The British International Spa Association (BISA) annual conference in Bad Sulza, Germany - Spa Events in the News at DiscoverSpas.com

Spa Events in the News

2005 BISA Conference in Bad Sulza, Germany

I had the privilege to attend the second annual British International Spa Association (BISA) conference in Bad Sulza, Germany. I joined 90+ spa owners, spa educators, therapists, consultants, trade experts, designers and innovators from the UK, Netherlands, USA, Germany, France, Canada, Russia, South Africa, Singapore and Australia the evening of November 25th for the official opening. We got to meet and greet over champagne, snacks and a screening of Charlie Chaplin's hilarious "The Water Cure." Many attendees had arrived earlier than I and had toured the Saline and Salt Extract in Bad Sulza and The Salt Machines in Bad Kosen during the day. Many decided to swim in the Toskana Therme after the movie. I decided to turn in in an effort to avoid jet lag. I did eventually get to enjoy Toskana Therme and the Wellness Park after the conference ended. Details of that are covered in a separate article.

The following two conference days consisted of a theoretical day and a practical day. A sample of the conference presentations are below. Additional details of the conference and a number of the presentations are available on the BISA Conference web site. A number of speakers addressed how hydrotherapy and balneotherapy are used and studied to enhance health. What I valued most from this conference is the new understanding I developed for the history of spas, the underlying foundation of the healing properties of water, as well as the cultural and medicinal value the people of Germany (and Europe) have for spas. Unlike the US, Europeans truly have incorporated spas into their healthcare. Also unlike many of the other spa conferences I have attended, there wasn't an expo. It allowed me to pay 100% attention to the speakers.

Friday, 25th November, 2005
Spa Culture and Business

The conference began with a Welcome and Opening from the Master of Ceremonies from 2004, Cris Winter of Scotland (right) who presented Johannes Hertwig, Mayor of Bad Sulza, Germany (center) with Scotch "wooski", the Scottish symbol of life and a silver cup called a Quaich, the Scottish symbol of friendship. Marion Schneider, Director of Toskana Therme and coordinator of the conference (left) translated.

*Sandra Trost from Treugast GmbH Business and Development Consultancy, Germany presented European Tendencies in Spa and Wellness Concepts. She discussed demographics of the European spa goer and four different types of European spa tourism - Health Care, Anti-Aging, Wellness and Beauty vacations. The percentage of Health Care vacations are expected to decrease in the next 5 years as the governments pay less of the cost while the number of Anti-Aging, Wellness and Beauty vacations will increase. She talked about cooperation among different countries and possible roadblocks for spas in the future. She discussed a number of top spas in Europe.

Dr. J. Paul De Vierville, Professor, Therapist, ISPA Secretary and Director of the Alamo Plaza Spa, USA, presented Spa Cultures: Ancient, Actual, Avant-garde & Eternal. I have known Jonathan for quite a while but never heard him speak at a conference. He spoke about spa as a cultural symbol for transformation and the history of spa from ancient times to the present. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of The Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus.

Click to enlarge - Micky Remann - photo copyrigh Julie Register

Micky Remann, Media Artist and Author, Germany presented Liquid Sound - A Present Day Catalyst for the Transormation of Spa to Future Spa. He discussed the concept of Liquid Sound - found at Tuscana Therme, Bad Schandau and the Liquidrome in Berlin - a multimedia experience of light and sound (often with live musicians) in water. His vision is to have this venue take the place of the opera house of the last century. Liquid Sound encourages dreaming - that place between sleep and wakefulness. It is where the cultural creators go. It should be where politicians, board members and investors go, for talking about the future is talking about dreams. It was wonderful to hear the his talk before actually experiencing it at Tuscana Therme.

Linda Troeller, Photographer and Spa Traveller, USA presented Spa Journeys. She discussed the use of art at the spa - to suggest products and services, take clients to another place or time, enhance a mood, and establish branding identity. She suggests select artwork based on what would be the true reflection of or aspiration of the spa's identity. She discussed a number of photos she has taken, many of which appear in her books - Healing Waters, Spa Journeys and The Erotic Lives of Women

Spa Business, Design and Marketing

Susie Santiago, Santi Business Development and Spa Consultancy, UK presented Leadership in Motivating and Developing your Spa Team. Susie says autocracy is out; Inspiration is in. She discussed four elements of inspirational leadership: 1) Vision and Effective Communication, 2) Clear and understandable strategic focus, 3) Continual training and development and 4) Leading by example. Good stuff!

