EWA Awards 2023 Winners Unveiled
(eap) The European Waterpark Association (EWA e.V.), the quality association for European leisure pools and spas, has been presenting the “EWA Awards” for 21 years to honor particularly innovative product and marketing concepts. This year, the “EWA Professional Award” goes to the Badegärten Eibenstock in Saxony, Germany, which is considered one of the most extraordinary sauna facilities in the German-speaking region. Over a period of eleven years, a Russian sauna village has been created here – in keeping with the densely wooded region of the Westerzgebirge mountains – around a large natural bathing lake, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the original Karelian sauna culture (cp. EAP 4/2015 & 1/2023). The highlight of the facility, which was completed in 2022, is the large “Boyar House”, which offers space for up to 170 guests in a sauna with multimedia light and sound technology for show infusions. Two relaxation rooms are located on the upper floor of the house, where visitors can relax after a sweat bath. Rustic cottages and a restaurant with culinary offerings by the lake offer the possibility of a stay of several days. Dr. Michael Quell, honorary president of the EWA and chairman of the jury, particularly praised the consistent theming and the relation of the investment of around 4.4 million euros to the result achieved.
The “EWA Marketing Award” goes to Therme Wien, part of VAMED Vitality World, which repeatedly attracts attention with creative marketing campaigns and is awarded the prestigious “Pool Oscars” not for the first time. This time, the focus of the award-winning campaign was not on the spa’s guests, but on its employees. In order to counteract the shortage of labor, a marketing campaign on “employer branding” and “onboarding” was launched here to attract employees. The basis for the campaign was the complete digitization of employee communication in the company, which begins with the initial contact via an application platform and the HR department. A “welcome video” is used to familiarize potential new employees with the future job, and a personal “welcome box” is used to communicate the company’s values and the right way to deal with each other to applicants. In the opinion of the EWA jury, this campaign expresses the great appreciation and respect with which Therme Wien values its employees with these measures.
The EWA Awards will be presented during the aquanale 2023 trade show week in Cologne, Germany (24 to 27 Oct 2023) at a festive dinner hosted by the EWA on 26 October by association president Markus Achleitner. ■
