The capital city recently witnessed the International Wellness Conclave presented by Wellnessmaters. The mega-success of the two-day conclave was evident from the power-packed turnout of wellness industry decision makers, and the engaging sessions with a strong line-up of speakers and topical panel discussions.
International Wellness Conclave presented by Wellnessmaters, was held at the Radisson Blu Plaza New Delhi, on 25th and 26th September. The two-day Wellness Conclave focused on the theme “Excellence in Wellness” and promoting India as the new wellness destination. The bringing together of the finest wellness visionaries from across the globe and industry leaders from India, besides doctors and professionals from the spa, beauty, fitness and other patrons of the wellness industry made IWC 2018 a mega success.
Leading the way
Inaugurated by Shri K.J Alphons, Minister of State for Tourism, Government of India, the International Wellness Conclave began with his keynote speech on the varied wellness offerings of India and how the country’s tourism sector has grown manifold in the past four years which is driving employment in a big way, with wellness being at the heart of the evolving tourism industry.
A special address by Shri Anil Khaitan, President, PHD Chambers added to the grand inaugural session of IWC 2018. Shri Khaitan spoke on the need for “Going Green” and the on-going Environmental Revolution, which he stressed upon “is an absolute necessity” in today’s day and age.
The sessions across the two days of the conclave were moderated by Ms. Melinda Yon, Technical Services Director – Spa and Wellness, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas; who engaged the audience and shared anecdotes coming from her own rich experience in the industry. While Anne Biging, Founder & Managing Director, Healing Hotels of the World engaged the audience in a brief de-stressing meditation therapy while she introduced her presentation on “Wellness as an integral part of Tourism”; Andrew Jacka- Chairman, Asia-Pacific Spa & Wellness Collation, made an impressive statement as he introduced a White Paper on “Wellness in the Asia-Pacific Region” that brought forward many learning and thought-provoking ideas. The inaugural session was concluded on a high note with a presentation by Jayant Ranganathan, Executive Vice President, IIFL who spoke on Investment Opportunities in Tourism & Wellness Sector.
The networking breaks between the sessions were an opportune time for the delegates and speakers to engage in conversations that led to exploring synergies among the varied industry patrons. It was also a good time for those present to explore the experience zone which offered partner boots like IIFL the investment partner, Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi – the wellness destination partner, Snaana and RAS Luxury Oils – the Wellness Gifting Partner, C Green Future foods – Wellness Food Partner and KTC – the mobility partner sharing their products to clients.
The afternoon session on Spa Management & economics was kicked-in by Arpit Sharma, Founder & CEO, Seven Seas Spas who gave a presentation packed with ample examples on the subject of ‘Spa Survival: Day-to-day Operations Management”. It was followed by Kent Richards, Corporate Operations Director (Spa & Wellness) of Six Senses Hotel Resorts Spas who was a crowd winner with his presentation on how “Operations is Changing to a More Wellness Environment”; and given his years of experience Barry White, Founder & Director, White Living & Former Head Global Operations Langham Hotels & Resorts was also a definite star in the line-up of speakers for the day, as he gave his take on “Efficiencies Beyond Aesthetics” and how to build an efficient spa. Before the day could break for lunch, the Sumaya Dalmia, well-known fitness and wellness professional, shared a brief talk on her wellness journey and how the wellness industry in India has come of age and is growing in a professional way, which shows a positive future for the industry partners in the country.
Refreshed after the delectable luncheon served by the hospitality partner, Radisson Blu Plaza New Delhi, that is well-known for its varied speciality restaurants and efficient service; the delegates returned for yet another packed session on “Excellence in Manpower”. Nirvan Shroff, Co-Founder & Director, Illuminar Consultants shared her notes on “Training for success” which emphasized the need and importance of training to help enhance efficiency, improve service quality. The panel discussions on the “Overcoming Manpower Issues”, chaired by Melinda Yon, with panellist Kent Richards, Donald Cha, Nirvan Shroff, and Arpit Sharma got the audience involved as the discussion touched upon the varied everyday HR issues that required thought-through decision making.
