.svg){kind=small}
Day 2 started with a touching poem written and delivered by Giselle Fernandez for the victims of the Paris terror attack. We followed this with a moment of silence before continuing the day’s agenda with Amy McDonald’s interview of Martin Boudreau, President, Parks and Immersive Content, Cirque du Soleil, and Iván Chávez, Executive Vice President, Grupo Vidanta, Mexico. The partnership of these two innovative companies brought the magic of Cirque du Soleil to the spectacular, custom-built theatre in Riviera Maya. We also received the exciting news that Cirque du Soleil‘s new traveling show will be based on the rich, vibrant culture of Mexico – now that’s one I can’t wait to see!
We then received some words of wisdom from tomorrow’s leaders of Mexico. Students aged 5-6, together with Esther Oldak, Head of Educational Development of Sustainable Intelligence, Instituto Thomas Jefferson; Ministry of Mexican Education coached some of the leaders of our industry providing simple, effective and innocent advice for conflict resolution, time management and work-life balance.
Dr. Abraham Franklin, Founder, The Franklin Group highlighted the advances in stem cell research, from cells taken from adipose tissue or extracted from a tooth. Using the latest technology these cells can be stripped of their DNA, reprogrammed and grown into any type of cell (cardiac, bone, skin etc.) making them truly pluripotent.
Once again intestinal health is at the forefront of wellness. The condition of the microbiome and its effect on overall health and inflammation in the body was highlighted by Cristine Chisholm, PhD, Senior Scientist, Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Arizona talked about revolutionary ingestible technology, providing never before seen data from within the body and Epigenesis, the outside influences that have the ability to change our genetics.
We received a heartwarming and touching message from Geraldine Howard, Chairman & Co-Founder, Aromatherapy Associates who was unable to attend the summit due to health concerns. We look forward to seeing Geraldine at next year’s summit!
I enjoyed lunch at the ‘Career Development’ table with Jean-Guy de Gabriac, Founder & CEO of TIP TOUCH International, Belgium. Jean-Guy leads the institute initiative for The Global Mentorship Program, giving new spa leaders access to coaching from their more experienced counterparts.
I attended the afternoon breakout session for wellness communities where Mexico’s own Benjamin Beja, CEO of TAO Inspired Living, Riviera Maya, spoke of the community-based, wellness inspired living environment created at TAO.
The evening event surpassed all expectations with a private performance and dinner at the spectacular Palacio de Bellas Artes. This ‘Palace of Fine Arts’ is one of the most prominent cultural centers in Mexico City, located on the west side of the historic center of Mexico City. Built in the late 19th century, and opened in 1934 under the name Palacio de Bellas Artes, it was the first art museum in Mexico, housing a collection of work from the sixteenth to nineteenth century including the murals of Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco.
Sara Jones
