Conference & Event Agenda
The FAB Africa 2027 programme, published as it is confirmed
The conference
The FAB Africa conference runs alongside the exhibition across the three days of the show. The programme is being finalised with the speakers and the partner associations; it will be published on this page as soon as each session is confirmed.
Expect sessions aimed at the people in the hall rather than a general business audience: what retailers are stocking and why, formulation and regulation for brands entering East Africa, packaging and private label, sustainability and upcycling in fashion, and the commercial side of running a salon or spa.
If you would like to propose a session or a speaker, contact the team — the programme committee reviews proposals as they arrive.
Conference programme
Draft programme for FAB Africa 2027. Six roundtables and the opening address, three sessions a day: each roundtable is one MC and three to four panellists on a single question, and every slot is still to be confirmed.
Day 1 · Day 1 — 2027-04-09
Day 1 — 2027-04-09Market, retail and distribution
10:00 Opening ceremony and market address
Conference Room 1 Market, retail and distribution
The official opening and the market address that frames the three days: the size of the East African beauty market, where it is growing, and what the trade is being asked to stock. Casting: a senior official from the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, with the show's chairman.
- Speaker TBC
11:00 Roundtable: what East African retailers are stocking, and why
Conference Room 1 Market, retail and distribution
One question, five people, no slides: how is a range actually chosen, what does a brand have to show a buyer, and why does a product that sells online fail on a shelf? Casting: one MC from beauty or business media; a beauty-chain buyer; a pharmacy or supermarket category buyer; a Kenyan brand founder already on shelf; a distributor who sells into all three.
- MC TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
14:30 Roundtable: getting onto the shelf — terms, logistics and the import route
Conference Room 2 Market, retail and distribution
Listing fees, payment terms, sell-through targets and returns on one side; HS codes, KEBS pre-export verification and clearing at Mombasa or JKIA on the other. Casting: one MC (trade journalist); a national distributor; a licensed clearing agent or freight forwarder; a brand owner who exports out of Kenya; a retail trading manager.
- MC TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
Day 2 · Day 2 — 2027-04-10
Day 2 — 2027-04-10Product, sourcing and regulation
10:30 Roundtable: formulating for East African skin, with African ingredients
Conference Room 1 Product, sourcing and regulation
What changes when a formula developed in Europe or Asia meets equatorial sun, humidity and the pigmentation concerns customers actually ask about — and how far shea, baobab, aloe and moringa can replace imported actives. Casting: one MC (formulation scientist or beauty editor); a cosmetic chemist working with regional brands; the founder of a natural haircare or skincare brand; an ingredient supplier; a researcher from a Kenyan university or research institute.
- MC TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
14:00 Roundtable: packaging, private label and the regulatory path
Conference Room 2 Product, sourcing and regulation
From artwork to a filled bottle: minimum order quantities, tooling and timelines — then the regulatory step that decides whether the bottle can be sold, from KEBS standards to a therapeutic claim that brings the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in. Casting: one MC; a packaging manufacturer; a contract manufacturer or private-label house; a regulatory officer or compliance consultant; a product tester or reviewer who checks what the label claims.
- MC TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
Day 3 · Day 3 — 2027-04-11
Day 3 — 2027-04-11Salon, aesthetics, fashion and the consumer
10:30 Roundtable: the salon and the clinic — what the professional trade buys
Conference Room 1 Salon, aesthetics, fashion and the consumer
A salon sells more product than a shelf does, but only if the team is trained and the margin works; a clinic buys on evidence and training. What do both actually specify, and what do they expect from a supplier? Casting: one MC (aesthetic practitioner or beauty journalist); a consultant dermatologist; the founder of a multi-branch salon or spa group; an aesthetic clinic owner; an equipment or professional-products supplier.
- MC TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
13:30 Roundtable: fashion, media and the consumer — turning attention into stock
Show floor Salon, aesthetics, fashion and the consumer
The consumer day question: a designer, a creator and a buyer on what an audience is worth, how a collection becomes stock, and what the public actually buys when the doors open. Casting: one MC (fashion or lifestyle editor); a Kenyan designer with retail distribution; a fashion or beauty retailer; a beauty creator or influencer with a Kenyan audience; a brand marketer.
- MC TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC
- Panellist TBC