What Global Wellness Summit does

Global Wellness Summit (GWS), founded approximately 2006 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, is a privately-held events and industry-intelligence organization built around an invitation-only annual four-day summit that convenes C-suite executives, investors, policymakers, scientists and academics across all eleven sectors of the global wellness economy. Its core product is the annual Summit itself — held in a different international city each year (Singapore 2019, Boston 2021, Dubai 2025, Phuket 2026) with host sponsorships from destination tourism authorities and government ministries — supplemented by the annual "Future of Wellness" trend forecast (a 130-150+ page report), the Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium in New York, the TRENDIUM monthly newsletter, the Global Wellness Conversations podcast, Wellness Master Class webinars, Global Wellness News, the Shark Tank of Wellness student competition, and the Susie Ellis Scholarship. The implied underlying technology is an industry research and trend-forecasting platform paired with an event-management and community-building operation; there is no evidence of proprietary software, AI/ML systems, or data products in the input.

The business model combines invitation-only paid delegate registrations, multi-tier corporate sponsorships (flagship exclusive deals such as Amway for the trend report and host-country packages including Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Amazing Thailand, and Thailand's Ministry of Public Health for the 2026 summit), and à-la-carte digital content sales (Future of Wellness reports at $100, 2021 Summit on Demand at $350). Repeat attendees, returning sponsors, and a 20-year community base indicate a high-retention, relationship-driven revenue model rather than a volume-driven SaaS or transactional model. The organization is led by founder-Chairman & CEO Susie Ellis, with VP of Research & Forecasting Beth McGroarty and Chief Creative Officer/Executive Director Nancy Davis rounding out the executive team, and operates as a sister entity to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), sharing leadership and research infrastructure.

Name

Global Wellness Summit

Legal name

Global Wellness Summit

Website

https://globalwellnesssummit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Global Wellness Summit is a Miami-based, privately-held events and industry-intelligence organization that hosts an invitation-only annual four-day summit plus research reports, sector symposia, a newsletter, and a podcast, serving C-suite executives, investors, scientists, and policymakers across the $6.8 trillion global wellness economy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wellness Industry Events & Research

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH), Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Wellness industry events
• Industry conferences
• Wellness research reports
• Wellness trend forecasting
• Industry networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Flushing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration & Attendance: Invitation-only annual summit with paid delegate registrations. Early bird pricing available with deadlines (e.g., 'Register by June 30 for early savings').
2. Research Reports & Trend Publications: Sale of annual Future of Wellness trends reports (130-150+ pages each), mid-year updates, and on-demand summit content including speaker videos and presentation slides.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors pay for visibility at annual summit and access to exclusive wellness industry community. Host sponsors include Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Amazing Thailand, Ministry of Public Health. Exclusive sponsor for trend report includes Amway.
4. Symposia & Master Classes: Annual Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium (5th annual in 2026) with VIP reception. Wellness Master Class series featuring industry experts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Global Wellness Summit is an invitation-only annual four-day conference that convenes leaders from business, government, academia, and science across all eleven sectors of the global wellness economy. It is paired with annual Future of Wellness trend reports (130-150+ pages), ticketed symposia such as the Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium, the TRENDIUM newsletter, the Global Wellness Conversations podcast, and Wellness Master Class webinars, all serving as a research-to-event-to-engagement ecosystem for the wellness industry.

Product overview

The Global Wellness Summit operates as a conference and research organization offering an integrated suite of products and services centered on wellness industry intelligence. Its core offerings include the annual Global Wellness Summit (a four-day invite-only conference now in its 20th year), paired with annual "Future of Wellness" trend reports providing strategic forecasting. The organization also runs the Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium as an annual sector-specific event, and produces the TRENDIUM newsletter and Global Wellness Conversations podcast for ongoing industry engagement. Additional offerings include the Wellness Master Class educational webinar series, Global Wellness Collaborations for industry dialogue, the Shark Tank of Wellness student competition, the Susie Ellis Scholarship for Equity in Wellness, the Global Wellness News™ industry news platform, and the Global Glimpse Directory of wellness real estate projects. The portfolio functions as a research-to-event-to-ongoing-engagement ecosystem serving leaders across all eleven sectors of the multi-trillion dollar wellness economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Wellness News™: Daily news publication covering business headlines in the global wellness economy.
• The TRENDIUM
• Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium

Products and services

• Global Wellness Summit (Annual Conference) Invitation-only annual four-day conference convening leaders from business, government, academia and science to shape the multi-trillion dollar global wellness economy across all eleven sectors; includes keynote speakers, networking, and the Shark Tank of Wellness student competition.
• Future of Wellness Trend Reports Annual 130-150+ page trend reports identifying and analyzing the 10 major wellness trends shaping the industry each year, published each January and used worldwide by media, investors, and industry leaders.
• Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium Annual symposium convening leaders from real estate, investment, architecture, design, public policy, technology, medicine, and sustainability to explore the wellness real estate sector; includes the Global Glimpse Directory showcase.
• Summit on Demand (On-Demand Content Packages) On-demand digital packages of past summit content including speaker videos, presentation slides, and bonus material sold as a perpetual license.
• Wellness Master Class Series Webinar series featuring wellness industry experts delivering educational sessions on topics such as wellness trends, spa design, longevity science, sleep, and industry best practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global wellness economy reached $6.8 trillion in 2024, up from $60 billion in 2007 when GWS was founded.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• FINN PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026Public relations firm managing panel moderated by Cathy Feliciano-Chon on Asia's independent hospitality brands discussing future of wellness travel.
• Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 March 2026Host sponsor for 20th anniversary Global Wellness Summit in Phuket, Thailand. Supporting positioning Thailand as a global wellness hub and showcasing public health capabilities.
• Amazing ThailandcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 March 2026Official tourism partner and host sponsor for 2026 summit in Thailand, promoting Thailand as a wellness destination.
• Ministry of Public Health, Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 March 2026Government host sponsor providing expertise on Thailand's traditional healing heritage and medical wellness innovations.
• AmwayflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2026Exclusive sponsor of the Future of Wellness 2026 report. Health and wellbeing company operating in over 100 countries supporting GWS trend research.
• Global Wellness Institute (GWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization co-hosting annual NYC press event and releasing joint research on wellness economy. GWI provides underlying statistics and market data for GWS activities.
• Beth McGroartycoreOthersKey research and forecasting lead for GWS, curating trend reports and industry forecasts.
• Kim MarshallcoreOthersWellness industry communications pioneer and podcast host, co-founder of S'Well Public Relations. Created and hosts GWS Podcast Series.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: One of the world's largest tech conferences, with rotating international venues and heavy sponsor monetization. Comparable to GWS in global-rotation event model and sponsorship-driven revenue, though Web Summit operates at vastly larger scale and targets tech rather than wellness.
• World Economic Forum (Davos): The preeminent invitation-only annual gathering of global business, government, and academic leaders. Comparable to GWS in exclusivity model, cross-sector scope, and ability to drive trends and capital allocation, though at an entirely different scale and breadth.
• TED Conference: Invitation-based annual conference plus extensive content distribution platform (TED Talks). Comparable to GWS in curating thought leaders, monetizing via sponsorship and content licensing, and building a long-running brand that compounds over decades.

Emerging players

• International SPA Association (ISPA) Conference: Annual conference and trade association for the spa industry, a single vertical within GWS's 11-sector scope. Comparable in event-driven business model serving wellness industry leaders, but narrower in sector coverage and audience.

Direct peers

• Aspen Ideas Festival: Multi-day annual ideas festival convening leaders across business, science, policy, and health. Comparable to GWS in its invitation/curation model, cross-disciplinary scope, premium pricing, and content-extensions (podcasts, digital content).
• J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference: The largest healthcare investment symposium globally, invitation-only with Fortune-level executives. Highly comparable as a flagship annual event in a specific vertical (health/wellness adjacent) with significant sponsor and registration revenue.
• Milken Institute Global Conference: Invitation-only annual conference convening global leaders across finance, health, and policy. Closely comparable to GWS as a high-touch, curated C-suite gathering that monetizes sponsorship, registration, and year-round research content.
• HLTH Conference: Major annual healthcare and wellness innovation conference attracting payers, providers, and innovators. Comparable to GWS as a premium, sponsor-driven conference serving the intersection of health, wellness, and technology leadership.

Others

• Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: Premier annual international festival for the creative and marketing industries with strong sponsor and delegate monetization. Comparable to GWS as a long-running, premium, sector-defining global event with associated awards, content, and year-round community.

Regional players

• Global Wellness Institute: Sister organization to GWS sharing CEO Susie Ellis, focused on research and statistics rather than events. Highly comparable as a wellness-industry authority and co-producer of GWS content, though non-overlapping in event operations.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Global_GWS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheGSWS
• Facebookfacebook.com/GlobalWellnessSummit
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-wellness-summit
• Instagraminstagram.com/globalwellnesssummit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Wellness Summit