by
Walk into any successful destination today — Dubai, Singapore, Austin, Copenhagen — and the shift is unmistakable: people no longer use physical space the way they did five years ago. Assets that fail to adapt won’t collapse dramatically; they’ll fade quietly into irrelevance.
The data confirms it. McKinsey reports 70% of consumers now prioritize experiences over products. Deloitte finds one in three destination visits is driven by wellness or community — not shopping. Cushman & Wakefield reports show experiential tenants outperform traditional retail by 3–5x in dwell time.
This is not a regional trend. It’s a global behavioral rewiring. Across markets, four forces are reshaping how people use destinations:
- Food halls becoming the new power anchors.
- Wellness clusters turning into the most valuable 500 sqm in any asset.
- Ghost kitchen ecosystems rewriting back of house strategy.
- Competitive socializing 2.0: transforming leisure into belonging
But if we strip away the noise and focus on what truly moves the needle, two concepts stand out because they fundamentally change how people use space, not just what they consume. One builds a daily ritual. The other builds identity and community. Together, they form the backbone of modern placemaking.
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) shows the global wellness economy reached $5.6 trillion in 2022 and is forecast to hit $8.5 trillion by 2027, growing at roughly 8.6% annually through 2027. Sectors like healthy eating, wellness real estate and mental wellness are among the fastest growing categories.
The most valuable 500 sqm in your asset
This is why wellness led F&B is no longer a niche — it’s a behavioral default. Consumers are building routines around performance, recovery, hydration, gut health, mental balance and low sugar indulgence. They’re not visiting these concepts once a week. They’re visiting multiple times per week, sometimes daily. For developers, this is gold.
Wellness clusters deliver what traditional retail cannot:
- High frequency visitation — the holy grail of footfall.
- Morning and weekday activation — historically dead zones.
- Premium spend justified by functional benefits.
- A loyal, lifestyle driven customer base.
Think protein cafés, functional drink bars, gut health bakeries, adaptogen concepts, collagen beverages and wellness retail hybrids. This is not a café lineup; it’s a traffic engine. If your development lacks a genuine wellness cluster, you’re likely leaving a significant portion of weekly footfall on the table. The most valuable 500 sqm in your asset is no longer a fashion anchor — it’s the ecosystem people use like a habit, not an outing.
Something you need to hear, though: You can’t fake wellness. A neon “self care” sign and a protein bowl won’t cut it. Consumers detect superficiality and punish it with indifference. Real wellness requires holistic thinking: design, operations, tenant mix, day part strategy, digital touchpoints and an emotional tone aligned with recovery and performance. Treat wellness as infrastructure, not décor.
Competitive socializing 2.0 — The future looks like a club
If wellness builds daily rituals, competitive socializing builds identity rituals. Accenture and other industry reports highlight how social connection and experience are now core drivers of consumer choice and corporate strategy. People are lonelier and hungrier for belonging; they seek places that create community. Experiential leisure has outpaced traditional entertainment, and the industry’s response is evolving fast.
Competitive socializing 2.0 blends play, hospitality, wellness and nightlife into hybrid social clubs where people don’t just visit — they belong. These concepts sell membership, culture and community, not just activities. They deliver what no traditional anchor can:
- Evening and weekend activation.
- Long dwell times.
- Premium spend.
- A cultural identity for the asset.
Think padel with hospitality, boutique gyms with social calendars, longevity meets nightlife concepts, and experiential corridors mixing play, wellness and F&B. This is emotional equity — the most valuable currency in placemaking. If your asset gives people no reason to stay after 6pm, it’s already losing relevance. Competitive socializing 2.0 is the antidote.
Why these two concepts matter
Food halls and ghost kitchens matter, but wellness clusters and competitive socializing occupy opposite ends of the behavioral spectrum that actually drive usage:
- Wellness clusters → frequency, routine, daytime traffic.
- Competitive socializing 2.0 → identity, community, evening/weekend traffic.
One fills mornings; the other fills nights. One builds habit; the other builds belonging. Together they create a 24 hour activation model no single concept can deliver.
Call to action
Stop thinking in tenants and leasing tactics. Start thinking in ecosystems. Stop filling units. Start building rituals. Stop waiting for the next big anchor. Curate the two engines that already work: wellness clusters and competitive socializing 2.0.
The future of placemaking isn’t more choice; it’s deeper connection. Assets that are designed for ritual and belonging will win the next decade.
About Will Odwarka
Will Odwarka is the Founder and CEO of Dubai-based Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting, and a member of the ACROSS Advisory Board. Born and raised in Vienna, he has 30+ years of experience in international strategic growth and development, franchise and partner management, and F&B operations.
