lessons for Spa Industry from Clintons “Health Matters” Conference

    The audience that Deborah and I were a part of, which included Donna Karan and singer Barbara Streisand, was a very mixed bag: national school lunch program administrators, advocates for physical education in schools, non-profit organizations, medical folks from nearby hospital facilities, and sponsors such as Humana  - a very large insurance company.  What we all had in common was an understanding that there is a health crisis in the U.S. and that it is going to take involvement from a broad spectrum of people to affect the changes needed.  The time to help people make lasting healthy lifestyle changes and spread the message of prevention (the one thing everyone seems to agree on as a solution) is NOW.

    If you want to get an idea (well, actually more than an idea) of what took place at the conference, have a quick read through my twitter notes below.  I tried to include the key points (keeping it short) from various speakers but throw in an occasional personal comment to keep people (and myself) awake. At the end I share five things I think the spa industry might consider as a result of what I learned at this one day conference.

    • Am in Indian Wells at one day #Health Matters Conference by the Clinton Foundation. About 300 people in audience, Clinton to speak soon.
    • Clinton speaking. Mentions this is a first – that they are focusing on encouraging each person to be involved in their health + #wellness.
    • This conference is with Clinton Foundation and Humana and replaces Chrysler as sponsor of Bob Hope Classic (financial problems for auto industry)
    Opening
    • Greetings by commissioner of the PTA TOUR – explains this tournament raised money for charity in the past, now it is raising awareness.
    • Clinton spoke about how Bob Hope walked every day which is why he lived to 100.  (Bob Hope also had a massage every day – something I have known for years.  And that’s what I told Clinton at the end of the day when Deborah and I had a chance to speak with him.  He responded that Hillary finds that regular massages help her with her brutal travel schedule. And asking him if he had regular massage therapy, he replied just now and then.)
    • Am here with Deborah Szekely (founder of Golden Door + Rancho La Puerta).  She told me last evening that she agreed with me knowing that Bob Hope had a massage daily – and added that it was always at 4:00!
    Panel 1
    • Clinton explains that he spoke w Bob Hope who told him that he walked one hour every day – no matter what – even in Russia in cold and snow.
    • Clinton played golf with Bob Hope when he was 95 – and Bob Hope hit par on the first hole. So he decided that an hour walk daily might be a good thing!
    • Clinton explains big issue is type 2 diabetes. This morning on NBC Paula Dean (known for cooking w lots of butter) says she has diabetes 2.
    • (Clinton didn’t mention Paula Dean – that was my commentary.) Seems an interesting coincidence however – and it was mentioned later in the day by Dr. Nancy Snyderman. )
    • Clinton mentions – unfortunate that the Occupy Wall Street movement never identified that the reason there are fewer raises for middle income people is because of high healthcare costs.
    • #Healthmatters Clinton emphasizes this is a BIG deal for our country, ageing baby boomers, children.
    • Clinton introduces panel: Dick Gephardt, Billie Jean King, Dr. Mark Hyman, Jillian Michaels, Dr. David Satcher.
    • #healthmatters byline is “Activating Wellness in Every Generation.” (I notice people don’t realize how important the term WELLNESS is in bringing us together.  In fact they throw it around like it has been in our vocabulary forever.  Not really true…..the Global Spa and Wellness Summit Research actually did an entire study on tracking the term wellness and it is a mere few decades old and has only really been used widely in the past 5 to 10 years.)
    • Panel discussion now is how unfair it is that poorer people are at a huge disadvantage in this battle against health challenges.
    • Jillian Michaels makes point to quit belabored the problems + start doing something. Suggests everyone do SOMETHING. We need to be creative.
    • Dick Gephardt starts by saying that he is nostalgic for when there was a President that could work in a nonpartisan way. Clinton downplays.
    • Clinton reminds everyone that he also had a contentious third year and things got better and he thinks that will happen with Obama.
    • Dr. Hyman says Chelsea Clinton suggested a book about how we can learn from developing countries – and it is about being community based.
    • Dr. Hyman spoke about the program he started with Dr. Rick Warren (Pastor of Saddleback Church) where they lost collectively 250,000 lbs – and the pastor lost 60 lbs!
    • Dr. Hyman is all about community support as the research shows people do better with support than alone – something the spa industry knows well.
    • Gephardt talks re company that paid smoking employees to go through program + quit + there was huge improvement. Weight loss more difficult.
    • Dr. Satcher emphasizes that schools have to be part of the solution. He says that there should be PE in K through 12.
    • Clinton says we have become spectators instead of participants. Jillian interrupts President (not a good idea by the way) + talks re passion needed.
    • Satcher brings focus back on poor people. Clinton is passionate here as well – it is a struggle for those with few resources.
    • Dr. Hyman makes point that getting healthy is a team sport – that poor countries have success w community programs more than with the medical field.
    • Gephardt makes pt that this problem will bankrupt our country, seriously. We need to focus on prevention; the results of prevention are fast. (that is clearly where our spa and wellness industry plays)
    • Clinton says that when he mentions prevention people clap like he has discovered gold. He says that is ridiculous. I agree. Yet, here we are.
    • Billie Jean King talks about her parents being active and she and her brother grew up in the public parks.
    • Clinton tells about Herschel Walker who never lifted weights and only ate once a day – he grew up poor. The point is you don’t need money.
    • Move more, eat less. Clinton says it is a simple answer here; you don’t need an expensive technological solution. Like the environmental problem – use less energy.
    • Clinton points out that there is a serious problem all over the world – UK, India, etc. It is a global problem. You need to crack the culture.
    • (Ok…a personal thought, nothing I have heard that is new here. Good to see so many more people involved in this effort though and perhaps stressing that a variety of solutions are the key.)
    • Closing remarks…Satcher talks about prevention. Clinton emphasizes that the medical field is important also. A lot of applause.
    Panel 2
    • Chelsea Clinton speaking now and will introduce her panel. Deborah whispers to me that Chelsea looks so much like her mom today – really seemed rue today.
    • Title of panel “Raise the Bar for Healthy Schools.” Dr. Dwayne Proctor, head of foundation on childhood obesity. Reports some progress.
    • Dr. Wechsler from Centers for Disease Control + Prevention. Says that there is too much focus on test scores than growing healthy students.
    • Anita Rao is a 15 year old student from Texas, she emphasizes healthy sleep.  Started Student Wellness Council at her school.  Impressive
    • Pete Shankle from Alliance Healthy Schools Champion talks about promoting wellness in Durham, NC.
    • Reed Alexander (actor) speaking. Young guy from iCarly who had weight problem. Now he has a website called Kewlbites.com, shares good tips.
    • All talking about an alliance for a healthier nation that is trying to improve the numbers. Chelsea asks about innovative things that work
    • Innovative ideas – use a bike that powers a blender for your smoothie in the morning. Opening schools in the morning for fitness.
    • Chelsea mentions re snacking – now kids snack 3 times a day, it used to be 3 times a week. One school gives out red apples vs. gold stars.
    • Anita, the teenager, says it is harder to talk to other teens than this audience. Need to appeal to interests…helps w grades, w athletics, look good.
    • Many using the term “food deserts.” New to me – apparently about areas where people can’t get good food…not necessarily a lack of food
    • Anita makes point that a lot of people don’t know there is a childhood obesity problem.
    Lunch Break then Panel 3
    • Lunch break over – nice tasty healthy (mostly) food. Now new panel on employee wellness. Moderator Editor in Chief Golf Digest.
    • Travis Bogard CMO Jawbone, they can monitor heart rate, steps taken, sleep…James Curleigh, CEO KEEN Footwear…notes that they don’t work with consumers, they work with their fans.
    • Michael McCallister, CEO, Humana, 40,000 employees. Those w over 30 BMR use up most of the health care dollars. He is into behavioral economics.
    • They did a Biggest Loser contest in company, it works but when you stop, you lose what you gained. (Exactly what we discovered w SpaFinder.)
    • Humana brought 1000 bikes to Republic and Democratic conventions and got a lot of people active. He pushes for innovation!
    • Bob Lanier (NBA) now Global Ambassador helping kids in lots of various ways. There is a lot of talk about recess here. NBAfit. Make it fun.
    • Casey Wasserman, CEO Media Group represents athletes and is now encouraging all of them to help get kids moving.
    • Editor of Golf Digest said that a round of golf burns 2,000 calories – if you walk. (I would challenge that – you burn 100 calories per mile.)
    • McCallister (Humana) went to Davos last year, came back w job to head up employee wellness saying in general companies don’t ‘get it’ yet. (I agree…but this is the year of the wake-up call.)
    • Question from audience – psychotherapist says people need direction. James suggests getting chalk + drawing hopscotch outside your office.
    • More talk about recess and talk about where it came from – in middle 1800′s Louise May Alcott’s father. (Hmm, need to check Wikipedia on that odd fact.)
    • Audience question about what is a good message to spark involvement. Like don’t drink and drive. But what is a clever slogan?
    • Next panel. Susan Dell speaking talks about learning exercise helped her get straight A’s. Her motto, fuel for performance, train for life.
    • Susan Dell promoting Be Well book giving out millions for free. Give the gift of wellness for your kids. (She looks very fit btw.)
    • Lakeysha Sowunmi founded Perfectkidz – tried working w churches and found a lot of resistance at first. Then into schools + more resistance.
    • Her point is that there is a lot of resistance and so rather than trying to get people to do things – go in and do it yourselves.
    • Notah Begay Native American – first Native American to win a PGA tournament. He got a scholarship to Stanford. Injured – then helped kids.
    • Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) professional golfer for 16 yrs. She also wanted to help young kids to pursue their dreams. Started foundation.
    • Annika talks about preventive care. Kids sitting too much and too much diabetes. She is working with SPARKS.
    • Goldie Hawn after 9-11 she started knitting + decided instead to do something. She thought the kids are going to suffer. Obese, suicide, ADD, etc.
    • Goldie Hawn learned that our children are least happy (other than UK) kids compared with other kids.
    • Goldie Hawn created program for kids. Teach kids about their brain. About stress, mindfulness. About acts of kindness. Look at happiness.
    • Her curriculum teaches optimism and she has loved this more than acting. Has been doing this for the past 10 years.
    • Q + A from audience, most all for Goldie Hawn, people are really into the emotional, mental part, stress issue is something people ‘get.’
    • Dr. Deepak Chopra speaking (on video). Hmm, he doesn’t live that far from here. Talking about well-being. Self-awareness is key he says. (Later I learn he was in India – his son was at the event.)
    • Dr. Nancy Snyderman introduces Clinton, Susan Dell, Surgeon General Satcher, etc. She asks Clinton about responsibility for our own health.
    • Clinton is oldest male in his family to live this long. All others died before 65. He has genetic predisposition to high cholesterol.
    • Dr. Snyderman mentioned Paula Dean on NBC this morning, her unwillingness to admit food choices has a lot to do w her diagnosis of diabetes.
    • James Curleigh from KEEN. Talks about connection. Balancing simplicity and sophistication.
    • Susan Dell talks about how exercise helped her get straight A’s (ok, we did hear that earlier…hmm, seems she has a “stump speech”).
    • Question re subsidies for farmland. Clinton discusses government needs to do more. Also mentions studies that show we should all live to 120.
    • Question re subsidies for farmland. Clinton discusses government needs to do more. Also mentions studies that show we should all live to 120.
    • Safeway did a lot to help their employees. Clinton mentioned preferential rates for those who don’t smoke. Carrot and stick are important.
    • Satcher says that Johnson and Johnson has lowered health care costs and increased productivity due to an employee wellness program.
    • Question re personal responsibility and also social responsibility. Poor people can’t afford good food and have no parks to play in.
    • Clinton recommends that medical loans can be paid down by helping the underserved. Snyderman gives an example of how this could work.
    • Person in audience mentions how someone in LA paid to have parks open at night and they found that the crime rate went down and it paid off.
    • Clinton talks about midnight basketball.  You can’t just tell kids to say no to everything – you have to give them something to say yes to.
    • A lot of agreement that keeping schools open late is a very good thing and it would help with more activity and community involvement.
    • Point that support of friends + family networks is key. Community watch program for those who want to jog in unsafe neighborhoods. (Interesting that most of these people understand the importance of community…I rarely hear that point made outside of the spa industry where we have of course also learned it.)
    • Point that we have a social disease and need a social solution. Saddleback Church was a model. Disruptive healthcare.