Sara Boas, Founding Director and Leadership Coach, Boas Transforming Leadership and LIFEdance!, UK presented The Essence of Spa: the Elements in Spa Design, Management and Therapies. Sara began with a beautiful poem she had written:

Nothing

I knew it would come to this place
Here
Among strangers
Here
Among objects, walls, trees and sky beyond

Such an ordinary day
Not even shimmering

Enough, I say
Enough

Let me speak with my true voice
Or say nothing
Let me stand on my home ground
Or be done

I need less
Of almost everything
More of nothing

Nothing that can be counted, touched or named
Nothing I can purchase
Nothing you can give me

Only the daring space between our worlds
Only the eye's reflection in the eye
Only this sudden dropping away…

Less of almost everything

More of nothing

Sara Boas

She then discussed what spa customers seek - comfort, tranquility, rejuvenation, inspiration, grounding and vitality. The four elements embrace all of these; the earth - grounding; fire - vitality; air - inspiration; and water - flow and relaxation. She discussed how these elements are found in and can be used in leadership qualities, spa design, spa therapies and movement qualities.

Gina Molinari - photo courtesy of Hotel An der Therme

*Gina Molinari, Retail Expert and Spa Consultant, USA presented Effective Retailing. She discussed the key components necessary to increase retail sales - the property and staff image, communication, effective vocabulary and body language, client profiling, daily monitoring of inventory, selling tactics, achievable challenges - goal and incentives, taking control of the business, effective merchandising, and how to close the sale without pressuring the client.

**Friday evening, the Toskana Therme began a 48-hour, non-stop "Liquid Sound Festival" featuring live musicians and special performances.

Saturday, 26th November, 2005
Seminar and Workshops

*Hans Hermes Kuhl, Naturopathic Practitioner, D. presented Homeopathic salt remedies in wellness treatments. He discussed the homeopathic properties of all of the salts that are present in the water of Toskana Therme - Nattrium muratricum, Kalium carbonicum, Calcium cabonicum, Aqua marina, silicea, Strontium - then asked for a volunteer to do a mini-constitutional on. I was the lucky volunteer! He determined what I needed by asking a series of questions then dissolved a number of remedies in a bottle of liquid that I was instructed to use twice a day for a month. I had been planning on having a constitutional in January, so this was great timing!

There were two group presentations on hydrotherapy - Hydrotherapy in Medicine and Spa Applications Prof. Dr. Ulrich Smolenski, Jena; Prof. Dr. Jurgen Kleinschmidt, Munich; Dr. Karl-Ludwig Resch, Bad Elster; Prof. Dr. Christoph Gutenbrunner, Hanover, D. and Hydrotherapy in Spa Resorts and Practice Anne Bramham, Spa Expert, USA; Matt Hickey, Cancer Specialist, UK; Alan Zammit & Andre Abdilla-Bason,

A demonstration of water therapy used at Hotel Fortina Spa, Malta

A demonstration of Healing Stones Massage Terry Liew, The Shiatsu School, Singapore

Saturday evening there was a Reception and Party in Auerstedt Castle.

*A local clothes designer entertained the group during dinner..	*and a singer entertained afterwards.
*Marion Schneider, Director of Toskana Therme was given flowers in appreciation for all the work she did to coordinate the conference	Josephine Wackett, Joan Thornycroft, Tina Scholtz, Julie Regsiter, Gina Molinari

Next year’s BISA Annual Conference is scheduled to take place from the 1st - 3rd December 2006 at the spectacular Fortina Spa Resort in the World Heritage City of Valletta on the island of Malta.

Photos marked * courtesy of Hotel an der Therme
Photos marked ** courtesy of courtesy of Ortwin Klipp
The rest of the photos are copyright 2005 Julie Register