Kudos for the Global Spa Summit – starting with Steve Case

Since I haven’t been able to catch my breath quite yet and get to the really exciting part where I get to share the insights from the Global Spa Summit with you, I thought I would at least share with you some of the feedback that is rolling in. I must say I am a bit overwhelmed in that I was hoping we would put on a good event but the reaction has been quite over the top. Clearly the credit goes to a team of people… the advisers who were the strength, wisdom and encouragement to make the GSS happen, the team of people from Global Executives who helped with the event logistics, and many on the Spa Finder staff who volunteered their time – and over time – to welcome the international spa delegates from around the world. Hope you enjoy reading some of the feedback!

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What a wonderful experience. You delivered on the most ambitious Spa gathering ever attempted + you exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Truly International + Inspirational. It will shape the future, instilling a sense of leadership and commitment w/ all who attended.

Thank you again for including me in your Global Spa Summit.

Healthy regards,

Bob Henry – Principal

R O B E R T D. H E N R Y
a r c h i t e c t s

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Congratulations on this success.

Best wishes from Eva and I,
Sonu (owner, Six Senses)

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I wanted to thank you for your gracious hospitality and inclusion of Niki Bryan in this superb gathering of leader. I hope to have the opportunity to extend our hospitality should you choose to visit Orlando.

Many Thanks

Dan Shackleton-Jones
Dan Shackleton-Jones
President
GF Spa Ltd & Niki Bryan Inc.

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Thanks for inviting me. It was a great time and I hope I was able to contribute something to the experience.

Rich (Gersten from North Castle Partners)

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It was so lovely to see you again and have a chat, short though it was!
Thank you for all your help and concern about my laptop etc at the Waldorf and congratulations for your fabulous inaugural Global SPA summit!
I must commend you on all your staff and of course Sonya from the Event Management team, what a wonderful helpful person who appeared to come to my rescue today!
All the events and of course the contributions were great and the “Dine Around” fantastic, and we had the best fun at Daniel with Ken at the table and all the other guests.
How absolutely generous were the Cornelia people! What wonderful gift in our rooms and a superb cocktail party in a divine setting where again we met gorgeous friendly people surrounded by the New York skyline in lovely weather.
It was such a great opportunity to meet with like minds and my only regret was that I needed to leave before the Labour shortage talk got underway, although with Helene at the helm it would have been interesting!
I do hope the “high flyers” see the absolute necessity for this to be an ongoing opportunity for the Spa Industry and they take up the challenge.
You now need a well earned rest but knowing you that is unlikely to happen!
I am in the Admiral’s lounge at JFK waiting to board for Zurich…flight delayed by four hours!!!! but that’s the price one pays when we travel!

Take care and I hope we meet again soon and we keep in touch!
Warmest regards
Dianne (CIDESCO)

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Hi Juan

It was great to meet you at the GSS. Thanks for your impeccable and diligent support with our technology needs in the panels.

Greatly appreciated. Look forward to our next meeting.

Warm regards

MARK WUTTKE PRINCIPAL WUTTKE GROUP LLC

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My heartfelt congratulations. The sensibility, intelligence and effervescence will set the standards now and forever.
Love,
Muffin (Jurlique)

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I’m sure that you are exhausted – and hopefully relaxing tonight!
I want to congratulate you on a tremendously successful summit. You put so much into this event and it was truly a joy to see such fruits of your labor. Everyone was so impressed – with the caliber of attendees, of the substance of the program and of the genuine commitment of the two of you.
It sounds kind of corny, but I was so proud and pleased for you! I will share all of the comments, but I kept hearing that people were there because they saw that this was a unique and important gathering for the industry. You’ve done something special and you’ve brought the industry to the next plateau, together – a remarkable feat! I see great things to come!!
Thank you for generously including me in the summit; I loved learning, meeting and being immersed in this movement.
Big hugs,
Missy

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Thank you so much for including me in this momentous event.
Having been involved in initiating and then arranging the Leading Spas of Canada Annual Conference for many years, I have full appreciation for the amount of blood, sweat, tears and countless hours that must have gone into this global gathering – not to mention your personal financial support – you truly are industry leaders and visionaries! (I apologize for missing your closing remarks – plane to catch.) For me this was an event that I am very glad I attended. I had my “take aways” and hope that I also contributed with some “leave behinds” for those I had the opportunity to meet with personally – it should always be a two-way street.
In addition to meeting up with some great old friends & colleagues, I met some really interesting new people and made many new global resource contacts that I’m sure will be invaluable in the future.
Dulcy, you were a tremendous support & resource at the conference and it was truly a pleasure meeting you. I have a “Dulcy” (her name is Melanie) so I know how critical your efforts were in making this event so successful.
I look forward to the follow-up survey as I do have some constructive comments but please do not take these as any measure of dissatisfaction – I was totally delighted to be there!
Very best regards to all of you – thank you, thank you, thank you,
Jack

