Summit 2010

The 2010 Global Spa Summit Agenda, "Bridges Worth Building"

Each year's Global Spa Summit agenda is exciting and unique. The agenda develops over time right up until the Summit and, therefore, features the very issues of the moment, giving the GSS the vibrancy and relevancy that have become its trademark. As invited delegates register, their expertise, interests, and areas of greatest concern are noted. This information, global events, and industry trends are considered as the Summit agenda takes shape.

Friday, May 14th - Saturday, May 15th

Pre-Summit activities

Sapanca, Turkey

Optional Stay at the Richmond Nua Wellness Spa

Just one hour away from Istanbul, Richmond Nua Wellness Spa is located right on Lake Sapanca, a perfect location for relaxation. At Richmond Nua, the spa philosophy is an expression of well-being, emotion, and lifestyle, and expertly combines wellness features from all over the world.

Richmond Nua is pleased to offer a daily rate inclusive of a superior room, buffet breakfast, massage, dinner and round-trip airport transfer. Delegates are invited to use the facilities in the Nua Wellness Spa Center: Wellness & SPA Lounge, Adventure Snail Showers, Ottoman Steam Bath, Aqua Cave Adventure Shower, Herbal Steam Bath, Sole Salt Inhalation Bath, Loft Sauna, Lacanium, Tepidarium, Relax Room with Heated Ceramic Benches, Ice-Grotto, Unique Jacuzzi Pool with Salt Water, Activity Pool with Several Water Attractions, Relax Room with Heated Water Beds, Relax Area with Luminous Night Heaven, Professionally Equipped Fitness Center, Beauty Center, Solarium.

For more information or to book your stay at Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or +90 216 445 46 40 or visit www.richmondnua.com.

Sunday, May 16th

Pre-Summit activities complimentary for all delegates. (Sign Up Here)

9:00am 3:00pm

Taste of Istanbul City Tour

Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Lobby at 8:45am

Visit to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace + Harem Hamam, and Spice Market. Lunch will be served at the famous Konyalı Restaurant inside the Topkapı Palace. The bus will depart and return from the Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel lobby.

4:30pm 6:30pm

Experience the Authentic Cagaloglu Hamam

Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Lobby at 4:15pm

A visit to Istanbul (and Turkey) wouldn’t be complete without experiencing the authentic Turkish hamam. The hamam experience will take delegates into the rich history of Turkey’s spa culture at one of the oldest, authentic hamams in the city, built in 1741.

7:30pm 9:30pm

Swissotel Cocktail Reception & Amrita Spa Tour

Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Lobby at 7:15pm

Hosted by Gerhard Struger, GM, Swissotel, the Bosphorus, with Anne McCall Wilson, VP of Spas, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, and Elmar Nagele, CEO, Thermarium.

Join fellow delegates at the Swissotel’s Amrita Spa for cocktails and go behind the scenes of one of Istanbul’s finest hotel spas. The spa, including the exquisite hamam, was designed by platinum sponsor Thermarium.

Monday, May 17th

2010 Global Spa Summit Agenda

8:30am 9:00am

Board of Directors Pre-Summit Breakfast

Iznik Room, Kempinski Hotel
9:00am 6:00pm

Conference Check-In

10:00am 1:00pm

"Spa of the Future" Pre-Summit Student Architectural Competition

Mayben Room

Sponsored by Mandara Spa, a division of Steiner Leisure

Student Teams Presenting from:
Istanbul Technical University (Istanbul, Turkey)
Yuksel Demir, Department Head, Department of Fine Arts, and Belkis Uluoglu, Department of Fine Arts
University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
Richard Corsini, Principal, Corsini Architects, U.S.

