2026 Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium Agenda
May 12, 2026 | 8:30 am-6 pm | The Assembly | 2 Park Avenue, NYC
8:00–8:20AM
Event check-in and light refreshments
8:30–8:33AM
Welcome to the 5th Annual Wellness Real Estate & Communities Symposium
Nancy Davis, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, United States
8:35–8:50AM
A Global Glimpse: Wellness Real Estate Projects from Around the World
Susie Ellis, Chair & CEO, Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, United States
8:55–9:15AM
The Age-Friendly City
John Beard, Professor & Director of the International Longevity Center USA, Columbia University, United States
9:18–9:43AM
Build Well to Live Well: Case Studies, Volume 2, GCC
Katherine Johnston, Senior Research Fellow, Global Wellness Institute, United States, Ophelia Yeung, Senior Research Fellow, Global Wellness Institute, United States
9:46–10:06AM
The Impact of AI on the Built Environment
Joseph G. Allen, DSc, MPH, CIH, Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Director, Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program, United States
10:08-10:28AM
What Happens in Vegas…is the Future of Home
Tyler Jones, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Blue Heron, United States
10:30–10:50AM
BREAK. Please bid on silent auction items! All monies benefit the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute.
10:53–11:18AM
Keynote Conversation: Your Brain on Architecture
Susan Magsamen, Executive Director, International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Co-Author, Your Brain on Art; United States, Ivy Ross, Chief Design Officer for Consumer Devices, Google; Co-Author, Your Brain on Art; United States
11:20–11:32AM
Immersive Entertainment Spaces: Unlocking Wellness in the Built Environment
Deron Triff, Founder, Project VELUM, United States
11:34–11:54AM
Keynote Conversation: The Future of Living Well: Longevity Residences at Canyon Ranch Austin
Mark Rivers, CEO, Canyon Ranch, Jane Kitchen, Media & Trends Analyst, Global Wellness Summit, United Kingdom
11:56AM–12:16PM
Keynote Conversation: To be announced shortly.
Lynette Harrison Brubaker, Founder & CEO, LHB Group, United States, Cassie Rosenthal, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Rosenthal Capital Group, United States
12:18–12:35PM
Keynote Conversation: To be announced shortly.
Sam Nazarian, Founder & CEO, sbe Entertainment, United States
12:40–1:45PM
LUNCH on the Rooftop!
1:47–2:02PM
In Pursuit of Wellness: Creativity and Storytelling in the Built Environment
Gemma Jennings; Global Vice President of Programme Partnerships, BBC Studios, United States
2:04–2:24PM
A Sustainable Development: Babcock Ranch and the Art of the Possible
Syd Kitson, Chairman & CEO, Kitson & Partners, United States
2:26–2:46PM
Keynote Conversation: The Housing Innovation Challenge: Bringing New Solutions to Life
Dennis Steigerwalt, President, Housing Innovation Alliance, United States, Teri Slavik-Tsuyuki, Principal, tst ink, LLC; Co-Chair, Global Wellness Institute Wellness Communities & Real Estate Initiative, United States
2:48–3:08PM
Membership, Magic, and Meaning: A New Era in Hospitality
Bernhard Bohnenberger, Co-Founder & CEO, Discover Collection, Thailand
3:10–3:30PM
When Your Backyard Becomes a Global Phenomenon
Steve Nygren, Founder, Serenbe, United States
3:35–3:55PM
BREAK & Book Signing with Steve Nygren
4:00–4:20PM
Reinventing Hotels
Neil Jacobs, Founder, Wild Origins, United States
4:21–4:25PM
Special Presentation: Moving Art Therapeutic Visual Experience — Clinical Research at UCSF Neuroscape Lab
Nancy Davis, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, United States, on behalf of Louie Schwartzberg, Founder & Filmmaker, Moving Art, United States
4:27–4:47PM
Keynote Panel: The Living Canvas: How Neuroarts and Neurowellness are Redefining Longevity Design
Moderator: Ari Peralta, Innovation Director, COCUN Wellness Research Institute, United States
Panelists: Susan Magsamen, Executive Director, International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Co-Author, Your Brain on Art; United States, Heidi Moon, VP Marketing & Communications, Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, United States, Freddie Moross, Founder & CEO, Myndstream, United Kingdom, Deron Triff, Founder, Project VELUM, United States
4:48–4:58PM
Keynote Conversation: A Nugget of an Idea: Restoration and Giving Back
Katrine Formby, Vice President, Sable Investments, United States, Nancy Davis, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, United States
5:00–5:20PM
Keynote to be announced shortly.
Anjan Chatterjee, MD, FAAN, Professor of Neurology, Psychology & Architecture; Founding Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics; United States
5:22–5:42PM
Keynote to be announced shortly.
Paul Scialla, Founder & CEO, Delos Living, LLC; Founder, International WELL Building Institute, United States
5:44–6:04PM
Keynote Panel: The Scents of Place
Moderator: Robin Dolch, CEO, Hundred Stories, United States
Panelists: Marco Beltrame, Investment Manager, Bizzi & Partners, The Greenwich by Rafael Viñoly, Michelle Gagnon, Founder & Nose, Bio Alchemy Olfactive, United States
6:06–6:16PM
Designing Transformation: Where Immersive Experience Meets Wellness Real Estate
Amy McDonald, Principal & CEO, Under A Tree, United States, Martin Boudreau, President & Founder, 44 Productions, Canada
6:18–6:38PM
A Wellness Real Estate Humanifesto
Teri Slavik-Tsuyuki, Principal, tst ink, LLC; Co-Chair, Global Wellness Institute Wellness Communities & Real Estate Initiative; United States
6:39–6:44PM
Special Announcement: The Design Challenge
Nancy Davis, Chief Creative Officer & Executive Director, Global Wellness Summit and Global Wellness Institute, United States, Susan Magsamen, Executive Director, International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Co-Author, Your Brain on Art; United States
6:45PM
Here’s to the Next Decade: Champagne Toast
Veronica Shreibeis-Smith, Founding Principal & CEO, Vera Iconica Architecture, United States and Spain