Next stop: benchmarking
In addition to ensuring that the findings of the Global Spa Economy 2007 are utilised properly, Ellis is also working with the GSS to promote benchmarking and the sharing of financial information in the spa industry.
"At the GSS, there was also a task group on benchmarking," she reveals.
"Spas are now working with Smith Travel, which has carried out a lot of hotel benchmarking. Next year I think spas will be able to submit their revenue information, and then in an aggregate way, as Smith Travel does with hotels, they will be able to measure themselves against other spas."
Smith Travel has generally been working in the US, but because spas are global we want to be able to see how we're doing in different parts of the world, says Ellis.
"It's taking a little more time and a little more work but Smith Travel is working together with the GSS task force to create something that will be measurable and comparable globally," she says.
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The fact that the GSS is an invitation-only event will help facilitate this process.
"I think it was important that the summit was restricted to senior executive people. It's not a matter of wanting to have 1000s of people at the GSS, it's a matter of having the people that can make decisions and really move the industry forward," says Ellis.
"There were people on the board of the GSS - from Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental and Mandara, a variety of people - who said ‘we'll be the first to step up to the plate and send in our data'," she reveals.
"At the summit we received an email from Karen Korpi, who represents 90 Ritz-Carlton spas. She said ‘I'm going to give you my data'. That's a huge contribution.
Mia Kyricos, director of spa at Starwood Hotels and Resorts said she'd put in her data. Pretty soon, it was like ‘let's all put in our data, then we can benchmark and get numbers and it can be very useful," explains Ellis.
"Fortunately, we've also got a lot of enthusiasm from people in different arenas - consultants like Spa Strategy and Raison d'Etre -- and it's very nice to see because in a way they are all competitors, but they all come together for the GSS," she says proudly.
With the promise of such important benchmarks, next year's event - to be held in Switzerland - is already an important date for the diary.
But, though some of the region's spa experts such as Daniella Russell of Wafi Health and Leisure and Jumeirah group director of spas Anni Hood are valued panelists at the GSS, will the Middle East ever play host to such a prestigious industry event?
"Who knows, down the road maybe we'll be in the Middle East which will be great," reveals Ellis.
The Global Spa Economy 2007 estimated that the industry was worth US $254.7 billion in total last year, comprising $60.3 billion in core spa industry revenues, such as spa facilities, capital investments, education, consulting, media, associations and events, and $194 billion in spa-related hospitality, tourism and real estate.
When broader spa-related industries such as beauty, nutrition and health and fitness were factored into the equation, last year's global health and wellness market exceeded $1 trillion.
The report also found that 1.2 million workers were employed in more than 71,600 spas worldwide in 2007. During the same period, capital investment in spas approached $13 billion, with continued expansion on the horizon.
In a breakdown of spa revenues by nation, the US emerges on top, with earnings of more than $12 billion, followed by Japan ($5.7 billion) and Germany ($3.8 billion). The list continues with France, Italy, the UK and China, in that order.
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