Judging Panel:
Renate Brune, CEO, Alt Madlitzer Muhle GmbH, Germany
Anthony DiGuiseppe, President/CEO, DiGuiseppe Architect, U.S.
Paul Jones, COO, One&Only, U.K.
Jeff Matthews, President & COO, Mandara Spa, Indonesia
Elmar Nagele, CEO, Thermarium, Austria
Oktay Orhon, Board Member, Richmond Hotels, Turkey
Audience votes (count as one)

1:00pm 2:00pm

Judges "Deliberating" Lunch

Gazebo Lounge
2:00pm 3:00pm

Pre-Summit Bridge Building Sessions, Round 1

These are informal pre-Summit gatherings open to all delegates who would like to meet and exchange ideas on a particular subject with the common goal of improving performance for the spa and wellness industry as a whole.

Financial Benchmarking and Data Exchange
Bosphorus Room

Led by Philippe Bourguignon, CEO, Revolution Places, U.S./France, kicking things off with Peter Anderson, Founder & President, Anderson & Associates, U.S.; Paul Arnold, Principal, Ernst & Young Middle East, UAE.; Filip Boyen, COO, Orient Express, U.K.; Jan Freitag, VP of Global Development, Smith Travel Research, U.S; and Kenneth Kpodo, COO, Allure Africa, Ltd, Ghana

Changing trends in demand – What are consumers asking for?
Yildiz A

Led by Cathy Feliciano Chon, Founder & Managing Director, Catchon & Co., Hong Kong, kicking things off with Dzigbordi K. Dosoo, CEO, Allure Africa, Ghana; JC Kapur, Co-founder, JCKRC & Co., India; and Stephanie Perrone Goldstein, Director, Spa Consumer Research, U.S.

Successful wellness tourism, who does it right?
Yildiz C

Led by Terry Stevens, Phd, Managing Director, Stevens & Associates, U.K., kicking things off with Eva-Maria Adamer-Konig, Principal, FH JOANNEUM, University of Applied Science, Austria; Gerard Bodeker, Professor, University of Oxford Medical School, Malaysia; and Tamas Varhelyi, Phd, Professor, Szolnoki Foiskola, Hungary

3:00pm 4:00pm

Speaker / Moderator / Panelist Logistics Meetings

Mayben Room
3:00pm 4:00pm

Briefing for Members of the Press

Yildiz B
4:00pm 5:00pm

Pre-Summit Bridge Building Sessions, Round 2

These are informal pre-Summit gatherings open to all delegates who would like to meet and exchange ideas on a particular subject with the common goal of improving performance for the spa and wellness industry as a whole.

How can Healthcare and Wellness Converge?
Bosphorus Room

Led by Dr. Geraldine Mitton, Independent Wellness Consultant, South Africa, kicking things off with Jeff Butterworth, Wellness Director, Jumeirah, UAE; Dr. Roberta Lee, Vice Chair, Department of Integrative Health, Continuum Center for Health & Healing at Beth Israel Hospital, U.S.; Paul Lehr, President, Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa, U.S.; Dr. Ken Pelletier, Medical Doctor, U.S.; and Andreas Wieser, Principal, Lanserhof, Austria

Leveraging Technology for Greater Market Share
Yildiz A

Led by Lopo Champalimaud, Co-founder, Wahanda, U.K., kicking things off with Brigitte Diem-Guy, General Manager, Spa Soft, Par Springer Miller Systems, Canada; Daniel Lizio-Katzen, Managing Director, SpaBooker, U.S.; Thomas Roessler, Managing Director, TAC Reservation Assistant, Austria; and Marc Smith, Chief Social Scientist, Connected Action Consulting Group, U.S.

Marketing Partnerships & Alliances: What Industries Can Come Together?
Yildiz C

Led by Sallie Fraenkel, COO, SpaFinder, Inc., U.S., kicking things off with Anne Biging, Managing Director, Healing Hotels of the World, Germany; Alfredo Carvajal, Senior Vice President, Universal Companies, U.S.; James Chenevey, CEO, Earthlite/Living Earth Crafts, U.S.; Polly Johnson, CEO, SpaEquip, U.S.; Tracey Sameyah, President, Murad Inclusive Health, U.S.; and Todd Walter, CEO, Red Door Spa Holdings, U.S.

