Speakers

Kerstin Stumpf has been Deputy Chair of the Executive Board and Chief Technical Officer at Mainzer Stadtwerke since 1 April 2024. After studying civil engineering at Darmstadt Technical University, she joined Mainzer Stadtwerke, initially working as a planning engineer in the drinking water supply division. In early 2001, she took over as Head of the Order Planning and Control Department in the maintenance and installation division, covering gas, water, electricity and street lighting. In April 2005, she became Head of the ‘Technical Planning and Facility Management’ Division, overseeing the Technical Planning, Facility Management and Technical Management departments. Following the establishment of the new municipal utility network company Mainzer Netze GmbH in 2011, she was appointed head of the main department “Network Services and Facility Management”, which comprised the departments of Project Management/Engineering for construction projects in the areas of water, electricity and gas; Technical Documentation; Street Lighting; Facility and Property Management; and Warehousing and Logistics. In early 2018, she initially took over the management of Mainzer Stadtbad GmbH, which operates the Taubertsbergbad, before handing this role over internally to Fabienne Hallpap. Since 2024, she has been leading Mainzer Stadtwerke AG together with Daniel Gahr.

Jutta Kleiber has been Director of CNI Les Thermes Strassen-Bertrange for 10 years now. She began her career in the waterpark industry at Sportscheck in Munich, followed by a position in Berlin, where, as National Operations Manager, she was responsible for opening and kitting out fitness facilities for an international gym chain from South Africa. Before moving to Luxembourg, she was the Managing Director of “Das Bad” in Merzig.

Nino Haase, Lord Mayor of the state capital Mainz, was born in Dresden in 1983. He spent most of his childhood in Obertshausen (Hesse). After completing his A-levels in 2002, he began studying chemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, graduating in 2009 with a degree in chemistry and excellent grades. After completing his studies, Haase worked as a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz until 2011.

From 2012 to 2013, Haase worked as a trainee at ANTENNE MAINZ. Among other things, he presented the programme “Morgenschiene” there. He then returned to academia and worked at the University of Augsburg on the topic of “Resource strategy concepts for sustainable energy systems”. In 2016, he left the university to found the start-up “Thesius” with business partners, which provides scientific research data to students. From 2020 to 2023, he served as managing director of Hygreen GmbH.

Haase gained his first political experience in 2018, when he successfully campaigned with a Mainz citizens’ initiative against the expansion of the Gutenberg Museum on Liebfrauenplatz. In 2019, he stood as an independent candidate for the first time in the Mainz mayoral elections.

In February 2023, Haase stood again in the mayoral election and won in the second round with 63.3% of the vote. On 22 March 2023, he was sworn in as Mayor of the state capital Mainz.

Nino Haase was an active rugby player for more than 15 years and was involved with the Mainz Rugby Club. He is married and has one son.

(c) City of Mainz, Photo: Rimbach

Fabienne Hallpap holds a degree in business administration and has several years of international experience in organizational development and transformation processes in both the financial sector and the municipal sector. Since 2025, she has served as managing director of Mainzer Stadtbad GmbH—working alongside an operational management team provided by GMF GmbH & Co. KG—and is responsible for the strategic management and further development of the Taubertsberg Bad + Spa. In addition, she has served for the past five years as an executive assistant at Mainzer Stadtwerke AG, which, as a shareholder, took over the Stadtbad in 2018 following the operator’s bankruptcy. The company’s goal is to ensure the Stadtbad’s financial stability and to meet the requirements of public services.

Thomas Meier studied sports management, teaching and business law in Bayreuth, Düsseldorf and Saarbücken before becoming sales manager and project manager at GMF Gesellschaft für Entwicklung und Management von Freizeitsystemen mbH & Co. KG, where he was responsible for the management of several pool locations. In 2019, Thomas Meier took over the management of the company based in Munich. GMF is a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based Leisure Resources International SA, which also owns the Spanish ASPRO Group. The company has more than 30 years of experience in pool operations and has realised over 500 consulting projects and studies.

Norbert Lopatta has been Head of Tourism and Spa Operations in Willingen (Upland) since 2020. Previously, he held various positions in sales, project management, and controlling, including roles at Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Global Passenger Sales), NVV Nordhessischer VerkehrsVerbund (Project Manager for Sales and New Sales Technology), DERPART Reisevertrieb (Regional Manager for Eastern Hesse), and EAM Energie GmbH (Sales Controller).

