The Spa & Wellness Africa Association (SWAA) has announced its second ever Network event will take place in Mombasa, Kenya, on 22 January 2015 at the Sarova Whitesands Resort & Spa. The first SWAA Conference will take place in Mauritius later in the year.

Led by SWAA president Elaine Okeke-Martin, the Network event – which is set to take place on a yearly basis – will include speeches, round-table discussions and Q&A sessions.

Topics to be included in the speeches include staff retention, the use of social media in the industry and how to brand the African spa and wellness industry. Alison Caroline Ng’ethe of the Alison Caroline Institute will give a talk on how to raise industry standards through training.

The first SWAA Network event took place in January 2014 at the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.

SWAA will also host its first conference in Mauritius from 2-4 September 2015. It will be held at the LUX* Belle Mare Resort.

Expected to be a yearly occurrence, the aim of this association-organised event is to build African spa concepts, develop education and spas in Africa and discuss spa standards in the region. There will also be a spa design competition.

In addition to other speakers, Magatte Wade, founder and CEO of Tiossan – an upmarket skincare range created using Senegalese recipes – will discuss the branding of high end luxury products at this event. Wade also spoke at the Global Spa & Wellness Summit this year in Morocco.