    Conclusions for our spa and wellness industry

    • The good news is that we are no longer the lone rangers preaching prevention.  There is going to be a lot more help now.
    • The bad news is that, as others help trumpet the “prevention banner,” they do not seem to consider the spa industry as a partner in these solutions.  No one on the stage mentioned the word spa the entire day.  (It’s only appearance was as a description for the afternoon “spa break.”)
    • We either need to put time, energy and/or resources into helping spread the word about our work and how it can contribute positively or come up with a more creative strategy.
    • One creative strategy that comes to mind is focusing on “stress reduction” as our unique selling point.  Gyms do fitness, school programs and nutrition are already a partner cause, however no one really “owns” reducing stress.
    • A possible innovative strategy might be for our entire global spa industry to embrace teaching kids how to reduce stress.  I think that would get attention – while at the same time doing a world of good.

    Medical Tourism Will Force Health Care Change: Spas Benefit

    medicaltourismcongress3 Medical Tourism Will Force Health Care Change: Spas BenefitI had a big “ah ha!” recently.  It came after reviewing my notes and reflecting on what I heard and learned at the World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress I attended in Chicago a few weeks ago.

    It was the revelation that because of medical tourism – people traveling across borders eitherinternationally or domestically for medical care – we can eventually expect a dramatic improvement in the health care crisis in the U.S. and around the world!

    That was a major wow – and it gives me great optimism not only for our country but also for the spa and wellness industries as a whole.

    Bottom line, medical tourism is now creating competition – true competition – and that is spilling over causing health care all over the world to respond.  Add to that some of the changes in both the European and the U.S. health care systems and we are approaching a tipping point.  Prices will come down and quality of care will go up.   Here are some things I learned at the conference that bring me to that conclusion:

    • The quality of hospitals and doctor’s skills around the world is increasing so quickly that in many places it has not just caught up with the U.S., it is now surpassing it!  That is a game changer.
    • Patient care is more caring in many parts of the world.  Due to lower labor costs there are more people to care for each patient in places like the Philippines, Thailand, India, Barbados, etc. Patients get more time with their doctors, access to more thorough testing and are taken care of from the minute time they arrive in the foreign country until the time they leave.
    • The Internet is helping all of this along…the power is now shifting into the consumer’s hands and they are looking (and finding) places for cheaper, quicker, or better medical care.
    • 90 different countries attended this conference. That’s huge!  It means that 90 countries are interested in medical tourism which will fuel even more competition.
    • Insurance companies are beginning to embrace medical tourism by helping their policy holders find overseas solutions.  This is new.  (There were quite a few insurance companies at this conference.)  The lower costs are just as attractive to insurance companies as they are to individuals!
    • Businesses that are self insured are fostering relationships with specific countries for their health care needs.  Blue Lake Casino works with a medical facility in Costa Rica for all their orthopedics issues.  B & H Photo of NY has 1700 staff.  50% are Jewish so they decided to work with a hospital in Israel for their health care needs.
    • Many places offer quicker service.  Some countries (Canada, UK) have long waiting lists…going abroad can solve that.
    • Often lower costs can be found abroad.  For example, dental work (often not insured in the U.S.) is becoming as good as or better in Mexico than in the U.S.  at a fraction of the cost.
    • One can get access to new cutting edge medical options that may not be available in one’s home country.  Example:  stem cell medicine which is growing very fast.
    • Transparency is greater abroad. As one speaker explained – just try finding out the cost of a colonoscopy here in the U.S.  It’s almost impossible because of the various entities involved in that procedure.  You can easily get an all inclusive colonoscopy price quote in from many countries. 
    • Executive physicals are popular. One research report found that 45% of medical tourists are interested in Executive Physicals,  33% interested in Dental procedures, with lower percentages for oncology, orthopedics and cosmetic surgery.   The physicals are more comprehensive and cheaper.   There is more time to discuss results with a doctor and some tests aren’t available anywhere else.
    • Areas of specialties are arising both domestically and internationally.   Brazil is known for plastic surgery, Korea is known for living donor liver transplantation and robotic surgery,  and Oklahoma is positioning itself as the medical tourism destination for oncology care in the U.S.   Missouri’s Hospital Association found that domestic medical travel created over 3,000 jobs and generated $124 million in non-medical travel expenditures in 2009.
    • Hospitals are doing deals and getting creative. Lowe’s just struck a deal with Cleveland Clinic making it the first time a national company selected one specialist hospital. Mayo Clinic is planning to build a destination Medical Community as they  now realize that if they don’t get involved with people post stay at Mayo, it will affect future customers. A company in Boston that talked about sending their employees to Thailand for orthopedic procedures found that a hospital in Boston was willing to match the price.

    The last session of the conference really hit home – it was called “Meet the Medical Tourist.”  There were several people who had taken trips abroad for medical care sharing their experiences.  The most memorable was the couple from London who had not been able to get pregnant despite 3 cycles of IVF.  They decided to try a well known fertility clinic in Barbados that had a very high success rate.  The baby on their lap gave away the result.

    Of most interest to me was the mother’s summary.  In Barbados she had a more thorough evaluation, much greater interaction with the doctor and a more extensive preparation strategy.  They took time to improve odds by monitoring aspects of her physiology that the doctors in London didn’t seem to have time or interest in doing.

    I think medical tourism is something the spa and wellness industry should wholeheartedly support.  Why?  We benefit directly because medical tourists often travel with a companion and sometimes an entourage.  Once someone has experienced a country – whether for a medical procedure or a spa vacation – it is reasonable to assume that they will feel more comfortable selecting it for the other. According to the GSS research, wellness tourism ($106B) is already twice the size of medical tourism ($50B).  Medical Tourism doesn’t have a lot of repeat business – wellness tourism does.  By supporting medical tourism, we will encourage people to think about their health when traveling.