5:00pm 6:00pm

All About Turkey! A Picture of the Exciting Spa, Thermal, Wellness, and Medical Tourism Scene

Mayben Room

Mehmet Kabas, President, Promet Spa and Wellness, Turkey

Dr. Zeki Karagulle, President, International Society of Medical Hydrology and Climatology, Turkey

Belgin Aksoy, Board Member, and Umit Atalay, General Manager, Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, Turkey

6:30pm 7:30pm

Welcome Cocktail Reception

Outside Garden, Çırağan Palace

On the Çırağan Palace grounds, overlooking the Bosphorus

Sponsored by Platinum Sponsors, Thermarium and Precor

7:30pm 9:30pm

Welcome Dinner

Enderun Room, Çırağan Palace

Welcome: Dulcy Gregory, Associate Executive Director, Global Spa Summit, U.S.

Introductory Remarks: Susie Ellis, President, SpaFinder, Inc. U.S. and Josh McCarter, President Arbitech and Board Member, SpaFinder, Inc. U.S.

Istanbul welcome from H.E. Mr. Ertugrul Gunay, Minister of Culture and Tourism, The Republic of Turkey

Introduction of Key Sponsors:
Levent Demirel, Deputy Director General, The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey
Elmar Nagele, Thermarium, Austria
Jeff Kohl, Precor, U.S.

Acknowledgement of Board of Directors

Announcement of Student Architectural Competition Winners and presentation of prizes:
Jeff Matthews, President & COO, Mandara Spa, Indonesia

Sponsored by Platinum Sponsors, Thermarium and Precor

9:30pm

After Dinner Cocktail Gathering

Çırağan Bar, Kempinski Çırağan Palace Hotel

Let’s Continue the Conversation...
Board of Directors lead the way to Çırağan Bar

Tuesday, May 18th

2010 Global Spa Summit Agenda -"Bridges Worth Building"

9:00am 6:00pm

Internet Cafe

Exhibition B Garden View

Sponsored by SpaBooker

9:00am 6:00pm

Resource Table

Mayben Room

Open to all delegates, featuring publications and books authored by attending delegates and speakers.

8:30am 9:00am

Welcome and Announcements

Mayben Room

Overview and ‘Speed Intros’ with your hosts:
Susie Ellis, President, SpaFinder, Inc., United States and
Dr. Franz Linser, Managing Director, Linser & Partner Consulting, Austria

9:00am 11:00am

General Session: Keynote Speaker

Mayben Room

A View from the Future

Edie Weiner, President, Weiner, Edrich, & Brown, U.S.

11:00am 11:30am

Networking Break

Exhibition A Bosphorus View

Sponsored by SpaSoft

11:30am 11:40am

General Session

Mayben Room

Snapshot Survey: Audience Response

11:40am 12:10pm

General Session: Global Spa Summit Research

Mayben Room

Spas & the Global Wellness Market: Synergies & Opportunities
Katherine Johnston, Senior Economist, SRI International
Sponsored by Murad Inclusive Health Center

12:10pm 12:35pm

General Session: Research

Mayben Room

Report & the Latest in Benchmarking, Hotels and Luxury Spas
Jan Freitag, VP of Global Development, Smith Travel Research, U.S.

12:35pm 12:45pm

General Session: Introductions
Meet the Afternoon’s Research Breakout Session Leaders

Mayben Room
12:45pm 1:00pm

General Session: Research Commentary

Mayben Room

Why Research is Vital for the Health of our Industry
Dr. Howard Murad, CEO & Founder, Murad, Inc., U.S.

1:00pm 2:15pm

Lunch

Enderun Room

Tables for six have been set up in the beautiful sea-view Enderun Room. Each table will have a number, the name of the delegate host, and the topic as indicated below. Feel free to decide which topic you would like to discuss during lunch and join that table. Tables will be filled as people arrive and if your first choice isn’t available, there should be plenty of other interesting topics to choose from. Hosts will share their expertise as fellow diners join in to ask questions and make comments. This lunch is designed to be casual, fun, and incubate some new ideas!