Jack Morrison, CMA
Managing Director, Elmcrest College

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A heartfelt thank you for putting together an awesome summit!
Warmest regards,
Cathy Feliciano–Chon

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Congratulations! You did it! The Summit was excellent. Thank you for making it happen. As everything you do, the Summit was 1st Class.
I’d be happy to be part of making it happen again.
Best regards,
Steve Kass
American Leisure

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Tom was very pleased with his experience at the Global Spa Summit this past weekend and wanted to get in contact with several people by email. He was hoping it would be possible to get email addresses for the following people from you.
Canopy Development

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I want to thank you for including us in this groundbreaking event. Your support and belief in our efforts has been the keystone in bringing us into the spa community. And, based on this event, we are both touched by what an incredible community it is – the willingness of everyone to share and support one another is refreshing and, as newcomers, it is also encouraging. The new contacts we made are invaluable, and the collective wisdom and learning opportunity afforded by this gathering is a particularly exciting outcome. I believe that we all walked away inspired, motivated, and re-energized to continue this growth process individually, with our own teams and together as colleagues.

All my best
Ellen

Ellen Sackoff Cornelia Fifth Avenue

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I have seen the agenda and it looks great. Congratulations on such a high quality group and a sell out for a “maiden voyage”. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
John Vanderslice, Miraval

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Congratulations on staging what I thought was a very interesting and thought provoking conference. Having served as one of the original creators and continuing contributors to the annual Resort Management Conference, I fully appreciate the amount of work required to organize and host such an event…and you are to be commended for during such a splendid job!

Thanks also for the invitation to participate. I hope those in attendance found my remarks both interesting and informative.

Best wishes for continued success.

PCY

Peter C. Yesawich

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Thanks for all your efforts not only with the GGS but with everything you do for Spa. I was glad to be with you in New York and certainly appreciate the support you have shared with me. I’ll look forward to connecting soon.
Jim (Root, Sea Island and Chairman of ISPA)

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Congratulations on the successful inauguration of the Global Spa Summit. A tremendous team effort has translated into an event with a remarkable participation in all of your sessions and activities. The delegates appeared inspired and eager to participate in the next Summit.

Please extend my congratulations and best wishes to your team for their good work.

We look forward to reviewing the event details with you in a post-conference meeting.

Sincerely,

The Global Executive Team

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I appreciate the opportunity and invitation to present at the first Global Spa Summit. It was a pleasure meeting the senior level executives of the industry, all under one roof. I am sure that you are glad that the conference is over, but from everyone I talked to it seems obvious that you have done your fellow spa lovers a great service.
It was great to be part of it all. Thanks again.
Jan (Freitag, Smith Travel Research)

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I would like to congratulate you both on the unbelievable success of this event. I’ve been to so many conferences that they become difficult to differentiate. That was not the case here – you put together a roster, schedule and experience that was truly unique and incredibly poignant and necessary. I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to take part in the experience.

Congratulations!
Dan (Chandre)

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Hey Guys,

I am sure this is another email in the long list of “thank you” for the tremendous job not just you but all of Spa Finder did on this event in the big apple.

I think that when the dust settles and we see the actual information that will come out from this more and more folks will realize that we really started something special. I am just glad that I was a part of it and even though our individual contributions may not have been over the top our combined results were an absolute smash hit… You can count on Mandara’s support in the years ahead.

Again thank you for making me a part of the event.
Warm personnel regards
Jeff (Matthews, President, Mandara Spas)

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What a remarkable gathering of leadership. I can promise one thing – we will clear our calendars so that we do not miss any of it next year. Congratulations on leading the dialogue in such a dynamic and growing industry. We were honored to be included and are humbled by the opportunity to lend our voice in the years ahead.

We are looking forward to sharing with you our plans and vision for a spa lifestyle centered on well-being for the entire family that is changing lives right now.