    Medical Tourism leads to Wellness Tourism.  And Wellness Tourism leads to Medical tourism.  And all of it will be a positive for the health care situation in the future.

    I feel like kicking up my heels.

    P.S.  If you would like to be placed on a list whereby all of my blog posts come to your email, please click on that option on the right side of this screen.  Thanks!

    Spa Evidence Portal, www.spaevidence.com, is Live!

    Here is a letter I sent a few days ago to all those who attended the Global Spa Summit in Bali.  I thought you might enjoy it as well.

    Dear Colleague,

    To my surprise, there were tears.  I will explain in a minute.spaevidence300x250b1 Spa Evidence Portal, www.spaevidence.com, is Live!

    Yesterday, SpaEvidence.com was “officially” launched to the entire industry, to media, and to consumers via this press release: SpaEvidence.com Launches: World’s First Portal to the Medical Evidence for Spa and Wellness Therapies.  We are inviting you all to get involved, by linking directly to the portal from your website through logos and banners (like the one on the right) or even white label it to help spread the word.

    We have continued to make improvements to the portal, which was first presented at the recent Global Spa Summit in Bali.  You may remember that, on the last day of the GSS, Dr. Ken Pelletier and Dr. Daniel Friedland gave outstanding presentations that led up to the unveiling of this year’s most important GSS initiative, the launch of the SpaEvidence portal.  You can read their transcribed speeches here: Dr. Pelletier and Dr. Friedland.

    I also wanted to share with you directly a letter written to me by Dr. Friedland.  It addressed what happened at the end of the presentation on the SpaEvidence portal. Not only was there a standing ovation, but there were tears and we were all quite shocked and a bit overwhelmed.  Later Dr. Friedland expressed to me what he thought the tears were about.  I asked him to please write it down so that I might share it with others as I think his observations were quite profound.

    Here is the letter he sent which touched me deeply and, I think, will touch you as well.

    Best,
    Susie

    From: Daniel Friedland [daniel@supersmarthealth.com]
    Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 9:05 PM
    To: Susie Ellis
    Subject: The Emotion around the Presentation of the Portal

    Hi Susie,

    Once again many thanks for the phenomenal experience in joining you for this year’s Summit. It was a joy being with you and the remarkable group of people you assembled. I feel blessed by many new friendships and the strong sense that our presentation and the Portal will play a significant role in transforming the Spa and Wellness Industry and how and where healthcare is delivered globally.

    As promised I’m getting back to you with some thoughts about why some of the delegates felt so emotional during our presentation of the portal.

    Just before we left the Laguna, I spoke with Kerstin Florian, who shared with me her emotional response to the presentation. Listening to what she shared, gave depth to what I sensed… that so many in your industry have worked for so long, deeply committed to making a profound difference in the lives of their clients. They’ve seen results and know that what they have to offer has value. At the same time, many may have felt marginalized by the conventional medical community, as if what the industry has to offer is “soft.”

    What I believe came though from our presentation is the revelation that no one group has a monopoly on supporting health – the journey to wholeness – for the health seekers we all care for.

    Conventional medicine, no doubt, has a lot to offer, particularly for patients who are struggling to manage and cure disease. The Spa and Wellness Industry has an immense amount to offer too, especially around maintaining wellness and preventing disease, as well as providing healing and benefit with various wellness modalities to health seekers who are navigating their disease.

    The Portal provides more than scientific validation around the value of various Spa and Wellness modalities. It is also a gateway through which many who have been laboring for so long with love and deep conviction, experience an emotional catharsis in discovering their life’s work validated and their purpose emboldened with meaning and significance.

    I feel privileged to work with you and our team on this and to continuing our journey together…

    With great warmth and appreciation,
    Danny

    Daniel Friedland, MD
    SuperSmartHealth

    My twitter address: @susieellis

    Anne McCall Wilson Addresses Delegates Opening Global Spa Summit 2011 in Bali!

    annemccall1 Anne McCall Wilson Addresses Delegates Opening Global Spa Summit 2011 in Bali!INTRODUCTION

    I am so honored to be Co-Chairing the event this year with Susie Ellis and Jeff Mathews.     This has been an exciting and busy year and I have a new appreciation for the work and commitment of Susie and Dulcy Gregory and others who have worked so hard on the Summits before this one.

