Festival of Wellbeing opens

Also in attendance were the 62 speakers from the show featured in the 133 event, 3 day programme being staged at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel's conference centre.

After the official opening ceremony, a special demonstration of Laughter For Wellbeing was presented by one of the keynote speakers, Dr Madan Kataria. The group toured the exhibition featuring 60 spas, therapists and complementary healthcare specialists.

"We are overwhelmed by the response the show has had from both visitors and exhibitors. The morning of the official opening was very busy with crowds of visitors testing the latest treatments on display. We have had extremely positive feedback from exhibitors, who are very keen for the show to be a regular feature on Dubai's event calendar. The Minister of Health took a great deal of interest in the range of products and treatments at the show. He also expressed his delight that the Ministry has supported this first time event and hoped that it will develop significantly in the next coming years. Due to the increasing popularity of integrated medicine in the world generally and in this region specifically, we have also received an outstanding number of compliments and expressions of support from the public and exhibitors", said Vriginia Kern, Chairman of Fairs and Exhibtions, the company behind the event.

In addition to the extensive free-to-attend exhibition, visitors to the show were also able to see a wide variety of demonstrations and practical workshops on the exhibition's activity stage. Book-signings by the show's superstars Dr Deepak Chopra and Paul McKenna, were also a major draw for the public.

On the first day 47 seminars, workshops and talks were presented starting with Chopra's philosophy on Creative & Visionary Leadership. The next major presentation was provided by astrologer Shelley Von Strunckle who talked about her 12 Paths to Fulfillment. Best selling self-improvement author and NLP expert Paul McKenna explained how to Unleash Your Potential with the Power of Your Mind with the final session in the main auditorium presented by health visionary, Teresa Hale, describing her clinic's unique rejuvenation system. Raymond Lo, from Hong Kong, enjoyed a sold out session of people who wanted to hear all about the wisdom on Enhancing Your Life with Feng Shui.

Today's programme presents an equally impressive line up of mind, body and spirit experts. It also includes a series of women only sessions between 10AM and 2PM.

Paul McKenna will be back on stage this morning to present his latest mind-programming system and top ten best seller, I Can Make You Thin. Shelley Von Strunckle then offers an open and frank exchange on astrology for a female audience and Teresa Hale provides a unique presentation on Women's Health. Deepak Chopra then headlines the evening session along with further book signings.

An Open Forum chaired by the UAE's own hypnotic expert, Dave Crane explores the role of complementary medicine in the UAE. A panel featuring Dr Sassan Behjat of the UAE Ministry of Health, Teresa Hale and other experts will debate the importance of integrated medicine.