S - Global Spa & Wellness Summit

• Education: Training and teaching spa staff about trends, mentality, customer focus,
and doing all of that with a focus on profitability at the same time.
Geraldine Howard:
It is important for the spa industry in Europe not to lose the water-based culture
because that is its very identity. In Europe, there is so much focus on wellness, health,
and healing, that to lose the “healing waters,” would mean losing its identity.
Victoria Fuller (Panel Leader):
There is a need to get people to recognize this (supporting Geraldine’s point) and also to
attract broader clientele from outside of Europe.
Dagmar Rizzato:
Keep in mind that although consumers spend a lot of time outside Europe, they are also
informed about traditional treatments.
Question to Panelists:
Are there any exciting new opportunities?
Egli Stamatiou:
In Spain, there is a lot of new development
and investment to attract tourists now.
Family spas are the most exciting new opportunity
being developed.
Dagmar Rizzato:
There is an increasing focus on how to raise
children in a healthy lifestyle. Also,
greening (sustainability) is a big trend.
Austria is really taking the lead on greening
(standards, design, etc.)
Barbara Gavazzoli:
The market has democratized a bit more. There are fewer Americans and more
Eastern Europeans (Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland,
Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine) in the market.
Alain Masazza:
There is an impact of the Euro. The industry however, is more affected by the slowdown
of the economy than by the strong Euro.
Egli Stamatiou:
It’s probable that the dollar will open doors for US development.
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