    Bali… we’re finally here and about to have an amazing time – it is like WHEW… I can see also that many of you have already started to feel a little “Bali” after being at Como Shambhala!

    I am VERY pleased to announce that this year’s Global Spa Summit for 2011 is sold out and we actually turned away qualified delegates.  This is quite an achievement as the GSS is only 5 years old.

    As you can probably tell, it is truly part of the vision of the GSS to actually be Global!  We have moved this Summit from the US to Switzerland to Turkey and now to Indonesia.   Moving to Asia (and Bali) was a bit of a risk – especially at a time when the world economy had just started a slow recovery.  But we had faith in all of you as it was so highly favored in last year’s voting.

    We also wanted to ensure that we kept the integrity of the delegates who are invited.  We want to attract the top in the industry – so we gave this task to a Committee headed by Andrew Gibson and Mani Berger.   They went through the list of past invitees to ensure that only the top people were on it, they developed criteria for future invitations and then reached out to even more people in Asia.  Here is their result:  FROM  over 35 countries,  26% EUROPE, 39% ASIA,  29% North America.

    On a personal note, many of you know Andrew Gibson who is the head of spas with Mandarin Oriental.   About two weeks ago, he developed some blood clots and needed to be in the hospital to get rid of them.   He is doing very well and will recover fully BUT he can’t be with us this week.    For the amount of work he did to make this successful – we are all disappointed that he can’t be with us but we are committed to connecting with him daily and letting him know what is happening.

    In addition to expanding our global nature – I had my own PERSONAL goal this year and that was to make at least $1.00 in profit.  You may not know, but we have been supported by SpaFinder and Susie and Pete Ellis  for the past years.   We wanted to get the GSS to be able to stand on its own financially.   I am very pleased to tell you that we made our one dollar – and I think we will frame it when the accounting is all done! This achievement is thanks to Pete’s financial committee – and of course our sponsors.  We also have to thank Jeff Matthews and his negotiating skills with his Logistics committee for negotiating the best rates possible.  One thing I learned this year was not to ever end up negotiating against Jeff!

    Finally, thanks to all of you for attending and investing your time to be here (and get here).  I think we did get your attention with Bali as the destination and I think the agenda also generated some excitement – filled with great speakers and topics.  The agenda committee this year consisted of me, Richard Dusseau and Susie Ellis along with the Research Committee of Anna Bjurstam and Mary Tabacchi – we have tried to do everything possible to give us an opportunity for rich and stimulating conversations.

    GETTING ATTENTION ISN’T ENOUGH – ENGAGEMENT

    So my goal was achieved with a lot of help.  We attracted attendance and attention – BUT to be successful today in any business getting attention isn’t enough. Having customers or employees or in fact our delegates just show up isn’t enough.   We have to get engagement.   Satisfaction isn’t enough to sustain success either – but participation is.

    • How many of you are here for the first time?
    • How many have been to two or more Summits?
    • How many of you have been to every GSS, wouldn’t miss it, and put it on your calendar a year in advance?

    This is how we want all of our delegates or our customers in any business to be – engaged.

    Successful businesses cannot look to reputation alone to measure success.   Brand awareness, media coverage, open rates, click throughs, third party endorsements, and eyeballs just don’t guarantee our future anymore.   The measure of importance is more about the amount of interaction we have with our customers or potential customers – their participation with our business is important.

    Last year the GSS in Istanbul was great – I learned a lot from the speakers and panels.   Many of the ideas that I implemented this year were explored or generated there.    At the end of the conference, the Board had a meeting.   We felt that there was so much more potential.  We had a ton of ideas and suggestions because everything was fresh on our minds.

    We started brainstorming and bombarding Susie and Dulcy with ideas but quickly came to the realization that if we were that excited about things we needed to get more engaged and take our endorsement of the GSS to full participation and go from being passive advisors to rolling up our sleeves and being contributors. We set up the committees I mentioned to address the agenda, research, invitations, student challenge, etc. AND it turned out to be a lot of fun! I can say that all of us feel more connected to each other and the GSS and we all feel totally responsible for the GSS this year.  We have gone from having commitment and appreciation to full engagement and from advisor to participant.

    So when it came time to select a theme for this conference – we had a lot of discussion.      All themes have to advance our vision… collaboration/joining together/shaping the future – but there are always many options.  At one meeting I mentioned an article I had read called “the Engagement Economy” by Jane McGonigal.   It really resonated with Susie – she’s the most engaged person I know so it made sense.   What you may not know about her is that she is relentless when she has an idea…. and she just kept coming back to this one.  After a lot of dialogue, our theme became: Engage the Change:  The Customer.  The Money.  The Future. Come to think of it, this really reflected the Co Chair’s personal interests too – mine being the customer, Jeff and Pete’s the money and Susie’s the industry future…That was our collaboration!!

