Event Global Spa Summit (GSS) 2011
Venue Bali International Convention Centre
Organiser KitasutaBali
Delegates 300
Date May 15-18
 



The brief
The GSS is an annual gathering of industry professionals to share expertise and best practise. Held at the Bali International Convention Centre, with the final day at The Laguna Resort & Spa, the theme was “Engage the Change: The Customer. The Business. The Future”, for high-calibre experts from 35 countries.
 
Challenges
The event organisers were based in New York so most correspondence with DMC KitasatuBali took place over late-night phone calls and emails. The team relied heavily on virtual floor plans and mock-ups. Jeff Matthews, president and COO of Mandara Spa, was one of the co-chairs and has lived in Bali for more than 20 years, so his knowledge of the logistics of holding an event there helped smooth the process.
 
In addition, as Internet connection in Bali is slow, GSS had to make adjustments to the set-up of the Internet café over the course of the summit, to accommodate all the delegates who wanted to go online via their laptops and phones.
 
Execution
The site inspections took place in the fall of 2010 and the agenda became the main focus by the start of 2011, so the co-chairs could incorporate timely topics. Throughout the year, GSS sent regular emails to delegates and press, and posted regular updates on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. As this was the fifth year of the summit, the delegates had begun to form business relationships and friendships with one another. Guests were also not required to wear business attire this year, so the more informal setting encouraged more dialogue and collaboration.
 
Comment
“The hotel staff was accommodating, creative and just as invested in the success of the summit as I was,” says Dulcy Gregory, associate executive director, Global Spa Summit. “The Ministry of Culture and Tourism blew us away with their preparation in welcoming GSS to Bali. They attended the summit, organised press conferences and hosted a dinner event at the Westin’s Summer Garden.”