The 49th edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide, held in Bologna, Italy, this March, will feature a two-day spa symposium, with panels and discussions about the global spa industry.

Held March 18-19 alongside the trade show, the conference is devoted to best practices and business management, with a global perspective focused on distribution, operations and overall business practices.

The panels will feature a global session, as well as regional sessions on Asia, Europe and the US, with speakers providing insights into trends in different regions. Topics are geared towards spa operators, distributors, manufacturers, architects, consultants and associations, show organisers said.

Speakers include Mia Kyricos, founder of Kyricos & Associates; Kelly Wilson, vice president of product development and vendor relations for Universal Companies; Michael Tompkins, board chair of ISPA and co-CEO of Palm Health; Andrea Lomas-Gong, head of group spa operations, Mandarin Oriental; Andrew Gibson, vice president of spa and wellness at FRHI; Ghislain Waeyaert, managing director at Deep Nature Development; and Reena Hammer, managing director, Urban Retreats.

Cosmoprof is also one of the world’s biggest beauty trade fairs, covering 90,000sq m (968,752sq ft).