Respectfully,

Scott
Scott Ziegler
Vice President of Marketing, The Cliffs Communities

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Many a ” maiden voyage ” unfortunately ends like the Titanic’s. You not only sailed your new ship through perilous icebergs, but you brought it triumphantly and safely into port ! Congratulations !
Daniel
Daniel Aubry Studio & Gallery

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Missy said the Global Summit was an incredible success. What a great idea and I bet great execution.Your friend in awe (Beverly Chell)

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I feel I have had a rather whirlwind week. Mine must pale into insignificance compared to yours however! Please accept my congratulations on an excellent first Global Spa Summit. It was incredible to find so many of the top people of the industry under one roof and sharing their vision and challenges so freely. I thought the sessions were excellent and I learned something from each one I attended. I really hope you repeat the Summit and although it looks like it will be Europe next, when and if, it makes it to the Asian region I would very much like to assist you if I can. The summit created much food for thought and that is a very important step in bringing the industry together at this level.

Thanks for all your hard work and support and congratulations again on pulling the summit off with excellent results.

Warmest Regards

Joy

Joy Menzies
Managing Director
http://www.chivasom.com/

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I appreciate and thank you all for such a great and professional summit. I know how much hard work and hours you have put in to make it this fantastic.
I hope it turned out what you had wanted it to be. The presenters that I attended was good, especially good I thought Philip Wolf was, very informative to a person (me) who know nothing about IT. The SPA design session I enjoyed very much, very talented people poured out their heart for all of us to pick up. The retail session, it’s a difficult subject, Did not get what the return on the investment is. I think for next year the subject should be “How do you Benchmark retail” . Anni Hood’s talk about Middle Eastern was great.
Chaterine Feliciano–Chon Ga-Ga over China was terrific, could have listen to her for hours. Ann McCall and benchmarking the SPA’s was so informative and she really kept the pace and we got it before the end of the session. I liked the lunch and round table discussion. Over all I appreciated everything, especially you two for taking the imitative. I look forward to next year. I would be very happy to help nominating people who are very much decision makers in the industry. Let me know if I can help.
I’m enjoying my beautiful Notebook and the beautiful people in it.
THANK YOU FROM CHARLENE AND KERSTIN (Florian)

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Dulcy,

Thank you so much for taking such good care of everything during the Global Spa Summit. You made it easy and fun – thanks! I hope you take some much deserved time to relax and recharge. Take care and thanks again – you should be very proud!
Lynne
Lynne McNees
PresidentInternational SPA Association

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Just back in London and before I get caught up in catch up, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the most enjoyable and stimulating couple of days and indeed for inviting me to be a part of this special gathering. The organisation of the conference was impeccable and your generosity was well noted and I believe appreciated by all.

I met so many interesting and dynamic people, which does not totally surprise me as I have always found those associated with health and well being exceptional spirits, even in the commercial world.

Sallie, thank you for being a terrific moderator and making us all feel so comfortable on your panel.

Should the next co
nference come to Europe, it would be my pleasure to help you in any way I can with the organisation.

Once again, many thanks & warmest wishes,

Victoria
Victoria Fuller
ZFL PRCo & Columbus PRCo

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The entire Spa Finder team did a great job at the Global Spa Summit but Cassandra and I just wanted to add our thanks to you individually for a terrific contribution to an outstanding event.
Well done you guys!
Kevin

Kevin Turnbull
Chief Executive
Spa Finder Europe Ltd.

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Thank you for sharing these wonderful expressions of appreciation and enthusiasm for the success of the Global Spa Summit. It was so courageous to take such a “leap of faith” – I hope the tremendous success reaffirms your that faith and the challenges that undoubtedly presented themselves were far outweighed by the many triumphs! Bravo – we have all taken another incredible step on this ever expanding journey!
Donna Holtom (Leading Spas of Canada)

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I just wanted to congratulate you on the Global Spa Summit. I have heard nothing but amazing feedback.

Can’t wait to hear more details.

Oh, and happy belated birthday!

hugs,

Nancy (Griffin, Spa Trade)

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Finally I have a bit of breathing space! Wow! Wow! Wow! How can the industry top that?

A great assembly of people and some real initiatives that seem to be coming out of the summit adds up to a big success.

Thank you for being gracious to mention the advisory panel but our real thanks go to you to and the fantastic team you have in putting this together. I mention and single out Dulcy and Nikita for their charm and ability to juggle such complicated tasks with grace and diplomacy but I am sure there were many more that worked equally hard.

Success such as this does not come by chance – you thoroughly deserve to be proud of what you have achieved.