  1. An Investor’s View of the Spa Industry:
    Anders Moltke-Leth, Molbek Development A/S, Denmark
  2. Branding and the Internet
    Crispin Reed, Brandhouse, U.K.
  3. Childhood Obesity and Spas
    Joe Gutierrez, Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa, U.S.
  4. Culinary Innovations and Spa
    MPS Puri, Nira Hotels and Resorts, U.K.
  5. Culture Clash: Spas and Medicine
    Dr. Ken Pelletier, U.S.
  6. Emotional Intelligence
    Barbara Gavazzoli, [comfort zone], Italy
  7. Executing on Vision
    Samir Patel, Six Senses, Thailand
  8. Expressing Beauty through Design
    Yuji Naito, Kanebo Cosmetics Inc., Japan
  9. Getting Financing Today
    David Wickline, Alchemy Ventures Group, U.S.
  10. Global Hydrotherapy Association Update
    Rolf Longree, Lux Elements, Germany
  11. Has the Luxury Consumer Changed?
    Filip Boyen, Orient Express, U.K.
  12. Hotel Spa Scene in Istanbul
    Gerhard Struger, Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Turkey
  13. How to Patent Spa Therapies
    Rekha Chaudhari, JCKRC & Co., India
  14. Huge Spas, Huge Spa Revenues - Las Vegas!
    Mindy Terry, Creative Spa Concepts, U.S.
  15. The Latest in Botanicals
    Dr. Roberta Lee, Continuum Center for Health & Healing, U.S.
  16. The Latin American Spa Industry
    Alfredo Carvajal, Universal Companies, U.S.
  17. Market Research
    Jared Weiner, Weiner, Edrich & Brown, U.S.
  18. Medical Esthetics and Spa
    Maria Jose Caldentey, EstheticWorld and EstheticSpa, Spain
  19. Medical Tourism
    Renee Marie Stephano, Medical Tourism Association, U.S.
  20. The Murad/Massage Envy Partnership
    Dr. Howard Murad, Murad Inc., U.S.
  21. Nutraceuticals in Spa Retail
    Jeff Butterworth, Wellness Director, Jumeirah, UAE
  22. Spa Manager Compensation Trends
    Lori Hutchinson, Hutchinson Consulting, U.S.
  23. Retail Lessons from the Recession
    Mark Wuttke, the Wuttke Group, U.S.
  24. Secrets to Selling Retail
    Sean Harrington, Elemis, U.K.
  25. Spa Industry in Brazil
    Gustavo Albanesi, Buddha Spa, Brazil
  26. Spa Industry in India
    Nisha Javeri, CEO, Myrah Spa, India
  27. Spa Industry in Russia
    Elena Bogacheva, CEO, SpaPriori, Russia
  28. Mobile Application Future
    Josh McCarter, COO, Arbitech, and Board Member, SpaFinder, Inc., U.S.
  29. Spas and Philanthropy
    Marti Morenings, Universal Companies, U.S.
  30. Standards & Practices
    Anita Rawat Geoghegan, Fáilte Ireland, Ireland
  31. Style in Product Design
    Davide Bollati, [comfort zone], Davines, Italy
  32. Sustainable Spas/Green Spa Network
    Roberto Arjona, Rancho La Puerta, Mexico
  33. Teaching Hospitality to a New Generation
    Wolf Hengst, Wahanda, U.S.
  34. Trends in Fitness and Health Clubs
    Ozgur Balta, The Wellness Company, Turkey
  35. Q & A on the Future
    Edie Weiner, Weiner, Edrich & Brown, U.S.
  36. Wellness Tourism
    Laszlo Puczko, Xellum Management, Hungary
  37. What Women Really Want from Spas
    Daniela Steiner, Steiner Cosmetics, Italy
  38. Yoga and Spas: What's the Future?
    Monica Barter, COMO Hotels and Resorts, Indonesia
2:15pm 2:45pm

General Session: Keynote Speaker

Mayben Room

Healthy Places: Bridging the Spa World & Integrative Medicine
Dr. Ken Pelletier, Clinical Professor of Medicine, U.S. and Author of New Medicine and The Best Alternative Medicine: What Works? What Does Not?

