TRUE North

Some 14,774* visitors flocked through the doors of Professional Beauty North on October 13–14, with a large proportion salon owners and directors.

“With huge queues to get in on the Monday it was like the old days,” says Professional Beauty Group managing director Mark Moloney. “It was so good to see the industry at its vibrant best, with salon owners putting the brands through their paces.

Just about all our exhibitors had a good time. We’re working with the venue to make the arrival experience better in 2020 but overall it was a great show.” Visitors were impressed with the diversity and quality of the brands on show, with plenty to choose from across skincare, aesthetics, nails and more. Salon owner Gemma Holt, of Lily’s Beauty Salon in Whitchurch, comments, “This was probably my 20th year coming to the show. I’ve found everything from furniture to new skincare products to machinery. It’s so worthwhile coming because you get to actually talk one on one with suppliers, which you don’t get anywhere else.”

Centred around a champagne bar, the spa zone was particularly popular and featured brands including Thalgo, Image Skincare, Payot, Eve Taylor and Guinot. Eve Taylor’s brand and education manager Matt Taylor says, “The footfall was fantastic – a great calibre of people, and we’ve had a lot more positivity with the customers who came across to us.” Pevonia also exhibited in that zone, returning to PB North after several years away from the trade shows. Pevonia key account manager Becky Cranfield comments, “The show’s been absolutely amazing. It’s been great to catch up with some of our existing clients and we’ve made some really good new connections from spas and also salons.”

Guinot UK managing director Chris Gillam adds, “It’s been such a busy show, there have been so many people. The Sunday was just brilliant. We got more leads than we were expecting and they were very good quality, so I’m happy. I really like the venue too; to be out of the city centre is a great idea.”

DIVERSE LINE-UP

Exhibitors in the aesthetics area of the show also forged some great relationships. “There’s been a good footfall at the show of serious, quality visitors,” says Peter McGuiness, managing director of Cocoon Medical UK, while Roy Cowley, managing director of 3D-lipo, comments, “We did a few deals on day one and people came back to the stand on day two who said they would – it’s great that a lot of visitors seem to have come for both days of the show this year.” There were a host of on-trend nail brands at the show too, including Nails by Annabel, Gelish, Brillbird, Magpie Glitters and many more. Visitor Katie Barnes, owner of Katie Barnes Training Academy in Warwickshire, says, “I was really excited to see Nails by Annabel here, and catch up with them, as well as Pure Nails and NailGaga. It’s good to see there’s more nail stands at the show this year, especially some of the new, smaller ones that are starting to make their mark.”

We got more leads than we were expecting and they were very good quality

SUPPORTING THE INDUSTRY

PB North’s second-ever Salon & Spa Connect networking forum took place on the Sunday of the show, bringing together salon and spa owners to debate the industry’s biggest challenges in a private and informal setting.

Like-minded professionals and a selection of independent industry experts (chosen by PB) debated issues such as staff recruitment, retailing, cash flow management and social media strategies during an intimate round-table discussion, with all sharing ideas and solutions of what has worked well for them in their business.

Attendee Michelle Quimby, managing director of Body Contour Beauty in Cheshire, says: “This is my second year attending and it’s been amazing meeting other business owners who have got the same difficulties. I hope the forum gets bigger in 2020 because it’s really good.”

A key topic was recruitment and retention of therapists, and the importance of personalisation was agreed by all – from small touches like having your employee’s favourite chocolate bar in the staff room to larger schemes such as training courses. Consultant Jessica Crane also suggested salon owners need to be more visible in the business to attract candidates, many of whom now prioritise company culture.

Promoting your business on Instagram was another hot discussion, with many wanting to know how to carve a niche for themselves on the oversaturated platform. Ideas such as investing in a salon selfie wall and being original in your messaging were the top suggestions for boosting reach and engagement.

Other experts at the networking forum included industry elite Paul Clarke, owner of Salon Marketing Experts; Stefania Rossi, owner of Utopia Beauty & Advanced Skincare in Hornchurch and recruitment agency Hidden Talent; Glow Salon beauty chain owner Sara Shoemark; salon business consultant Susan Routledge and IIAA’s Nicola Bell.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

The education programme at Professional Beauty North also received rave reviews, providing lively debate and solutions on all kinds of problems to do with the day-to-day running of a salon or spa business. Inspirational talks were held across seven Live Stages and one seminar programme, with learning opportunities for both start-up beauty businesses and seasoned pros looking to upskill.

Big-name nail tech Kirsty Meakin drew in a crowd of 113 for her Trend Watch Stage session on the nail art looks set to dominate 2020, while on the Digital Skills Stage Naf!salon owner and social media whizz Tammy Koslowski had 77 attendees listen to her advice on how to successfully grow your business on Instagram.

“So many people in the beauty industry work by themselves, so it’s nice to be able to talk about the stuff you love with other people who love it, and help someone else’s business grow,” says Koslowski.

The Business Skills Stage was applauded for providing practical tips on starting and running a business, especially making it big as a mobile therapist, while PB’s Make-up Specialist of the Year 2019 Betsy-Dora Turner blew MUAs away with her full glam make-up demo on the How to Stage.

The Warpaint Stage gave MUAs even more practical advice on everything from pricing your services to sourcing vegan and natural products, while the Natural & Holistic Stage included talks from influencers such as Meg Mathews, founder of MegsMenopause, on understanding the symptoms of “the change” and breaking the stigma around it.

Facialists pulled up a chair to see Skin Genius Clinic owner Martine Jarman’s chemical peel demonstration, which was on the Aesthetic Therapist Agenda seminar programme, while the Advanced Treatments Stage delivered vital information on a wide range of treatments, from dermaplaning to mesotherapy.

It’s so worthwhile coming because you get to actually talk one on one with suppliers, which you don’t get anywhere else

Meanwhile, the Education Forum provided lively debate among college lecturers about the core issues facing beauty education.

The show will be back at EventCity, next year, with a host of exciting new show features.

Trams will be running in 2020, with a new tram stop that drops you almost at the show front door.

SAVE THE DATE

Professional Beauty North will return on October 18–19, 2020, at EventCity Manchester