My sincere congratulations,

Andrew Gibson
Group Director of Spa
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

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Congratulations on the inaugural Global Spa Summit. It was a fabulous event that brought the industry together for meaningful discussions. Your thoughtful generosity in hosting the event was very much appreciated. You both are inspirational leaders, and I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to know and work with you.
Cheers,
Raj Chandnani
Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo

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Congratulations to all at Spafinder on organizing such a great meeting of key people. Let’s now get it all moving. Next time fewer people and only key industry players and very focused groups tasked with achieving a solution!

Take care,

Sue

Susan A E Harmsworth
Chief Executive
ESPA International

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I have now returned to Melbourne and have time to reflect on the significance of the Global Spa Summit.
I would like to thank you both for your hard work in putting this event on. I certainly feel very honored to have been included at such a significant level in this landmark even and am grateful for the many opportunities that have opened up as a result.
I feel that in putting on this event you have both demonstrated great leadership in an industry that is desperately in need of guidance. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum and to provide ongoing leadership as the industry continues to evolve. I believe there is an ongoing role for a ‘Global Spa Council’ that could assist in putting on future events and provide leadership by coordinating working groups on issues such as bench marking, financing and education. I am happy to be involved in this process through the publication of the book on Understanding the Global Spa Industry. It is notable that the advisory panel for the Global Spa Conference are all contributors to this book which is due for publication in the second half of 2008.
I would like to thank you and your team for putting on such a great event and look forward to being involved in any future events and in working with you on your book chapters.
With love and respect,
Marc Cohen
Australia

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A quick note to thank you and your husband for a fantastic event last week in new york. It was very valuable and better than I expected it to be, especially for a first-time event. I had a number of people approach me with business ideas, and I was able to meet with a couple of others with whom I had not yet contacted. Thanks for all of your and your team’s hard work, and thanks for including me.
Best,Ed
Ed McCall
Partner
Brentwood Associates

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The Japan team was very impressed with the excellent caliber of speakers, presenters and delegates, I echo Yoriko in that the group and the intimate setting of the conference with the cocktails and the dine around allowed for a lot of in-depth dialogue and communication with all delegates. This is superb!!!
Never been to an event with such top caliber experts who know their subjects as well and were ready to share and have a lively debate and discussion on all the key touch points of today.
Congratulations and looking forward to the next one next year.
Cheers,
Suzanne
CEO
Conceptasia KK

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Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to you, Peter and your remarkable team for a job well done.

The industry benefited from a strong force which helped to gather leaders and manifest an outcome that would enhance the industry in a much grander way. Simply uniting passionate individuals together – sets the impetus for change, advancement, knowledge, foresight, planning and overall communication!

Secondly, the personal passion that I witnessed from both you and Peter was undeniably evident, as you invested countless hours with your beautiful presence and grace supporting the speakers, attendees, delegates and media etc. I never got the sense of anyone missing in action or lack of enthusiasm for the progress!

Creating a sense of belonging and participation with impact are vital components of any successful conference and you seemed to capture the essence of both.
Congratulations!

Radiant Blessings,
Carina Chatlani
President/CEO/Brand Ambassador
BODY BISTRO Ayurvedic Apothecary®

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After 2 days home…and catching up with family and old friends….I reflect back and can only saw wow…..the summit was stunning success….the vibes and mood was for sure beneficial to the entire industry and has set a new mark for the global spa and wellness platform…..many new friends have been made, deep exchanges took place and new alliances have been formed….
Till soon – hugs – ingo

I just returned late last night – had business in Vermont and Miami after the Summit.Thanks, again, to you, Peter and the Advisory Committee for inviting me and allowing me to participate. The event was a class act and, as I mentioned when leaving, it has set a very high bar.Now we have to respond, be leaders, set a similar high bar for the industry and create some results.
All the best,
Ken
Kenneth R. Greger
Managing Director
Greger/Peterson Associates, Inc.
Los Angeles * Portland

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Id like to thank you again for giving me a great opportunity to introduce my research efforts to the hundr
eds of excellent business leaders from all over the world on the greatest spa event in this planet.
It was really wonderful time for me to meet and exchange opinions with the prominent persons such frankly.
Ill never forget your limitless generosity and kindness.
Hope to see you on the next summit in the near future.
With all my sincere thanks,
MARU
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TOMONORI MARUYAMA
Chief Researcher
RESEARCH INSTITUTE,
MITSUI KNOWLEDGE INDUSTRY CO.,LTD.