    So “Engage the Change:  The Customer.  The Money.  The Future.” is the theme, how the agenda is set up and even the structure of how we will approach many of the sessions.

    LOOKING BACK

    There was a time – actually a wonderful time – when customers simply bought what we sold and most owners didn’t really know what we did in the spa world and didn’t ask too many questions…ahhh… Frankly it was a wonderfully simple time.   Spas were a calling that only the pure of heart entered into…it was a blessed time, easy, straightforward.

    Then there was an awakening – a dawn of a new era – a change – customers found their voice…helped along by new technologies and social media.  The roles have reversed now and customers influence everything – they even start revolutions and recruit followers. Customers are now in charge of what compels them into action – their interests and passions. Social media is a revolution in engagement and with it has come the additional requirements for transparency and authenticity.   But fear not – the research also says that engagement comes with a need for… FUN.

    The effect on the marketplace has been profound and fast and we as business leaders cannot be bystanders and simply pay attention or watch – our customers want to engage – so must we.

    Our business success – the money – is also being affected by this change in our customers.   As they have become more sophisticated as consumers AND as spa goers – a lot of opportunities have presented themselves.  There are growing numbers of new business models that are bringing spas to a much wider audience.

    Owners found their voice (and quite loudly) with the economic downturn and real estate collapse and this new engagement that is required with owners and investors is not always FUN.   ROI for spa business must now be done on a stand-alone basis and not as a catalyst for real estate sales.

    Some ask “Where’s the money?”– meaning both how do we make a return AND where do we now look to find investment in spa businesses?  Things have changed from our first GSS in New York in 2008 where we had a strong panel of investors and many attendees representing Venture Capital companies – they are no longer courting us so enthusiastically. There are market opportunities though and we need to seek them out and understand them.

    The future of our industry is also affected by the new customer engagement.   Transparency and authenticity rule and our industry will be under scrutiny from many sides for its benefit and its ability to contribute to healthy lifestyles.   The knowledge that our guests have and demand is growing – and this has to be matched by the knowledge of our leaders and our staff.   An increasing number of people are on a quest for ways to improve health and lifestyle and take control.

    One of the key topics at last year’s Summit was the need for evidence based medicine for spas and wellness.   Stimulated by Dr. Ken Pelletier, we started a most engaged conversation with a commitment to do something about it.   Our future – our relevance even as an industry perhaps is tied to this area.

    AGENDA OUTLINE

    The agenda is structured to follow the theme.

    DAY ONE (TODAY) – THE CONSUMER

    We are going to look at trends inside and outside of our industry, new technologies and social networking.  We are going to investigate the Asian consumer specifically and then engage in some dialogue about branding in this new environment, and opportunities to use and understand the beauty business.

    I just want to note that throughout the agenda we have tried to have a global balance but because we are in Asia – we have specifically geared some of our speakers and topics to this region.

    We have brought in some experts to help with our conversations about consumers and I will introduce them to you in a few minutes.    We will end this day with an amazing sensory presentation of future trends presented in a unique way – one which we not experienced before.

    DAY TWO – THE MONEY

    This day explores a variety of business topics including developing opportunities in China from insiders who represent a very distinguished group of spa business leaders from China as well as a dialogue with some of you outside of China who have now entered this huge market.  This is the first year we have added translation for Mandarin by the way.

    We will explore where the money has gone and where to find it, new business models and in particular franchising which is new to our industry and growing quickly – less than five years ago franchising didn’t really exist in our industry.

    We will have dialogue on managing our businesses through cataclysmic events and even look to design as a potential ROI tool and brand-definer.

    This is a very data rich day but ending with an inspirational presentation from John Hardy – a world renowned jewelry designer from Bali who also has a number of passions including the famous Green School.

    DAY THREE – THE FUTURE (OF OUR INDUSTRY)

    This day focuses on something that I am very excited about – the launch of our new evidence based medicine portal for spas and wellness.  This could really increase the relevance of our industry.

    We are also going to have a presentation and dialogue about our new research paper on Wellness Tourism and Medical Tourism commissioned by the GSS and made possible with the help of several key industry sponsors.

    We will end this day with an engagement session with our own version of mass collaboration and most important of all we will have a surprise announcement about where next year’s Summit will be held AND end with our traditional champagne toast.

