Show OF strength

Professional Beauty North 2017

This year’s Professional Beauty North was acclaimed by visitors and exhibitors alike as the best for years. Some 14,516 visitors flocked to Manchester Central on October 22–23, to see 600 brands launch innovative new products and treatments and watch demos and business talks on seven educational live stages.

Brands reported opening more new accounts than in previous years, indicating buoyancy in the salon market. IIAA’s head of communcations Ewa Johnson said, “It’s been a very good show; we had four times as many leads as last year.”

Christina Jenkins, director of the Eyelash Design Company, added, “It was like the old days. We’ve had an excellent time, strong sales and, more importantly, the quality of visitors was excellent.”

Major skincare brands including Thalgo, Sothys, Murad and Codage exhibited in the new spa zone. Murad sales director Simone Newall–Black commented: “The spa concept stands were an excellent idea. We saw a wide cross-section of buyers and have a list of strong leads to follow-up.” The show is always a great way for salon owners and therapists to stay ahead of industry developments. Thalgo managing director Marian Harvey called this year’s event “a showcase of all that’s new; recent innovations, new developments”, adding, “It’s a place to network and have great conversations, which hopefully will lead to some great business.”

Deborah Mitchell, owner of the Heaven Skincare brand added, “For salons, the benefits are immeasurable because somebody can pitch to you and then you can go and have a look at another company to see if their offers and treatments are as good.”

Sam Marshall, owner of The Beauty Guru and waxing educator, agreed, adding, “I’ve got my own salon and I come to every Professional Beauty show because there are always new things to learn about. It’s the best place to try lots of different products instead of booking out time for all those brands to come into the salon and give me a demonstration.”

With the PB Regional Awards taking place as a champagne afternoon tea event within the show venue this year, the number of leading spas and salons in attendance was sky high.

Karen Betts, director of Nouveau Beauty Group and KB Pro, said “the stand was heaving and we did some great business. We spoke to a lot of our old clients but also engaged with new customers”.

Also new for 2017 was the Salon and Spa Owners’ Convention, which delivered real-life experiences and benchmarking figures to help overcome the challenges of running a small business. Meanwhile, the Education Forum brought together college heads and employers to discuss the recruitment and training issues facing the market.