2:45pm 3:35pm

General Session: Spas, Health, and Wellness Tourism

Mayben Room

Wellness Tourism: A Global Perspective & Trends
Terry Stevens, PhD, Managing Director, Stevens & Assoc., U.K.

Past and Present Developments in Wellness Tourism
Laszlo Puczko, Senior Associate, Xellum, Hungary, and Author of Health and Wellness Tourism

3:35pm 4:15pm

General Session: Highlight on Hammams/Hamams

Mayben Room

History: Aysegul Sungur, PhD, Managing Director, Promet Spa & Wellness, Turkey

Today: Elmar Nagele, CEO, Thermarium Baeder-Bau GmbH, Austria

Insights: Delegates with experience in hammams/hamams from:
Barr + Wray, Dubai UAE
Blue Spas Inc.,U.S.
Design for Leisure, U.K.
GeoSpa, Germany GmbH, Germany
Hammam Consultants, LLC, U.S.
Harboss LLC, U.S.
Haslauer GmbH, Germany
Hygromatik GmbH, Germany
Klafs, GmbH, Germany
Lux Elements GmbH & Co. Kg, Germany
Schletterer Int’l Group, Austria
Sommerhuber GmbH, Austria
Unbescheiden GmbH, Germany

4:15pm 4:45pm

Networking Break
Visit to Ancient Tarihi Hamam

Sponsored by SpaSoft

4:45pm 5:30pm

Concurrent Research Breakout Sessions

Spa Industry Benchmarking Figures 2009
Bosphorus Room

Paul Arnold, Principal & Head of Hospitality & Leisure - Middle East & Africa, Ernst & Young, UAE
Nikita Sarkar, Senior Consultant - Spa Industry Specialist, Ernst & Young, UAE/U.S.

New Priorities of Today’s Spa Consumers 2009
Simal C

Stephanie Perrone Goldstein, Director, Spa Consumer Research, Coyle Hospitality, U.S.

The Maze of Medical Tourism Data and Introducing Retirement Tourism
Yildiz C

Renee Stephano, President, Medical Tourism Association, U.S.
David Vequist, PhD, Founder & Director, Center for Medical Tourism Research, U.S.

Global Fitness Report
Yildiz A

Moderator: Wendy Bosalavage, President, American Leisure, U.S.
Presentation: Jeff Kohl, Director of Business Dev, Precor, U.S.
Additional Panelists:
Ozgur Balta, CEO, The Wellness Company, Turkey
Keith Burnet, Global VP, Fitness & Spa, Hilton Worldwide, U.K.
Pav Mahal, PhD, Chairman, GeoSpaFitness Ltd (South Asia) and GeoSpa GmbH (Germany), U.K.

5:30pm 7:30pm

Free/Networking Time

7:30pm 8:30pm

Bosphorus Cruise and Cocktails

Meet at the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Boat Dock, pool side, for a 7:30pm departure
8:30pm 10:30pm

Dinner Event at the Award-Winning Les Ottomans Hotel

Les Ottomans Hotel

Les Ottomans was voted Europe’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2009 and Turkey’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2008 by the World Travel Awards.

Optional Tour Of Caudalie Vinothérapie® Spa at Les Ottomans

Return transportation to the Kempinski Çırağan Palace
OR rendezvous on your own by foot or by taxi to the chic party district nearby on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait

Sponsored by Clarins

Wednesday, May 19th

2010 Global Spa Summit Agenda -"Bridges Worth Building"

9:00am 6:00pm

Internet Cafe

Exhibition B Garden View

Sponsored by SpaBooker

9:00am 6:00pm

Resource Table

Mayben Room

Open to all delegates, featuring publications and books authored by attending delegates and speakers.

8:30am 9:00am

Welcome and Announcements

Mayben Room

With your hosts: Dzigbordi Dosoo, CEO, Allure Africa, Ltd., Ghana and
Susie Ellis, President, SpaFinder, Inc., United States

9:00am 10:00am

General Session: Panel
Architecture and Design for the Future

Mayben Room

Moderator: Richard Corsini, Principal, Corsini Architects, U.S.