Another panel discussion on “Capitalizing the Wellness Boom” brought together industry experts like Barry White, CEO, White Living; Dr. Sharad Kasarle, Medical Nutrition, Medical Herbalism and Functional Food Expert, Lovina Gidwani Jha, Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Neha Lidder, Luxury Marketing Professional, and Deepshikha Deshmukh, Founder Love Organically, who all shared their opinions on how ‘wellness’ is the new buzzword and has touched upon the lives of people in so many ways which is redefining the growth story of the wellness industry in India.
The proceedings of the first day at the conclave culminated with IWC’s Wellness Fashion Ambassador- Charu Parashar, a renowned fashion designer and couturier, sharing her thoughts on how looking at the holistic approach of wellness, fashion can’t be counted out and looking and feeling good both go hand in hand. The delegates went on to further explore the booths at the experience zone and also consult the ayurvedic doctors who were giving complimentary consultation for all the participants at the International Wellness Conclave.
Day 2:
After a super engaging first day, day two of IWC 2018 started off with the session on “Importance of Indian Therapies in a Global Setting” by Dr. Gita Ramesh, Ayurvedic Doctor of International Fame, who is also the owner of Kairali Resorts. This was followed by a talk on “Yoga – the Eternal Elexir of Life” by Rajesh Kumar Singh, Director, Sammati Natropathic WellBeing Centre. The short session was proceeded by a Meditation Therapy along with scientific facts on how meditation affects the human mind and body, shared by Vesna Jacobs, a Holistic Wellness Expert and Author. Engaging the delegates Alkaa Punia, owner Snaana and an Expert on 100% Natural Products gave her views about “Learning from our Roots”, and how in the name of organic products there are chemical preservatives used in products which can be harmful for the users.
Our two Wellness Ambassadors Dr. Anjali Hooda Sangwan, Obesity & Metabolic Disease Specialist and Kitty Kalra Celebrity Fitness Trainer shared their expertise on “What Wellness Means to them”, while giving a few tips on how to imbibe the wellness practices into our everyday routine.
The second session of the day was allotted to “Nutrition the Core of Wellness” during which speakers Andrew Jacka, Chairman, APSWC and Himanshu Kapoor, Founder, C. Green Future Food, spoke on the various topics of Healthy eating and nutrition. Dr. Anil Khandelwal, Managing Director, Yogic Secret Healthcare Pvt. Ltd gave a session on “The Four Quadrants of Wellness”. Followed by a very interesting session by Dr. Sharad Kasarle, Medical Nutrition, Medical Herbalism & Functional Food Expert on “Ayurveda: Achieving Ultimate Wellness” giving case studies on Ayurvedic treatments.
The final session of the International Wellness Conclave was on branding & marketing, where speaking on “How to Market your Spa and Wellness Offerings to the Media” – Catharine Nicol, International Spa Expert & Acclaimed Journalist & Influencer give insights on how to do a holistic branding. In addition to this, the next session was by Hitesh Dhawan, CEO, Neuronimbus Software Services Pvt. Ltd he gave his expertise tricks on “Digital 101 for the Wellness Industry”. In another enlightening session on “Building Your Brand” a panel discussion was held with Archana Jain, Founder, PR Pundit, in conversation with Mahesh Natarajan, Senior VP, Marketing, Sales & Business Development, Ananda in the Himalayas, and Ishita Yashvi, Head- Marketing, Forest Essentials.
The final panel discussion was on “Overcoming the Realities of Our Industry” with Melinda Yon as moderator, on panel Catherine Nicol, Andrew Jacka, and Kent Richards. Followed by a Presentation from APSWC on “An Overview of the Country Synopsis” by Donald Cha, Spa Chain Owner & Board Member of APSWC.
The International Wellness Conclave 2018, witnessed experts from diverse background and fields discussing the possibilities of capitalising the wellness boom in a more organised way. The elite audience of the show included the industry stalwarts and wellness experts, enthusiast and ayurvedic doctors across the country.
