CROWD pleaser

Professional Beauty North returned to Manchester on September 29–30. Here are the highlights

Professional Beauty North saw the industry crowd to Manchester Central for a packed agenda of trends, education and networking. More than 200 brands were on the show floor, giving visitors a first look at the latest devices and products and offering deals that are only accessible during the two days of the show.

“Education is always key at the show, and also talking to the brands, seeing the latest technologies and finding out what’s advanced to keep up to date with the industry,” said visitor Hayley Russell, owner of Pure Birkdale, Southport.

Once again, the show ran alongside Aesthetic Medicine North, bringing beauty and aesthetics together under one roof, with 9,477 visitors coming to see the latest trends and innovations. There were more live demonstrations than ever, with many exhibitors creating dedicated workshop spaces on their stands, including Glitterbels, which hosted a full two-day nail workshop programme.

Business focus

Exhibitors commented on the number of leads they got from the event. Andy Pallister, sales manager for Cosmeditech, said, “This year has been fantastic, which really surprised me, because of the way the economy is.

We’ve had fantastic leads – on the Sunday, especially, the quality was really good. It had such a buzz.”

Dr Ginni Mansberg, co-founder of skincare brand ESK, said, “We’ve been really busy. The engagement and the quality of people coming to the show has been better than we thought. We’ve met lots of doctors and nurses, as well as beauty therapists with large businesses. It’s been so busy, there have always been people on the stand.”

Jasmin Bainbridge, head of education at nail company Glossify, added, “It’s been busy, we sold out of a lot of colours. We’ve met some great people; we’ve been speaking to lots of colleges especially. People want to see the products in person. We only retail online so it’s been great for them to touch and feel the products.”

Misia Pearce, co-founder of Luxury Skincare Brands, distributor of Estime and Sens, added, “We’ve met some great people; a good quality of leads.” Meanwhile, Deborah Mitchell, founder of Heaven Skincare, said, “There are a lot of indie brands starting to take off and they need to get themselves into the smaller salons and work their way up. The show is a great opportunity to do that – it’s the only opportunity, there’s no point in being anywhere else; this is the way the salons meet the brands.”

Software brand Booksy had a successful show. Sales specialist Louise Goulding said, “It’s just been brilliant, it’s been so busy, we’ve had so many people coming up to us. It’s so important that people see the brand in person.”

Free live education

It was a packed crowd at the four live stages, which were completely free to attend this year.

Visitors watched demos of the latest trends in aesthetics, skincare, nails, makeup and more, and picked up tips on growing their businesses and improving their digital skills.

Visitor Kathy Scott, owner of Ginger Tree salon in North Yorkshire, said, “The Professional Beauty shows have got better and better at offering information-based seminars, workshops, short talks and demonstrations rather than it being only about selling products; I think that education side of it is really, really valuable.”

The Skin and Advanced Treatments stage saw aesthetics trainer Andrew Hansford explain combination protocols, explaining how to tailor your treatments to meet the individual skin needs of your clients, taking into account genetics and environmental damage.

Dr Ginni Mansberg also had a super-busy session, as she explained the effects of menopause on the skin.

Meanwhile, renowned session nail tech and social media star Kirsty Meakin opened the Trends and Techniques stage with a lively demo of nail art trends, which the crowd learned to recreate.

Other standout sessions on that stage included a demo of signature makeup techniques from MUA and Glow Up star James Mac, and Kamila Boroweic’s demo of salonfriendly nail art, including a stunning tortoiseshell look.

Over on the Business and Digital Skills stage, it was a packed crowd for Kerri-Ann Angus, business coach and former multi-site salon owner, who shared her secrets for taking a step back from your business in order to cut down your working hours and work on growing your revenue.

Meanwhile, Emily Pemberton, owner of the Brick House Beauty Salon, shared everything you need to know when starting a home-based beauty business/salon, and Louise Wotton, owner of Elegance of Gidea Park explained how to overcome your fears and navigate social media.

Show of skills

The Nail and Makeup Competitions returned, with professionals and students alike showing off their creative talents while competing for the trophies and medals.

“I always say to my team, do a nail competition. If you’re into nails, you have to book yourself in for these competitions because it makes you better at what you do. The show is an amazing opportunity to improve your skills and keep you in the game,” said visitor Nyree Beckford, owner of Enhance Nails and Beauty in Birmingham. Turn the page to see who won big at both competitions.

More networking opportunities

The Beauty Roundup offered a round-table discussion format, bringing together experts from both salons and sole-operator businesses to exchange ideas in a supportive and confidential environment.

Then day two at the Beauty Roundup brought the worlds of industry and education together for a discussion on trends, with speakers including inclusivity advocate Sam Marshall and resilience trainer Kay Pennington.

And of course, there were plenty of opportunities over the two days to catch up with industry friends and make new connections in the VIP lounges and breakout areas across the show.