Get-together
09:00 Uhr
Arrival of the guests, possibility for individual visit of Europa-Park or the water world Rulantica
ab 15:30 Uhr
Possibility to check-in at Hotel Krønasår
19:00 Uhr
Get-together with finger food buffet on the 1st floor foyer of Rulantica
23:00-01:00 Uhr
Individual talks at Sports Bar Bubba Svens, Hotel Krønasår
1st Congress day
08:00 Uhr
"Walking Lectures" - themed tours of Rulantica (registration on site)
ab 08:00 Uhr
Congress registration and welcome coffee in the La Scala room, Hotel Colosseo
08:30-09:00 Uhr
Bus shuttle service from Hotel Krønasår (car park) to the conference hotel Colosseo
09:00 Uhr
Welcome and opening of the Congress by the President of the EWA, Markus Achleitner
Themenblock 1: Think Big! Think different! New developments in the European Waterpark and Spa market
09:30 Uhr
"The Adventurous Journey to Rulantica. From conception to realisation of the largest themed indoor waterpark in Europe." In his lecture, Michael Kreft von Byern presents the development of Rulantica as the water adventure world and second gate of Europa-Park - a long process with careful analyses, an intensive planning phase and a demanding approval procedure. He explains how a convincing concept was developed together with experienced experts and planners and also reports on the cooperation in the implementation with leading manufacturers in the industry such as Proslide, Aquarena and Aquila. The successful concept for the development of Rulantica was a step-by-step implementation of a new resort with a themed hotel and, in the first step, a large indoor water park. The speaker also reports on the further development with the expansion of the outdoor area as well as the creation of new offers in the indoor area and goes into more detail on why, after the very successful opening in 2019, two Corona-related lockdowns did not stop the further development of Rulantica.
10:15 Uhr
"Green Waterparks - How Therme Group™ projects are setting a new standard in the international waterpark business". The Therme Group™ concept, originated in Germany, creates an important part of the social infrastructure in European countries by building large waterparks, leisure pools and spas. In strategic partnership with Wund Holdings, the group developed the concept for international distribution and opened the first resort outside Germany in Romania in 2016. Therme Bucharest is a flagship for the holding and is one of the largest indoor leisure facilities in Europe with more than 1.2 million visitors per year. New facilities with projected visitor numbers of between 1.5 and 2.5 million guests per year are being planned in Germany, Great Britain, North America and Asia, among other countries. The company has set itself an ambitious goal: To show how a new standard can also be set for leisure properties in terms of ecological and sustainable construction and operation.
11:00 Uhr
Coffee break
11:45 Uhr
"Focus on Wellness Worlds - Successfully Designing Spas and Spa Resorts". Spas have developed into comprehensive wellness worlds in recent decades and have increasingly been complemented by spa hotels in recent years. Dr. Stefan Kannewischer, managing partner of the family-owned company that has been successful in the spa industry for over forty years and President of the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS), will explain in his lecture the principles of successful design of such spa resorts. These can be found in particular in the areas of offer, functionality and architectural design.
12:30 Uhr
Lunch at the Antica Roma Restaurant
Themenblock 2: Winning guests, inspiring people!
13:30 Uhr
"The Value of Swimming" 4GLOBAL is a UK-based data, services and software company that has advised virtually all Olympic cities since 2002. Together with Swim England, the national association of swimming in England, the company has produced the "Value of Swimming Report". The research project outlines the significant impact that water-based activities have on the health and wellbeing of the nation. It used predictive models and the results of the DataHub Social Value Calculator to measure the social value of activities that take place in recreational settings. According to the report's findings, swimming helps save the UK National Health Service (NHS) more than £357 million a year.
14:15 Uhr
"With imagination and passion - how an industrial monument became the Elbe Resort Alte Ölmühle". 25 years ago, Lutz Lange founded Freizeitpark Wittenberge GmbH. today, he operates waterparks and leisure facilities in five German states and is one of the "hidden champions" in the waterpark industry. His most spectacular project is the revival of an old oil mill in Wittenberge, Brandenburg. The industrial monument became a luxurious hotel with spa, diving and climbing tower and the venue for the "Elblandfestspiele", one of the largest open-air events in the new federal states with international stars of classical and popular music.
