Delegates
The Global Spa Summit (GSS) welcomes delegates from all continents and countries. Formal invitations to the GSS are mailed to a targeted list of top level executives who are decision makers in spa, wellness, and related industries around the world. All invitees have applied or been nominated and then approved based on their positions, backgrounds, and leadership roles. Representatives from diverse sectors (including hospitality, investment, finance, real estate, medicine, consulting, manufacturing, product, technology, and other related industries) are invited to attend.
Associate Delegates
All invitees approved by the GSS board of directors meet the standards set forth by the organization. This ensures that the top level decision makers from spa, wellness, and related industries continue to attend year after year. If an approved delegate registers to attend the Summit, only then can he or she bring an associate delegate at a non-executive level. For example, should the CEO of a company attend, he or she may bring the spa director. While they cannot attend in place of an invitee, the Summit is delighted to have associate delegates attend in addition to the invitee, as they too bring valuable insight and expertise to the discussions.
Student Delegates
Each year, the GSS invites students from premier international hospitality schools with spa programs to join the Summit as student delegates. Some of these students participate in the Student Challenge competition, while others help with logistics, note-taking, etc. We are delighted to have had bright students, interested in the spa and wellness industries, attend from such institutions as the Cornell School of Hotel Administration (USA), École hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland), IMHI – Essec Business School Paris (France)), University of California Irvine (USA) and the Elmcrest College of Applied Health Sciences And Spa Management (Canada).
Application Process
Anyone interested in attending an upcoming Summit, who has not already received an invitation, is asked to complete an application that will need to be submitted along with a bio. Once received, the application is reviewed based on various criteria. The following are some of the criteria generally used to qualify an applicant for inclusion in this intimate, high-level gathering:
a) Must be the most senior person in the company or leader of a major division or region within the company (i.e. owner, founder, partner, CEO, senior vice president, managing director, principal, executive director, etc.)
b) Company must be operational for a minimum number of years having reached significant size
c) Government organizations, tourism boards, medical institutes, and hoteliers should be able to demonstrate why their organization wishes to participate in GSS
d) Persons from educational institutions (University level or higher) should provide information on involvement with spa management
e) Consultants must demonstrate a minimum number of years of operation, and be able to provide a list of completed projects
f) Associations must have a relevance to the spa and wellness industry