HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE THIRD ANNUAL WELLNESS REAL ESTATE & COMMUNITIES SYMPOSIUM
What a day! A champagne toast to “momentum & magic” concluded the joint Global Wellness Summit (GWS) and Global Wellness Institute (GWI) Wellness Real Estate Symposium at JPMorgan Chase in NYC yesterday, where there was palpable excitement for future opportunities in this growing sector. New frontiers are emerging at the intersection of medicine + wellness, science + sustainability, technology + design, AI + neuroscience, and the pioneers in the room at this year’s Symposium are leading the way on all fronts, putting the human experience first in the built environment.
“Everyone is finally waking up,” said world-renowned medical expert Deborah Birx, MD, giving kudos to the GWS/GWI community for staying together and continuously emphasizing the importance of wellness when perhaps the medical community and general public were not really getting it. But they are now…
Through events like the Symposium and the annual Summit, GWS is joining together wellness leaders and the medical community to shape the future.
Bill Kapp, MD, shared that his team at Fountain Life (including Peter Diamandis and Tony Robbins) aim to “change healthcare from reactive to proactive.” Partnering longevity centers with wellness real estate developments then empowering people to own their health data with in-home technology are key components of this shift, shared Helen Messier, MD, PhD.
Wellness is driving purchase decisions in real estate like never before.
Susie Ellis‘ “Global Glimpse” highlighted the depth and breadth of this sector geographically and demographically, from ultra-luxury to accessible and from 50+ communities to intergenerational developments. Industry experts Jean-François Garneau, Amy McDonald and Teri Slavik-Tsuyuki shared hard data on the positive ROI of wellness real estate, fueling growth.
Momentum in this sector continues to grow, as it is forecast to approach the trillion dollar mark by 2028, according to GWI.
GWI Research Fellows presented their latest research illuminating how Wellness Real Estate is the fastest-growing sector of wellness, reaching $438B in 2023 and forecast to more than double to $913B by 2028. The report also details the biggest drivers and opportunities—as well as the biggest challenges—for wellness real estate in the future. Download the free research here.
Major developers are active in this sector, expanding their footprint through new projects, brand partnerships and even major technology partnerships.
Major developers featured what’s next and why, as we heard from SHA Wellness Clinic & AB Living Group’s CEO Alfredo Bataller Pineda as well as from Clint Beaty (Tavistock), Andressa Gulin, MD (AG7), Lindsay Madden-Nadeau (Red Sea Global), Nadia Meratla (Witkoff), Melisa Pezuk (AMAALA) and Nicky Unkles (Cumming Group).
Architects, designers, artists, neuroscientists, multi-sensory specialists inspired while building health experts explained why standards are key.
Christopher Sharples as well as Anjan Chatterjee, MD, Robert Henry, Ari Peralta, Brett Phares, Veronica Schreibeis-Smith and Jennifer Walsh inspired delegates to keep the human experience the priority and find the magic in the built environments we create, while Joseph G. Allen and Rachel Hodgdon explained why we need to keep raising the bar on building health standards and the quality of the air we breathe.
This Symposium is the only conference curating insights from global projects to elevate business opportunities—and positive impact on humanity—for all. View the impressive list of presenters and agenda here.
A few other highlights…
Actor, advocate and humanitarian Richard Gere inspired the room of developers, architects, investors and wellness professionals to “have the humility to genuinely listen to what a community needs.” Hint: the grandmas usually know. Putting this into practice with his Sierra A Mar project, they are building a resilient and abundant future for CostAlegre that is healthy and equitable.
We celebrated the life, legacy and 102nd birthday of the “godmother of wellness,” Deborah Szekely, who sat down with Susie Ellis for a talk on “Longevity for Real!” Delegates leaned in to her wisdom—a living testament to the benefits of well-living—as she shared, “You have to be open to receive magic.” Listen to the podcast they recorded together last here here.
For those who attended in person or virtually, we will send you a link to view all of the presentation videos and slides in the coming days.
No doubt the momentum will continue. Keep us posted on your projects and successes!
