Hair Expo reviews - Day 2

hairexpo_sunday

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.

8am: Building Better Business breakfast, $181.

The Insider: Perfect start to the day. Having breakfast with Paul from Schnips and listening to Siimon Reynolds do an inspirational talk on the four characteristics of achievement and success: persistence, belief, vision, actions. I love this type of stuff. And well done Goldwell. These breakfasts are a must.

The Outsider: This year’s speaker had a lot to live up to, considering how fantastic John Anderson was last year. Again, it’s a very practiced speaker and while these motivational talks can sometimes turn cheesy, this was inspiring and a great start to the day.

Verdict: Definite value for money.

10am: Long Hair Cutting workshop sponsored by Pivot Point, $262

The Newbie: This was the first workshop I attended and was keen for it to get started and learn some new things. As soon as it started I was a bit let down, it was like being back at training school with loads of boring diagrams on a white board which we then copied into the note book provided. We were then presented with what we would be doing the same hair style two different ways wow the classic chignon and a more contemporary version of the same. Yawn.

Verdict: If I had paid $262 I would have been sorely disappointed.

11am: Wild Life Hair present "Connectivity", $181

The Insider: Once inside the first 15 minutes of my time is wasted by two trendy looking guys doing acoustic versions of shit pop songs. But once it starts, it’s very clean, sharp, good fashion. Have a look at their Facebook page and you'll see all their shots from the show. Jayne Wild as usual is commanding and comfortable on stage.

The Outsider: Is this a concert or a show? Once everything starts there’s a lot going on on stage and they jump from one person to the next so you there’s always something new to look at.

Verdict: Good value for money.

11.15am: Toni & Guy Showcase Project 10, Part of the look n learn pass

The Insider: It's already started when I get in there. Cutting, coloring, and long hair work all happening on stage at once by five stylists with the ring-leader as big ole Dennis Langford. I know I'm rushed but I used to travel to London every year to study with these guys and I'm not feeling it. They're still good, and should be what we all aspire to be as far as business and service goes, but it doesn't seem fresh.

Verdict: On the fence.

12pm: Up close and personal lunch with Anthony Mascolo, $181

The Insider: For this amount of money you should all have a ticket. I really look forward to these interviews and it's great to see it's sold out. It starts with some visuals of the new Tigi collection. Good news! Strong, young looks. I know a lot of the story behind Toni & Guy and to hear his version reminds you of what they achieved before they sold out. I look forward to interviewing him tomorrow. I leave realising that Sassoon and Toni & Guy are the only real “world” brands.

The Newbie: To be honest I didn't know much about Anthony Mascolo before I went to lunch. As soon as he started speaking I stopped eating and was drawn to his stories and tales and all his achievements so far. I soon understood why he was a legend in the hairdressing industry and felt a little sheepish that I hadn't know a little more before. I also felt from everyone in the room a great sense of respect for him and his work, he spoke well and kept everything he said interesting.

The Outsider: Last year’s lunch with Mark Hayes was a highlight, so I had high hopes for this one. Once again the interview format appealed to me – it seems you get to go beyond the rehearsed lines and show slogans. While he obviously deserved his legend status, I got the impression he came across as really approachable and … normal. That’s a good thing by the way.

Verdict: Worth every penny.

2.15pm: Katalyst by Mana Dave and the NZ crew, part of the Look and Learn pass

The Insider: The guys are all on stage and the show has started. Mana as always is engaging and energetic. Bettjemans, Dharma, ME, Blaze, are some of New Zealand's best salons and they work well on stage together. The work is beautiful. This show should be put on a bus and taken around all the decent size cities in New Zealand.

The Outsider: There’s an immediate energy with Mana Dave on stage, such a contrast to the one we’ve just come from. Perhaps a little heavy on the Kiwi-isms (especially for an Australian audience) but the mostly full auditorium is lapping it up.

The verdict: Value for money

2.30pm: Sassoon International Cutting team, $181

The Insider: Clean, sharp, precise, professional – I'm a sucker for this type of work in shows. Sometimes Sassoon’s work is only for the purists but these tribe collections are on-trend. Fashion is coming from the street up again, not from the fashion industry down. Shows like this make you want to go straight back to your salon and start cutting, bugger the money, client retention and KPIs.

The Newbie: I had been waiting for this show all day and my expectations were high. I don’t think I have ever listened and learned so much in an hour and half. The show was interesting and inspirational. The team had great banter throughout the show, with some beautiful haircuts and colours. Their new collection was revealed with strong haircuts – they could be adapted for the salon in a heart beat. I would have paid to watch this show again if I could have.

The Outsider: These guys are true masters of the stage show. It’s almost like the three of them are in the salon talking to each other, rather than to an audience. They’re completely comfortable on stage and the show has pace without taking your breath away.

The verdict: Worth every penny.

4.15pm: Redken presents "Become your Best", $181

The Insider: I’m not really ready for hyped-up American shit after Sassoon but he starts by talking up New Zealand hairdressers – good move. Redken always trains their platform artists well and there's some interesting colours and shapes created by Philip; he's doing some nice work. But the rest of it is like watching breakfast TV. All-in-all there were some good ideas but I can't deal with the fist-pumps.

The verdict: Value for money

4.30pm: Managing & Motivating Gen Y, $181

The Insider: We walk into a room full of people so there’s obviously lots of interest in this topic. There's handouts and lots of information. On stage there's flip charts and auto-queues; lots of things to write down and follow. I don't really care or want to understand what makes Gen Y tick, I just want them to turn up and work. Plus if I stay here listening to all these facts and figures I'm going to lose the amazing creative buzz I got from Sassoon. I left after 10 minutes and went downstairs to the bar.

The verdict: 50/50

7.30pm: Gennext Gala, $161

The Insider: Sometimes these things can be hit & miss. To make it more interesting Ellie, Hannah and I had a bet on how many guys with their shirts off and how many girls with only knickers on would be on stage tonight. I don't know why people still do this to hair models, but every year it's always the same. Personally I rather see some great fashion. Tonight there were 10 contributors and overall the work was good – much better than last year’s. Highlights were Hair Allure, the NZ team’s Ice Maiden, Stevie English and of course Anthony Mascolo.

The Newbie: The nine different shows all had very different themes, from steam punk, dark romance, a beautiful NZ collection of ice maidens, consumerism, rock n roll and British Pop Culture. Then to end it with the Traveling TIGI show … it was just pure entertainment. It was truly a show.

The Outsider: Sooooo much better than last year. They don’t seem to be trying so hard to be cool, perhaps they’re more confident in their creations. Whatever the reason, there wasn’t a stripper pole in sight and the focus was firmly on the hair and the looks rather than the acrobatics. The Kiwi show stuck out because it was ALL about the looks – it reminded me of a Zambesi or Nom*D fashion show.

The verdict: Definite value for money.

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