Global Spa & Wellness Summit

BACKGROUND

The Global Spa & Wellness Summit, with the help of the famous Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, launched the first Student Challenge at the third annual Summit that took place in Interlaken, Switzerland, in 2009.  Due to its popularity, it quickly became a staple component of each subsequent year’s agenda.  The Student Challenge is a competition for students in fields of study relevant to the spa and wellness industry.  While the logistics of the Student Challenge vary slightly from year to year, the focus is always on developing or designing a spa of the future.

2009
Challenge: To design a spa of the future for the 21- to 30-year-old demographic 
Student teams:
- Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (ELH; Switzerland), led by Demian Hodari, professor
- Institut de Management International (IMHI; Paris), led by Josef Ransley, faculty member
Coordinator from the Summit: Susie Ellis, board member, Global Spa & Wellness Summit, president, SpaFinder, Inc.
Winner:
- First place went to IMHI’s “Chill House Lounge & Spa,” a deeply social spa vision
- The runner-up was ELH, with its college campus-integrated spa, “Spa4U.”
Prize: Each member of the winning team from IMHI received a certificate for free registration to a future Summit (valued at US$2,290 per student).

2010
Challenge: To design a spa of the future that is innovative, environmentally and culturally aware in the historic thermal springs of Kulu, Turkey
Student teams:
- University of Southern California (USC, United States), led by Richard Corsini, principal, Corsini Architects
- Istanbul Technical University (ITU, Turkey), led by Yuksel Demir, department head, department of fine arts, and Belkis Uluoglu, department of fine arts
Coordinator from the Summit: Susie Ellis, board member, Global Spa & Wellness Summit, president, SpaFinder, Inc.
Winners:
- First-place winner Samuel Pitnick (USC) developed an in-town cultural spa and bathing center and a luxury destination spa situated on an extinct volcano
- Runner-up Nazim Kahraman (ITU) imagined a 20-room spa hotel/healing center focused on the free play between the inside and outside settings
- Third-place recipient Natalie Shull (USC) designed “AgriSpa,” an agri-tourism spa and culinary school situated on a dramatic plateau between Kulu and the geothermal park
Prizes: US$1,000 for first place, US$500 for second place, and US$250 for third place

2011
Challenge: To design a spa of the future that is profitable with a GSWS-assigned architect
Student teams:
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK, Hong Kong)
- Cornell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (Singapore)
- Gadjah Mada University (GMU, Indonesia)
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU, Hong Kong)
Coordinators from the Summit: GSWS Board members, Mary Tabacchi, PhD, Professor, Cornell University and Sue Harmsworth, CEO & Founder, ESPA International
Winners:
- First place went to HKPU (Tommy Gu, Kitsun Lau, Joyce Ng and Carol Zhang) for Yi Spa, a franchised, fixed-locale day spa and a mobile spa van that travels
- CUHK was awarded second place for its Traditional Chinese Medicine hotel spa concept, SPArmony
- GMU and Cornell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management tied for third
Prizes: US$1,000 for first place, US$500 for second place, and US$250 for third place


2012
Challenge: To design a spa of the future that is profitable with a GSWS-assigned architect
Student teams:
- Cornell University
- Pennsylvania State University
- University of Denver
- University oF Houston
Coordinators from the Summit: GSWS Board members, Mary Tabacchi, PhD, Professor, Cornell University and Sue Harmsworth, CEO & Founder, ESPA International
Winners:
TBD!

The 2012 Global Spa & Wellness Summit
"Spa of the Future" Student Competition
June 4-6, 2012 - Aspen, Colorado, United States

Challenge:
To design a spa of the future that is profitable, practical and innovative. Each team will work in conjunction with a professional spa architect or designer chosen by the Global Spa & Wellness Summit.

Teams & Coaching:
A total of four teams will compete against one another in the challenge. Each team will consist of four students and a faculty advisor. These teams, along with their advisor, will travel to Aspen, Colorado, to present their concept to a panel of industry judges/experts and other Summit delegates who elect to be in the audience, as this session is on the official agenda.

Please note that the decision on which four students will make up each team is up to each school. For example, some schools have held an inter-school competition, where several teams of students competed against one another for the prize of representing their school at the Summit in Aspen. Other schools have simply selected outstanding students, interested in spa and wellness, to join the competing team.

The student teams are to be managed by faculty “coaches” and by additional faculty when necessary and possible. Students are to interact and communicate often with their assigned architect. Students are expected to conduct primary and secondary research, as well as to address all of the key elements necessary to produce their profitable, practical and innovative spa of the future.

It is the responsibility of the coaches to make sure that the communication with the architect is ongoing and effective, as the architects will help bring the students’ concepts to life. Coaches will guide students but will not do the actual work for the students.

Report and Presentation:
A report and PowerPoint Presentation is to be submitted according to the timeline prescribed.

Expense Allocations:
The GSWS will grant all participating students and one faculty member complimentary registrations for the 2012 Summit (a value of US$2,390 each). The students will be able to attend the opening gala dinner, lunches, an evening networking event and all agenda sessions. During meals, participating students from all schools will have a chance to get to know one another, as the entire student delegation will be seated together. Students will also be invited to a special breakfast with the VIP judging panel.

Each team member will also receive an airfare/travel stipend of up to US$500 and complimentary accommodations based on double occupancy at the Limelight hotel (June 3 – 6), in the center of the town of Aspen. Please note that there will be three rooms available to each team: two for the students and one for the professor. All teams are responsible for their own incidentals.

Prizes/Awards:
The first-place team is awarded a prize of US$1,000 and a trophy
The second-place team is awarded a prize of US$500 and a trophy
The third- and fourth-place teams are awarded prizes of US$250
Certificates of achievement will be presented to each participating student

Public Relations:
The GSWS public relations director and the participating schools’ public relations representatives will work together to secure PR coverage prior to and after the event in order to benefit both the participating students and their schools. A detailed recap of the challenge, and the winning concepts, will be featured in a post-Summit press release, distributed to all spa and wellness trade and industry professionals, as well as through academic channels.

Schedule (tentative):

• February 6, 2012
  Students must deliver a three-page management report on February 6, 2012, outlining their proposal and substantial but concise rationale. An additional two to five pages of appendices are permitted. Reports should be submitted to Dulcy Gregory by email.

• May 14, 2012
  A complete report is due on May 15. Reports should be submitted to Dulcy Gregory by  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• May 21, 2012
  A final PowerPoint presentation (to be used during the session with the judging panel) is due by May 21. Reports should be submitted to Dulcy Gregory by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• June 5-6, 2012
  Student presentations and Q&A sessions with a VIP judging panel will take place in a morning session on either Tuesday, June 5, or Wednesday, June 6. Each student or group will make a 15-minute (maximum) presentation and answer questions (for up to 30 minutes).
  
  Following the final presentation, the industry judging panel will deliberate and select the winning concept. The winners will be announced on Wednesday afternoon, during a general session. At this time, prize money and certificates will be awarded, photographs will be taken and the winners will be celebrated!

Next Steps:
To officially enroll in the 2012 Global Spa & Wellness Summit “Spa of the Future” Student Competition, please contact Dulcy Gregory ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 1-212-716-1199) by Friday, December 30.