The Highlights

The beauty and spa industry came together for Professional Beauty London to make connections, meet the best suppliers in the market, learn from incredible speakers and celebrate top talent

Some 20,116 visitors flocked to ExCeL for the Professional Beauty London show on March 3–4, including international spa directors, salon owners, home-based beauty therapists, nail techs, lash artists, MUAs and more. While the majority of visitors came from the UK, an incredible 90 different countries were represented among their number, including guests from as far afield as Samoa, Uzbekistan and Ecuador.

More than 300 brands were there to show off their latest innovations, demonstrate their treatments and meet professionals in person.

Brand view

All sectors of the market were represented, including spa, skincare, medical aesthetics, nails, lashes, brows, make-up, software and more.

Exhibitors were delighted to see the industry turn out in force for the show. Olivia Silva, community lead for UK and Ireland at headline sponsor Treatwell, said, “Professional Beauty London is a really brilliant show for us. We’ve met loads of new clients this year. It’s been really great to get to know some new faces. The industry really thrives off that face to face contact and I think that’s really where we can get the most value out of our interactions as a business.”

3D Aesthetics managing director Roy Cowley added, “All the major players are here, none of the big exhibitors are missing. Everyone seems to come to this show so it’s good for all of us. We come back to Professional Beauty London every year because it’s the biggest show of the year; it’s a great place to showcase something new as they have always have a big audience.”

Debbie Merdjan, chief executive of skincare brand Thalgo UK, described the show as “fantastic”, adding, “The quality of the customers coming has been really amazing. The show gives us an opportunity not just to meet them on the stands but also to build a relationship with these customers.”

First-time exhibitor Di Sudra, owner and founder of Aesthetics Solutions, agreed the show was a great place to make connections. “We’ve met new start-ups and clients with existing clinics that want to upgrade their devices – the show has generated us a lot of leads,” she said. “Being face to face with customers is always good. It’s an ideal way for customers to see your brand, meet you in person and play with the devices. It’s great getting info via email, but there’s nothing like in-person events.”

Visitors agreed the show was the ideal place to make connections with suppliers and other salon owners. “You’ve got all the major beauty suppliers here, along with all the little ones as well, so it’s a great way of seeing what is out there within the beauty industry,” commented Anita Stubbings, director of Body Matters in Buckingham.

“It’s amazing for exchanging ideas too – especially if you’re in one of the lounges and you get chatting to like-minded salon owners and their teams – it’s just a great place to connect.”

Learning and developing

The show also featured a wide range of conferences including the International Manufacturers and Distributors Forum and the World Spa & Wellness Convention.

Visitors were also able to attend round-table discussion sessions at the Beauty Roundup, get advice at the new Careers and Small Business Hub and hone their skills with a range of hands-on workshops.

There was also a huge programme of talks and demos across three free live stages: Business & Digital Skills, Skin & Advanced Treatments, and Trends & Techniques.

Speakers included “skinfluencers” Alicia Lartey and The Skin Priest, Pinterest’s Tom Spratt, multi-site salon owners Kerri-Ann Angus and Karen Thompson, and business coaches Lisa Gallagher and Jo Tompkins.

Freelance beauty therapist Suprina Hillaire said. “It’s an absolutely amazing day out. There’s loads of brands, loads of things to see. I’m a solo therapist working by myself so coming here and networking with like-minded people who are in the same situation as me has been absolutely invaluable.”

The show also hosted PB’s Nail Competitions, in association with the Federation of Nail Professionals, with nail techs and students competing, as well as the Make-up Competition, in association with Lan Nguyen-Grealis and Emma Rutherford, where MUAs competed.

Commenting on the success of this year’s show, Professional Beauty Group’s managing director Mark Moloney said, “With all the ups and downs in the economy, this year’s show gave the industry a muchneeded boost. There was a real positive feeling in the air at ExCeL over the weekend. It was good seeing so many salon owners connecting with exhibitors and catching-up with their professional friends.”

He added, “Importantly, every sector of the show did well; from the spa and skincare brands, aesthetic devices to salon favourites such as waxing and nails, there was some serious business done on the stands.”