The Business of Wellness: Welltodo launches its first ever international Founder Series in Singapore in partnership with Bird & Bird

Having already hosted a series of events with Welltodo in London, extending our partnership into Asia was a natural next step for Bird & Bird's Wellness team, starting with Singapore. As Lorraine Tay (Joint Managing Partner, Head of Intellectual Property and a member of Bird & Bird's Retail & Consumer Sector group in Singapore) highlighted in her welcoming speech, the "booming health and wellness industry in Singapore is aided by the government's intensified efforts in advocating healthy consumption and living", and our collaboration with Welltodo "certainly spells numerous opportunities, cementing our footing in this growing sector and our commitment to working with businesses in the wellness industry".

Indeed, the contribution of our legal offering to the first Welltodo Founder Series and Founder Series Plus events in Singapore was a great success. Lauren Armes (Founder, Welltodo) highlighted that Bird & Bird's collaboration with Welltodo was integral to the event's success, commenting that Lorraine's "keynote was fantastic… she also brought such a wonderfully positive energy to the event, and it was valued by all who attended." 

Wellness in Asia – the Singapore episode

The first Welltodo Founder Series and Founder Series Plus events in Singapore took place in March 2018. The two days of events attracted more than 200 entrepreneurs, some of whom flew in from the region, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, all coming together to share opportunities, insights on wellness trends and business ideas in this rapidly growing market. 

With an incredible list of speakers and guests representing businesses at various stages of ideation and growth within the fitness, food & drink, beauty, consumer technology, fashion & athleisure, social enterprise, media and investment sectors, the networking event was certainly the first of its kind for forward-thinking individuals and corporates both within and beyond the wellness industry in Singapore.

Day 1 – An evening of wellness buzz

The event began with a keynote from Bird & Bird Partner Lorraine Tay, followed by an insightful and thought-provoking discussion by panellists, Karen Lim (Founder of Barre 2 Barre), Kristina Karlsson (Founder of kikki, K) and Rob Pachter (President and Co-Founder of GuavaPass). 

Industry trends, challenges and personal reflections were generously shared by these industry innovators, whilst burning questions from the floor were aplenty. The networking session over drinks and healthy snacks were seamlessly weaved into the programme. Amidst a mini wellness bazaar of sorts, guests mingled with other like-minded industry stakeholders, all with the common goal of taking their idea or business to the next level.

Day 2 – An elevated session of health and wealth

Day 2 kicked off with a nutritious breakfast for all returning guests, followed by an elevated session for an intimate group of guests keen to learn about brand management, marketing and interaction. Guests were treated to an agenda of talks, keynote speeches, therapeutic "pause" sessions and networking opportunities for the next breakthrough to come.

The value of a brand

Following Lorraine Tay's insightful and succinct talk on Brand Management 101, guests were offered the opportunity to have a complimentary consultation session to address their particular concerns at a deeper level. The message was irrefutably clear for all in the room – the importance of implementing a tailored brand protection and/or enforcement strategy cannot be stressed enough, particularly for those with a view to internationalisation or commercialisation. 

Indeed, tapping into the value of a brand through conscientious management is essential for the entrepreneur in the burgeoning wellness industry. Although there has been tremendous growth at a lightning speed, it is apparent that the key players have yet to emerge. However, they will likely appear over the next few years and start shaping the industry - as predicted by the Global Wellness Institute in its recent 2018 Wellness report. As such, the ability of the forward-thinking entrepreneur to react to new requirements through optimal brand management by creating new strong brands, developing clearly differentiated products/services and establishing professional housekeeping structures is pivotal, and Bird & Bird is well placed to assist businesses through each stage of its growth cycle. 

What's next? 

The next Singapore edition of the Founder Series will take place on 6 and 7 June. We hope to see you there!