How wellness and spa industry can benefit from european funding?
Right after my experience in South Africa as Horizon 2020 coach (see this article with my experiences from this event), I was invited as key-note speaker at the 21st Annual Conference of the European Spas Association at beautiful Vichy in France. ESPA (European Spas Association) is an umbrella industry organisation representing 20 members from 19 European countries with a global objective to promote spas and balneology in Europe and to take care that the natural remedies based on mineral water, landscape and climate will be available to as great a number of citizens and visitors as possible. (it sounds really nice and makes you already feel happy, no?). My presentation focused on the opportunities from the Europe 2020 plan and the funding opportunities for the tourism sector and more specifically for the wellness and spa industry. The hospitality was really great and people there really now what to offer to make you feel good! (very good food incl. variety of the best french cheeses and all based on the french cuisine, guide tour and small gambling in horse raising, and the famous four-hands massage treatment are just a few to name. You can access my full presentation at slideshare that I go through the different funding opportunities as well as the recipe for exploiting them successfully and the seven things you can start doing them from today and every day.
European Funding Pitching in Scaleup for Europe
The SPA congress unfortunately was taking place at the same period that another significant event was taking place, that is Scaleup for Europe in Porto attended by hundreds of startups, highly innovative companies, business angels and venture capitalists and I was also invited as a speaker. I have managed to attend by splitting my presence to both events. At scale up for Europe presentation, I went into more details on how such organisations can exploit successfully european funding opportunities by giving also tips on how to produce innovative ideas as well as how to network more effectively. I have highlighted that in any business achievement, 40% at least is based on networking and just 60% in had work, creativity and implementation. The event was really great with a lot of networking opportunities and very good prospects for further future partnerships.
What any organisation should realise first in order to exploit successfully european funding
As a conclusion from both events and to any organisation that wishes to exploit successfully european funding , I would like to highlight the most important advice. That is, any organisation should first clarify their mission and most importantly their vision and then focus only but heavily on these funding opportunities that can support these twins (mission and vision). It seems obvious but only in theory and not in practice since most of the projects that receive european funding (around 70%) fell into the valley of death, i.e. they don’t create any clear impacts in society and in the area they are targeting and consequently they lose money and spend in vain valuable resources.
How to add further value on what you have just discovered
What is your view on this fact? Do you have experiences from projects that have fallen or survived from valley of death and what was the main reason for that. Please comment below on your experiences.
In case you want to develop further what you have discovered in this article and exploit fully and become a pro in european funding, you are strongly suggested to join any of my Funding Expert Academy programmes by registering first for free for receive free educational videos that will make an eye opening experience for you.