‘Spa of the Future’ Architectural Model
Student Winner

Medical and Spa of the Future
Heinz Schletterer, CEO, Schletterer Wellness, Austria

Trends in Green and Sustainable Design
Anthony DiGuiseppe, President & CEO, DiGuiseppe Architect, U.S.

10:00am 10:30am

General Session: Keynote Speaker

Mayben Room

Year 2025: What's Next
Mr. Philippe Bourguignon, CEO, Revolution, France/U.S.

10:30pm 11:00am

General Session: Keynote Speaker

Mayben Room

Real Hospitality
Ahu Aysal, Owner, Les Ottomans Hotel, Turkey

11:00am 11:30am

Networking Break

Exhibition A Bosphorus View

Sponsored by Sodashi

11:30am 12:30pm

Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Wellness Tourism Case Studies: Finland & North America
Yildiz A

Moderator: Terry Stephens, Managing Director, Stephens & Associates, UK

The ILIS Project – a Trans European Study
Susanna Saari, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland

North America
Kimberly Goins, Masters Student, Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland

Bridge to a Huge Opportunity: Spa Retail
Bosphorus Room

Moderator: Edie Weiner, President, Edrich, Weiner & Brown, U.S.
With: Davide Bollati, Chairman, [comfort zone] Davines, Italy
Sean Harrington, Managing Director, Elemis, U.K.
Megan Larsen, Founder, Sodashi, Australia
Michael Schummert, CEO, Babor, France
Ghislain Waeyart, Director of Spa Activities, Clarins, France

Bridging Spa & Medicine, Fitness, Nutrition & Integrative Health
Yildiz C

Moderator: Dr. Roberta Lee, Vice Chair Dept. of Integrative Medicine, Continuum Center for Health & Healing, U.S.
With: Paul Lehr, President, Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa, U.S.
Dr. Howard Murad, CEO & Founder, Murad, Inc., U.S.
Dr. Ken Pelletier, Clinical Professor of Medicine, U.S.
Andreas Wieser, Principal, Lanserhof, Austria

Are Global Standards & Practices Desirable? Possible? Doable?
Simal C

Moderator: Jennifer Ng, Director, Business Dev, Spa Botanica, Singapore
With: Belgin Aksoy, Board Member, Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, Turkey
Sharon Ullrick, Manager, Leading Spas, Leading Hotels of the World, U.S.
Christina Norton, MBA Program Director, Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland
Barry White, Director of Spa Operations, Langham Hotels International, Hong Kong

12:30pm 1:45pm

Networking & Gratitude Luncheon

Enderun Room
1:45pm 2:30pm

General Session: Keynote Speaker

Enderun Room

The Very Latest in Technology & Social Networking
Marc A. Smith, Chief Social Scientist, Connected Action

2:35pm 3:15pm

General Session: Panel
Build a Bridge! Social Media is now Mainstream.
Are You Collaborating with Your Customers?

Mayben Room

Moderator: Anne McCall, Vice President of Spas, Fairmont Raffles Hotels Intl, Canada
Participants:
Alison Bell, Founder & Managing Director, Spa Ireland, Ireland
Lopo Champalimaud, Co-founder, Wahanda, U.K.
Dr. Howard Murad, CEO & Founder, Murad, Inc., U.S.
Daniel Lizio-Katzen, Managing Director, SpaBooker, U.S.
Kevin Turnbull, Chief Executive, SpaFinder EMEA, U.K.