15:00 Uhr
Coffee break
15:30 Uhr
"It's all in my head - the secrets of our brain". Would you like to be able to remember names at the drop of a hat? Give lectures without taking notes or learn languages with ease? In his entertaining lecture, a rousing mix of entertainment, show and memory training, brain researcher and artificial intelligence expert Dr. Boris Nikolai Konrad proves that anyone can bring his memory to peak performance. "Germany's Super Brain" shows how fascinating learning can be, explains the latest findings from neuroscience in an amusing and vivid way and answers the questions of whether we remain smarter than the robots and how technology is changing our thinking.
17:00 Uhr
Transfer to Hotel Krønasår, possibility to visit Rulantica or Europapark individually - in Rulantica show infusions by Robert Heinevetter, Aufguss Roots GmbH, Buchs (CH)
19:30 Uhr
Transfer to the evening event via shuttle bus
20:00 Uhr
Evening event in the Ballroom Berlin of the Confertainment Center
23:00-01:00 Uhr
Individual networking in the Sports Bar Bubba Svens of the Hotel Krønasår
2nd Congress Day
08:00 Uhr
"Walking Lectures" - themed tours of Rulantica (registration on site)
08:30 Uhr
Bus shuttle service from Hotel Krønasår (car park) to the conference hotel Colosseo
Themenblock 3: Added value bathroom! (Moderation: Oliver Sternagel)
09:00 Uhr
Welcome
09:15 Uhr
"The economic footprint of water parks and public pools by the example of the city of Osnabrück". Together with PCG Projekt Consult GmbH, a project was carried out to determine the primary and secondary effects from the operation of Osnabrück's public pools, which yielded interesting findings on the "public value" of waterparks and public swimming pools. The starting point of the study was the question of how the status quo of a (municipal) pool operation can be secured and continued or how, if necessary, options for action, ranging from renovation to new construction to closure of an operation, can be evaluated with regard to their regional economic effects. Both the direct and indirect value added by the pool operation and its suppliers as well as induced effects from day and overnight tourism were considered.
10:00 Uhr
"Public Private Partnership in waterpark and public pool operation - experiences, challenges, opportunities". The Gesellschaft für Entwicklung und Management von Freizeitsystemen mbH & Co. KG is one of the leading European operators with currently 21 waterparks, leisure pools, spas, wellness, fitness, hotel and sports facilities in Germany and abroad. Many of these facilities are managed under a public-private partnership contract on behalf of cities and municipalities. The PPP variants range from operational management and business management to lease models. In his presentation, the managing director reports on his practical experience with these variants.
10:45 Uhr
Coffee break
11:15 Uhr
Panel discussion: "After the crisis is before the crisis? Challenges and opportunities for the waterpark industry". Corona crisis, rising energy prices, shortage of skilled workers and digitalisation - the industry is currently facing major challenges that have to be overcome. But what are the long-term prospects for public pools, especially for waterparks, leisure pools and spas, in Germany and Europe? What will be the long-term developments, trends and challenges that we have to prepare for? This is what we want to discuss in the expert roundtable (hosted by Petra Probst, EAP Magazine, and Dr. Klaus Batz, EWA)
12:15 Uhr
"Service within - how to make your employees feel like kings and queens". Employees are also customers. Service on the inside is a basic prerequisite for an appreciative, lively and sustainable corporate culture. As an expert for "Cultural Studies", Armin Nagel focuses on questions of service and corporate culture in his keynote speech: Only enthusiastic employees can also inspire customers. But how do I turn employees into fans of my own company? How do I strengthen service internally and how do I know what not only customers but also employees want? Which service values can be transferred to your own company and what can companies and managers learn from artists?
13:00 Uhr
Lunch
14:00 Uhr
Possibility of an individual visit to Europa Park