The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) is preparing to host a Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium on 28 September 2021.

The conference will take a deep dive into the fast-growing market and gather top executives, developers, investors, architects, designers, analysts, policymakers and media to examine the future of the market.

The hybrid event is being hosted both online and in-person in New York City at etc.venues 601 Lexington.

Hosted between 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (EST), the schedule features keynotes, panels and interactive discussions with participation from industry figures such as:

• Clodagh, New York-based Irish designer and founder & CEO of Clodagh Design


• Rachel Hodgdon, president & CEO of International WELL Building Institute


• Dr Richard H. Carmona, chief of health innovations at Canyon Ranch and 17th US Surgeon General


• Steve Nygren, founder of Serenbe


• Veronica Shreibeis Smith, CEO & founding principal of Vera Iconica Architecture.

New research will also be presented throughout the day. GWI’s senior research fellows Katherine Johnston and Ophelia Yeung will present the never-before-shared market numbers for 2020 and discuss the implications of various global forces on this sector going forward in the context of the evolving wellness economy and new public health and policy conversations.

Topics covered will include:

• What are the trends in technology and design “hardware” to create smart-healthy homes and communities?


• How will a work-from-home future spur new developments that blur the line between home, work and wellness and new destinations and concepts?


• How are hotel and wellness resort groups zeroing in on a mixed hospitality-wellness residence model?


• With a retail and office space downturn, how could cities get a “well” rethinking; what’s the future of urban wellness developments?


• Is a new wave of more affordable and inclusive wellness communities coming, driven by forward-thinking governments, policymakers and developers?

In addition, Joanna Frank, president and CEO of the Center for Active Design, will present findings from the largest health and wellness study of real estate investors to date.

To register and find out more about the agenda, head to this link.

The GWI and Wellness Real Estate & Communities
The GWI first measured and analysed the global wellness real estate and communities market in its 2018 report, Build Well To Live Well, identifying a US$134b (€113.1b, £96.6b) market back in 2018.

The organisation also recently launched a new initiative dedicated to this sector.

“A revolution in rethinking real estate, communities and the built environment around wellness principles was percolating pre-pandemic, but this long crisis has created a whole new mindset: The health of our homes and communities – where we live and how ‘well’ – has become a critical issue,” said Susie Ellis, GWI chair and CEO.

“We felt that there was an urgency to bring together the big players, thinkers, investors and innovators in an all-day, think-and-do tank-like event to go very deep on the latest insights and directions in this crucial, evolving space.”

In other news, Kendra Kobler has been named director of programmes & operations for the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) and the GWI.

Kobler’s first role will see her head up the operations around the upcoming Real Estate & Communities Symposium.

Prior to her full-time appointment, Kobler was already leading two initiatives; the GWI’s Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease and the GWS’ Shark Tank of Wellness competition.

Before joining the organisations, Kobler spent five years at wellness real estate and technology company Delos, working on the development and implementation of health and wellness solutions designed for top-tier hotels and resorts, corporate offices, and residences.

In addition, she’s worked on marketing and business development initiatives for other key players in the wellness industry including WTS International, Spafinder Wellness, and Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa.