Session #7:
Thermal Heritage in Tourism: New Interpretation of Thermalism
Szilvia Czinege 
Director of Sales & Marketing, Budapest Spas – The SPARTY Concept (Hungary)
Szilvia Czinege - a lover of the baths of Budapest - is the sales and marketing director of Budapest Gyógyfürdői és Hévizei Zrt. She began her professional career at the Austrian National Tourist Office, and after a short time spent in the Kempinski Hotel, she joined the marketing team of Magyar Turizmus Zrt., where she participated in the development of several domestic and foreign campaigns.
From 2006 to 2010, she continued to work for the national tourism organization as a promotion department manager, her main area being the coordination of media, publications and exhibitions related to the campaigns of both domestic regions and foreign representations.
Since November, 2010, as the sales and marketing director of Budapest Spas her main task is making the slogan: Budapest, the capital of spas refill with content and she is proud that in the past 15 years the guest traffic more than doubled in their facilities and the brand of the spas is experiencing its golden age again.
As the chairman of the marketing committee of the Hungarian Spa Association, she pays special attention to nurturing the Hungarian spa culture.
Gábor Kálmán
Director of Marketing and Communications at SPARTY (Hungary)
Gabor is the Director of Marketing and Communications at SPARTY, where he leads a diverse network of professionals shaping this one-of-a-kind thermal tourism brand.
With a background in e-commerce and agency work, he brings a versatile skill set to navigating a landscape filled with multiple stakeholders.
Earlier in his career, he led digital marketing efforts for several prominent hotel brands in Hungary.
SPARTY’s marketing strategy is boutique, bespoke, and centered around creating truly unforgettable experiences. The company behind SPARTY has deep roots in the art world—an influence that’s clearly reflected in how the event series is positioned and presented.
Marion Schneider 
Co-Founder and owner of Toskanaworld AG, Toskana Therme, Bad Sulza (Germany)
Marion Schneider is an entrepreneur, author and speaker from Bad Sulza, Germany.
She entered the health care business in 1983 and since then pioneered with treatments of temperature, salt water, light and sound (Tomesa and Liquid Sound).
She studied short-term and systemic therapy methods for rehabilitation and graduated in Health Care Management, History, German language and Ethnology. She was Board Member and later Chairwoman of the British Spa Association from 2004-2011, Board Member of ASTECC (American Spa Therapy and Education Certification Council) and was member of the Advisory Board of the Corporate Health Improvement Program of the University of Arizona. She is part of the Global Thermal Think Tank, the Hot Spring Group of the Global Wellness Institute, was board member of the Saxon Spa Association and is Advisory Board member of the Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus.
Since 1997, Marion has been a speaker at many national and international spa and business events in Japan, Italy, Cyprus, Brazil, USA, Monaco, France, Great Britain, Greece, Turkey, Germany and Australia.
Toskanaworld is owner of five hotels as well as a clinic for chronic diseases and is operating three Toskana Therme in different regions of Germany. Toskanaworld‘s motto is „Health and Happiness“. Until today, Marion actively supports healthcare, cultural, business and social initiatives.
Paul H. Song 
President, Korean Spa Wellness Society (South Korea)
Mr. Ha-young (Paul) Song is the President of the Korean Spa Wellness Society, a community of spa professionals in South Korea. With over 20 years of experience in the spa and wellness industry, he has worked as a consultant, journalist, and educator.
He currently operates K-Well Interbiz, a consulting firm specializing in spa and wellness business development, and serves as Publisher and Managing Editor of Wellness Today, an online news platform dedicated to the spa and wellness industry.
He is also a non-executive director at the Healthcare & Spa Industry Promotion Agency, a public research institution focused on hot spring spas.
Mr. Song majored literature and social sciences in Korea and studied international relations and political economy in the United States. He has taught spa and wellness courses at colleges and has authored numerous articles in this field.