He brings to his position in Willingen (Upland) many years of experience in destination marketing and operations management, strategy development, as well as leadership and human resources development. He contributes expertise in project management, global sales, product development and market launch, and sales controlling. His expertise in organizational development, digitalization, process optimization, and benchmarking is complemented by extensive experience in the planning and execution of conferences, events, and large-scale gatherings.

Marc Vollbracht began his career in 2004 with an apprenticeship as a hotel manager. In 2007, he returned to the family business, the Familotel Sonnenpark in Willingen, and earned a degree in marketing while working full-time. He has managed the hotel as a managing partner since 2013. Additionally, he served as a member of the supervisory board of Familotel AG from 2012 to 2022. As the initiator and investor, he is currently driving the development of the Schutzhütte design hotel in Willingen, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026.

Holding a Master's degree in engineering sciences, specializing in building engineering, Quentin began his career as a project manager in a engineering technic firm. Five years ago, he joined Futuroscope as a Project Manager.

In his current role, Quentin coordinates and oversees the smooth operation of projects, including the design and implementation of new attractions, restaurants, and hotels. He is particularly proud of the Aquascope, a flagship project in his career.

What he enjoys most about his job is the diversity of tasks and the opportunity to learn continuously by collaborating with specialists from various fields. His versatility and technical expertise are valuable assets in successfully carrying out his missions.

"What excites me is seeing an idea turn into a tangible reality, thanks to collective effort and the diverse skills of each team member."

CIO of the Josef Wund Spa Group & CEO of Tecreation GmbH

What will the spa experience of the future look like? This is the question Franz Hofstetter and his team are exploring—at the intersection of physical space and digital experience.

A particular focus of his work is on “Immersive Wellbeing”: the development of experiential spaces where technology, atmosphere, and user experience merge into a holistic wellness offering.

With projects such as “Immersive Sky” and the multisensory show “Lupuna,” he is actively driving this development forward. At the core of this is the conviction that relaxation today must be more holistic, more emotional, and more strongly focused on mental regeneration. Initial study results demonstrate the potential inherent in these immersive approaches.

In his role as CIO of the Josef Wund Spa Group and CEO of TeCreation GmbH, he combines technology, marketing, and communication into a cohesive overall experience. Together with his team, he develops digital business models and provides impetus to further develop the traditional spa offering—in a practical, user-oriented, and innovation-driven manner.

Prof. DI Dr. Hans-Peter Hutter is an ecologist, environmental physician, senior physician, and, since 2025, director of the Institute of Environmental Hygiene and Environmental Medicine at MedUni Vienna. A habilitated expert in environmental public health, he has been researching the health effects of air pollution, environmental chemicals, climate change, and electromagnetic fields—among other factors—for many years, and is committed to communicating environmental risks in a clear and understandable way.

He brings decades of experience to the swimming pool industry: As head of bacterial microbiology for the City of Vienna (1994–1998), he was responsible, among other things, for Legionella testing in public swimming pools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he developed key guidelines and prevention strategies, including the 2020/21 Austrian Outdoor Swimming Pool Guidelines and the comprehensive COVID-19 swimming pool and sauna strategy for Therme Wien.

As a result, Hutter is recognized as a leading authority on environmental medicine and swimming pool hygiene in the German-speaking world.

Referee and Corporate Health Award Ambassador

Babak Rafati was a FIFA and Bundesliga referee in professional soccer. Drawing on his own experiences and personal story, he highlights parallels between elite sports and everyday professional life, the causes of stress and performance pressure, and practical strategies for stress management. He makes it clear that the causes of stress and performance pressure in the workplace or in elite sports are primarily found within ourselves, and that others are not to blame, as we often believe. Thus, happiness and success can be cultivated.
A plea for change management toward strong self-leadership, which ultimately leads to personal development. A workplace health management (WHM) program rooted in practice for practical application, with
a unique selling point in the market, designed to ultimately lead to a work-life balance.

After gaining initial experience in the tourism industry in the United States, Bernd Beitz joined Holiday Park in 2002 as Assistant Operations Manager and was promoted to Operations Manager after one year.

Over the next few years, he became the right-hand man of the managing partner and, following the sale of the park to Plopsa, was appointed Park Manager.