    STUDENT CHALLENGE

    Each year we have engaged a group of bright university students in a challenge of creating a “spa of the future.”  This year the Student Challenge includes not only a creative concept but also the parameter that the concept must have a ROI.  We then matched students who have a business background with a professional designer to help bring their idea to life.

    Over the past few years the Student Challenge has become an important component of the Summit – knowing that focusing on our future leaders is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources.  This year the committee consisted of Sue Harmsworth and Mary Tabacchi and we have four outstanding schools from Asia competing.  We are also bringing the Student Challenge into the main timing of the Summit instead of scheduling it as a pre-summit activity.    It will start each morning at 8:30 am before the actual start of the day at 9:30 am.  We encourage you to attend and watch the students present to the judges.   We will announce the winner of the challenge on our final day.

    RESEARCH

    This year there are many research presentations and you will find them on the USB you were given when you picked up your delegate binder.  Thanks go to the research committee of Anna Bjurstam and Mary Tabacchi.

    SPEAKERS

    Each year we bring in a few SPEAKERS from outside our industry to assist us in our dialogue.  I want to introduce them to you now so that you will be able to meet them and then engage with them right from the start and not wait until their presentations.

    • Kate Ancketil -  Managing Director GDR Creative Intelligence  – trends from outside our industry to start off
    • Dave McCaughan -  EVP McCann Worldwide -  agencies in world -  Japan based   – Asian consumers and participate panel on Managing through Crisis … another earthquake in Japan
    • Emmanuelle Linard -  EXEC Director  Edelkoort -  UK – Li Edelkoort is someone I looked up to as a young fashion obsessed teen.
    • Marc Smith -  Chief Social Scientist – Connected Action -  back by popular demand -  spend time with Marc if you want to understand the benefits of online engagement.
    • James Kaplan – SVP FRHI – heads up development in Asia for our company, Fairmont Raffles Hotels -  but also was in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and has a great pulse on the money.
    • John Hardy – more tomorrow.  He of course is co-Founder of the Green School.
    • Dr. Kenneth Pelletier -  Clinical Professor of Medicine – started the conversation with us last year as well on evidence based medicine.
    • Dr. Daniel Friedland -  Founder SuperSmart Health – Worked with the team on curating the information for our new portal.
    • Ruben Torel – Founder Mede Guide -  Medical tourism expert.
    • Laszlo Puczko -  Managing Director for Xellum (wellum) and will present our cutting edge report on Wellness Tourism and Medical Tourism.
    • Darlena Zhai – Senior Consultant, Horwath HTL
    • Julia Fransisca – Research Analyst, Euromonitor
    • Jacqueline Clarke – Research Director Diagonal Reports

    Thank you speakers – we are really looking forward to your presentations.

    To all of our delegates – we hope that you engage with all of our speakers during the next few days and take advantage of their ideas.

    FORMAT

    The format for this conference has also been set up according to the theme to allow maximum engagement.  Engage as you can see is definitely the rallying call this year.  ( I think you might have already figured this out!!)

    While the GSS has always been about conversation and dialogue, this year it is amped up.   Conversations will happen with or without you so we encourage you to be part of the conversation and we have made it easier for you to do that.

    You can expect:

    • Longer coffee breaks
    • A networking lunch
    • Question time in many sessions
    • Our successful table topic lunch with some very interesting topics this year
    • Increased speaker involvement – coffee breaks will have a designated area for the speakers so you can talk to them directly
    • Speakers have also generously devoted their time to be involved as delegates, table topic leaders, and panel members.
    • Smaller tables of 6 in our meals and some sessions…insisted upon by Susie so that conversations can happen
    • A resource table and a sponsor table to learn more about anything that is new with them
    • A convenient Internet café sponsored by SpaEquip
    • Research – on a memory stick compiled from a range of companies – not all who could attend.
    • Briefing papers – regional trends written by delegates sent in advance

    FINALLY ENDING THE SUMMIT WILL BE A WRAP-UP OF THE POWER OF ENGAGEMENT – A mass collaboration session.  During this session we will work together to identify some of the greatest opportunities and issues before us that will help us develop a 2012 agenda.  I encourage you to make a few notes of the top ideas you have encountered during the next few days and bring them with you to this session.

    FUN

    We did say we also want to have FUN.  Remember that fun is now a critical part of the conversation and engagement, so we couldn’t ignore it!!   So with that we engaged Jeff Matthews to be Co Chair not just on logistics BUT fun too. You can see what you are in store for after last night’s lovely opening party at the St. Regis.   Tonight will be our wonderful and elegant gala dinner evening sponsored by Babor at the Laguna Res