3:15pm 3:45pm

Networking Break

Exhibition A Bosphorus Room

Sponsored by Sodashi

3:45pm 4:00pm

General Session

Mayben Room

Snapshot Survey: Audience Response

4:00pm 4:40pm

General Session: Delegates Deliberate

Mayben Room

Deciding On Take-Aways
Prioritizing Bridges Worth Building

Dzigbordi Dosoo, CEO, Allure Africa Ltd, Ghana
Dr. Franz Linser, Managing Director, Linser & Partner Consulting, Austria

4:40pm 5:00pm

General Session: Closing Remarks

Mayben Room

Go To It!
Edith Weiner, President, Weiner, Edrich & Brown

5:00pm

Champagne Toast

Mayben Room

With GSS Board of Directors and 2010 Summit Sponsors

Thursday, May 20th

Post-Summit Options, complimentary for all delegates (Sign Up Here)

8:30am

Board of Directors Post-Summit Breakfast

Iznik Room Kempinski Hotel
7:30am 9:00pm

Option 1: Thermal and Spa Tourism Day

Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Lobby

Free for all delegates, this fabulous all-day tour to Bursa includes visits to top thermal spas and hammams located on the outskirts of Istanbul, in the Marmara Region.  Learn about the history, role and importance of Turkey’s rich spa culture. Enjoy a ferry ride to the important port city of Yalova, famous for its thermal baths and head to Bursa, a city known for its gardens, parks and Ottoman historic landmarks.  A quick city tour of Bursa will include the Osmangazi-Orhangazi Mausoleum, Grand Mosque and Green Tomb.  Lunch will be served at a botanical park. The afternoon consists of visits to Uludag University Atatürk Rehabilitation and Balneotherapy Center, Kervansaray Thermal Hotel, Marigold Hotel and Pithia Thermal Spa Center. Tea and refreshments will be served at a local cafe at the historical Sycamore Inkaya with a wonderful city view.  The tour will take place from 7:30 AM - 11:30PM. Ferry rides, lunch, a complimentary hammam treatment, Bursa city tour, and afternoon tea and refreshments are included.

With your hosts: Dr. Zeki Karagulle, President, Intl. Society of Medical Hydrology & Climatology, Turkey, and Camille Hoheb, Principal, Global Spa & Wellness, U.S.

07:30: Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace lobby
08:30: Departure from Yenikapı Port to Yalova by sea bus
09:40: Arrival in Yalova
10:45: Arrival in Bursa
11:00: Visit Bursa Osmangazi-Orhangazi Mausoleum, Grand Mosque & Green Tomb
13:00: Iskender kebab lunch at the Botanic Park
14:00: Visit Uludag University Atatürk Rehabilitation & Balneotherapy Center
14:30: Visit Kervansaray Thermal Hotel and experience the traditional Turkish thermal bath
16:00: Visit Marigold Hotel and Pithia Thermal Spa Center
17:00: Tea and refreshments at cafe house at Historical Sycamore Inkaya with a view of Bursa
18:00: Departure to Yalova from Bursa by bus
19:30: Departure from Yalova by sea bus
21:10: Arrival in Istanbul (Yenikapı Port)
8:30am 4:00pm

Option 2: Istanbul Medical Tourism Day

Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Lobby

Experience fisrt-hand why Turkey is uniquely positioned to impact the global healthcare industry. Learn from your host Basak Gursoy, Public Relations, BSK Lara Hospital, Turkey while visiting Acibadem Hospital, one of Turkey's leading healthcare groups operating 20 medical facilities, and Dent Istanbul, a dental treatment facility. Also included are Etiler-World Eye Centers, "the biggest private eye hospital in the world," and TransMed medical center for state-of-the-art hair transplantation.

08:30: Meet in the Kempinski Çırağan Palace Lobby
09:00: Depart
09:30: Arrival at Acibadem Hospital
11:30: Arrival at Dent Istanbul
12:30: Lunch: Vogue Restaurant
13:15: Arrival at World Eye Center (Etiler branch)
12:30: Arrival at TransMed
16:00: Return to Kempinski Çırağan Palace
Thursday, May 20th - Friday, May 21st
Sapanca, Turkey

Optional Stay at Richmond Nua Wellness Spa

Just one hour away from Istanbul, Richmond Nua Wellness Spa is located right on Lake Sapanca, a perfect location for relaxation. At Richmond Nua , the spa philosophy is an expression of well-being, emotion, and lifestyle, and expertly combines wellness features from all over the world. For more information about the offer at Richmond Nua Wellness Spa, please visit the pre-Summit options page at the beginning of the agenda section.