his year’s event will take place on
September 21 and 22. Despite beginning in just two
countries—France and Belgium—in 2017, last year
saw participation in 88 countries. It’s anticipated that
this year’s event will be celebrated by approximately
2,000 spas in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Many of the participating spas collaborate with other
businesses or local government for the event, and
the two-day format allows for spas to host multiple activ-
ities touching different aspects of wellness, if they choose.
Many of the largest organizations in the spa
industry—including Massage Envy Franchising, LLC,
Canyon Ranch, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott
International—will participate in this year’s event.
Beyond being a celebration of spa, fitness and
wellness, World Wellness Weekend is an opportunity “to
kick the industry in the behind” and inspire fresh ideas,
profound community involvement and deeper employee
engagement, says founder Jean-Guy de Gabriac of Tip
Touch International. In addition to focusing on the goal
of improving global wellness, de Gabriac sees the
weekend as an opportunity to make the world at large
(and the media) take note of spa.
To participate in World Wellness Weekend, your spa will
Participants are encouraged to post “welfies,” or selfies with one’s hands held in the
shape of a ‘W’.
CHECKLIST FOR WORLD WELLNESS WEEKEND 2019
To make the most of World Wellness Weekend, you’ll need to plan ahead and have a
strategy to maximize your spa’s exposure, both to customers and to the media. Here’s a
rundown of tasks you may want to complete before the event begins on September 21.
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REGISTER ONLINE Visit world-wellness-weekend.org to register your spa online for free; this gets you on the
official World Wellness Map and provides access to free resources like logos, posters and activity ideas.
REACH OUT Part of World Wellness Weekend’s mission is to make spas active in their own towns. Reach out to
possible partners in your area, as well as your local mayor or chamber of commerce, to find out how you can work
together to raise the profile of wellness in your community.
GET CREATIVE A cool, unique activity is key to a successful weekend. Brainstorm with your team for ideas and do
research online. Ask other area businesses for help. Think of offers and promotions you can use to attract people to
your spa before, during and after World Wellness Weekend.
COMMUNICATE Prepare a communication and marketing plan; write a press release and send it to local outlets;
develop a social media campaign for your World Wellness Weekend activity. A robust communication plan that
builds up to the event itself will help get people excited.
PRACTICE Depending on the complexity of your activity, you may want to practice it beforehand. This can also help
you discover small details you might still need to make it successful—signage, a post-activity survey or even an
additional session.
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