Following the launch of the new Wellness & Spa Experience event in Barcelona, Spain last week, the organisers are looking to make it an annual occurrence.

The two-day event – which took place at the international aquatic exhibition Piscina Barcelona, held on 15-18 October – was organised around four thematic tracks: trends in the wellness industry, the art of marketing, sustainability wellness and key points in wellness management.

Keynote speaker Andrea Lomas, head of group spa operations at Mandarin Oriental, shared insights into the group's spa business, which has grown from four to 26 sites since 2008, with four projects in the pipeline for 2014.

Lomas attributed the group's spa success to a clear and dedicated spa marketing plan and added that spa menus need to be stripped back to basics, with a limit of 25 treatments on offer.

“We evaluate menus by menu engineering and take all data of what has been selling. Treatments and experiences that prove very popular include signature spa therapies, couples suites experiences, time rituals, taste of spa (small add-ons for corporate guests), and traditional Thai massage,” she said.

“Dynamic packaging such as pop-up screens when booking a room have greatly helped to drive spa revenue as well as combining spa and hotel rooms,” she added.

Other speakers at the event included Jean-Eric Knecht of the Elegance Group, Laszlo Puzcko of Xellum Thows, Raoul Andrews Sudre of Aspen Resorts International, Gérard André of Eurofinn Hospitality and Salvador Ramos Rey of Guitiriz Hotel balneario & Golf Club, with further presentations from Franz Linser of Linser & Partner Consulting, Óscar Coduras of Instituto de Formación Directiva and Simone Micheli, architect and interior designer.

Valérie Le Mao, Wellness & Spa Experience Event co-ordinator said: “People welcomed the networking lunches because they could go deeper into some issues and ask some direct questions.

"Mentoring has also been valued positively and we expect to strengthen it even more at the next edition, as well as all the other networking activities.”