Hair Expo reviews - Day 3
New year, new lineup, but the mission was the same: is Hair Expo worth the time, energy and money?
Planning TRADE’s Hair Expo visit was like planning a military operation. Last year, with just the two of us, we cherrypicked the shows we thought would be the most useful. This year, with an extra reviewer, it was all on. We split up and at least one of us made it to every show.
The Insider: Gene, TRADE’s industry editor, 27 years in the industry.
The Outsider: Ellie, TRADE’s editor, one year on and not quite the deer in the headlights.
Introducing – the newbie: senior stylist for Oscar & Co, first time at Hair Expo.
10.15am: Hamish Glianos of People Hairdressing, part of the Look & Learn package
The Insider: Lovely commercial cuts and colours, moving at the perfect tempo for the first show of the day. Very consistent work – look out for these guys.
The verdict: Good value for money.
10.30am: Rae Morris presents Working with Makeup, $262
The Insider: This seminar was amazing. I generally only have a passing interest in makeup but the industry secrets, tidbits, and education she was giving out seemed incredible value for money. This would have to be one of my highlights of the weekend and the only show where the door people were as interested as the crowd.
The Verdict: Definitely value for money.
10.30am: American Crew All Star Team, $181
The Insider: Full room, which for a Monday is good to see. Hardcore product promotion – but that's exactly what you expect. The guys on stage were a perfect representation of the company philosophy and the work they were doing was a great representation of commercial, current male looks.
The verdict: Well worth the money.
12pm: Antoinette Beenders, $181
The Insider: I walked out on her part of the show on Saturday night but lots of people have told me that her work is great. The room is nearly full which is a good sign. The small amount of work that I saw was soft and simple, very Aveda. She's looking to suede-heads for inspiration so again it's that whole British tribes and music thing. Lots of people rave about her, but I don't get it.
The Outsider: This was completely different to the show the other night. Antoinette is a polished stage presence and owns it without the aids of flashing lights and video. Unapologetically commercial – she points out what you do in the salon is what earns you money, not shows. She’s aware of the camera and making sure everyone can see what she’s doing.
The verdict: Value for money.
1.15pm: F.A.M.E UK team, part of the Look and Learn package
The Insider: All apprentices and young stylists should have been at this show to see what's possible for them in our industry. These young guys have been able to do catwalks, photoshoots, collections, TV work, and, through their stage shows, world travel. They're passionate and it's new to them. So much better than going to watch old guys that have been doing it for ages.
The Outsider: These young guns were obviously a bit nervous still about being on stage, and some were more comfortable and engaging than others. There’s great camaraderie between them and they get better as the show goes on. Should be inspirational for the young ones out there.
The verdict: Good value for money.
2pm: What Women Want and Why Women Buy with Amanda Stevens, $181
The Insider: I really had no interest in going to see this – the title put me off – but what a surprise it was. This would be in my top three shows of the weekend. Amanda is a very cool chick, and her delivery of all these amazing stats kept you interested the whole time. Lots of things she had to say were very applicable to our industry and I recommend you look her up if you want to understand your customers better.
The Outsider: This was fantastic and one of my highlights for the weekend. The room was mostly women, so to be honest she was probably preaching to the choir, but for the guys who did venture in I think it would have been an eye opener. It was full of practical tips and tricks for getting into the mind of a woman, rather than psycho-babble. It was a must for any salon owner or manager.
The verdict: Incredible value for money.
2pm: Sharon Blain presents “After Dark”, $181
The Insider: Jam-packed room, lots of well-known hairdressers in the crowd to see the show. As usual her work is amazing and beautiful. Everything about it is quality. If you are coming next year make it one of the first shows you book, even if you don't do long hair.
The verdict: Very good value for money.
7.30pm: Awards Gala, $230
The Insider: For the gala this year Ellie and I get media tickets and Trade is asked to present an award, which was a complete change to last year! Last year we were just getting drunk and telling people that there was a new mag coming called Trade. Now we're regarded as a proper mag. HOT. The show starts ... The size and scale of it is wicked. You need to be sitting far down the back to really appreciate it. I'm sure by now you're aware of all the winners, but the big one for us went to Sara Allsop. I'm stoked for her. This girl's a whirlwind and a credit to New Zealand hairdressing. The gala ran really well this year and didn't seem as long and arduous as previous years. The after party at Hugo was alright as well, as you can see by the photos. Apparently there was some drama at the taxi rank on the way there involving a TRADE staff member pushing past people, talking loudly about being media, and stealing Anthony Mascolo's taxi ... don’t know who they’re talking about!
The Newbie: Loads of booze, food and soon-to-be-drunk hairdressers. I drunk far too much and met some interesting people along the way from the industry. But the highlight from the evening was Ellie Presenting an award for TRADE – she was awesome (I didn’t pay her honest! – ed) and it was nice to Sara Allsop win NZ hairdresser of the year – well done!
The Outsider: To be honest a lot of the night passed by in a bit of blur as I tried to quash nervousness about getting up on stage. I’d heard from a lot of people that the award show is usually long and boring, but I thought it trotted along at a great pace and wasn’t too drawn out. Having the Schwarzkopf show in there helped break up the awards. Big congratulations to Sara on her win.
The verdict: It seems a bit silly to go to Hair Expo and not go to the awards – the price isn’t really the issue.
Read more about Saturday and Sunday at Hair Expo Australia
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