Industry InsIghts
Driving change susie Ellis reports on the global Wellness Institute initiatives which are directly impacting, and helping to develop, the spa industry worldwide
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ne of the pillars of the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is to shepherd and support an ever-growing number of initiatives to further the conversation about wellness in its many forms and solve key sector issues. Among the dozen current GWI initiatives (see p85), four are aimed squarely aimed at the spa arena focusing on areas such as staff, hot spring facilities and spa consultants. Each year, people behind the initiatives convene at the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) to report on progress in a series of forums and the next summit takes place in Austria on 17-19 October (see p352). But what’s exciting to watch is how, under the direction of a passionate chair and a taskforce of thought-leader members, these initiatives have taken on a life of their own with members meeting regularly between summits to forge their next projects. It’s also gratifying to watch them check their personal business agendas at the door and come together with colleagues (and often competitors) for the greater good of their industry. Here I spotlight what a few of these sparelated initiatives are about – what they’ve accomplished since the last summit in November and what they plan to achieve before meeting in Austria and beyond. 82
spa business HanDbOOK 2016
recently formed to address the reality that while spa consulting is an industry unto itself, there are no official qualifications for it or a clear code of conduct. A key aim is to provide prospective clients with information, not just on how to find consultants, but what to expect from them. The initiative has already created resources in both of these areas and plans to expand on them in 2016. On p133, the Spa Business Handbook, also highlights this key part of the sector.
gloBal Career DeveloPment
Lisa starr heads up a new initiative for spa consulting – a part of the industry which is quickly expanding
Consulting Best PraCtiCes The spa industry is growing fast, adding a wider wellness orientation to its hightouch, personal care environment. As such, the role of consultants in guiding owners/developers has also expanded and become more complex. This initiative, chaired by Wynne Business consultant Lisa Starr, was
The lack of qualified spa managers and career development options worldwide was the impetus for starting Global Career Development Initiative, which was founded by Anna Bjurstam from Six Senses and Raison d’Etre. Industry recruiter Lori Hutchinson, who recently passed away, played a central role for many years and her insight will be sorely missed. As of November 2015, the new chair is Jean-Guy de Gabriac, founder of training consultancy Tip Touch International, and the initiative revolves around three dynamic programmes – with plans to grow each one of them significantly in coming years. The Global Mentorship Program pairs spa manager mentees with experienced www.spahandbook.com