From 2016 until the opening of Majaland Kownaty, he worked in parallel on establishing Plopsa’s operations in Poland.

After a one-year break, he started as Director Germany for the Plopsa Group and has since been helping to shape Plopsa’s extensive expansion and transformation process in Germany.

With a family and two children aged 7 and 9, he is also personally closely involved in the amusement park and water park sector.

After completing her degree in tourism, Manuela Klawatsch has been working at the Sonnentherme Lutzmannsburg and the adjacent Hotel Sonnenpark for 18 years. Her professional career began with a trainee program, during which she gained experience in every department of both establishments. Today, she heads the Sonnentherme Lutzmannsburg and shapes its strategic and operational development. In addition, she is responsible for the operations of the leading tourism businesses owned by Landesholding Burgenland.

Kieran Stanley, born in 1969, is a co-founder of the dan pearlman Group, established in 1999. The group comprises a network of owner-managed, strategic creative agencies with over 120 employees and is headquartered in Berlin. Within the agency group, he serves as CEO and Creative Director of dan pearlman Erlebnisarchitektur GmbH. His passion for architecture and landscape architecture in the leisure sector has shaped his entire professional career. After completing his architecture studies at Trinity College in Dublin in 1994, he began his career in Germany, where he was commissioned to develop the master plan for the Hanover Zoo. It is precisely this master plan approach that is now regarded throughout Europe as a milestone in the development of zoos. Kieran Stanley recognized that zoo projects do not primarily focus on architecture, but rather require the development of a comprehensive understanding of the zoo, its cultural and historical background, and its zoological, educational, and operational objectives. “Storybuilding” subsequently became a strong unique selling point of his internationally renowned architectural firm, dan pearlman Erlebnisarchitektur GmbH. As part of the dan pearlman Group, founded in 1999 together with Nicole Srock.Stanley and two other partners, Kieran Stanley and his team at Erlebnisarchitektur have been creating holistic experiences in the leisure sector for more than 20 years.

His most significant projects include the BMW World Brand Experience in Munich, the master plan for Hanover Zoo, the master plan for the Berlin Zoo and Tierpark, the “Yukon Bay” themed area at Hanover Zoo, the “Lost Valley” themed area at Everland Resort in Korea, the “Islands” themed area at Chester Zoo in the UK, “Panda Paradise” at Everland Resort in Korea, and the “Panda Garden” at Berlin Zoo. The “Rhino Pagoda” project opened at Berlin Zoo in 2023.

Kieran Stanley is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the German Amusement Park Association (VDFU e.V.), the German Zoo Association (VdZ), the European Waterpark Association (EWA), and the Berlin Chamber of Architects.

Studied social education (with a focus on leisure and tourism) and business administration in Fulda and Würzburg, then worked as a scientific assistant at the Würzburg Institute for Tourism and Leisure Research. Has worked at Europa-Park in Rust since 1988, first as press officer, then as press spokesperson, marketing manager, park manager, head of the design and development department of Europa-Park (Mack Solutions), today as representative of the Europa-Park management and since January 2019 general manager of Ru-lantica, the new water world of Europa-Park.

From 2001 to 2018, member and then Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Berlin, furthermore member of the Supervisory Board of Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH as well as Chairman of the Economic Advisory Board and since May 2010 member of the Research Advisory Board of the German Economic Institute for Tourism e.V. at the University of Munich. From 2010 to 2019, he was a member of the European Board of IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) and also chaired the Governmental Relations Committee for IAAPA Europe in Brussels.

Dr. Eldar Sultanow, who holds a Ph.D. in Business Informatics, is an IT strategist, enterprise architect, and consultant for project sponsors at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). As an IT strategist, he supports companies through digital transformations, outsourcing processes, and complex IT management projects—always keeping the human element in the system in mind. Dr. Eldar Sultanow takes the audience on a journey through the history and current developments of artificial intelligence. From the early days of AI research to the most cutting-edge technologies, he clearly and comprehensively explains how AI systems work and how they are transforming our world. In doing so, he debunks common myths and misconceptions about artificial intelligence. What can AI really do? What are its limits? Is there cause for concern, or is AI an opportunity for humanity? What innovations lie ahead? How will AI continue to influence our daily lives, our work, and even our creativity?

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)