Greatest of gatherings
The second edition of Professional Beauty GCC was a categorical success, attracting 4,177 decision-makers from the worlds of beauty hair and spa. Attracted by the live stages, beauty conference and the adjoining Professional Spa and Wellness Conference Dubai, the exhibition was bustling with spa and salon owners, directors and managers, also eager to visit the plethora of exhibitors. Janette Gladstone Watts, founder, The Product House commented: “The Professional Beauty Show GCC 2016 surpassed all our expectations in terms of quality of attendees. For The Product House it is not just volume of footfall, but calibre of audience, that is important.” “This year Professional Beauty secured many leaders of the industry and the networking opportunities were more developed. The venue was easier to access and allowed an abundance of opportunities to meet and discuss business directions and strategies: for our team it was enormously successful. Our brands were extremely positive regarding new opportunities, with both speakers and delegates being of a high calibre and having appropriate content.”
The show was a platform for many exciting new launches. Vivandi choose to introduce new brand Rock Your Hair with its exciting product range, which included Spray It Big To Dry Shampoo, A Mega Volume Root Lifter And Bombshell Big Hair Powder. Elemis showcased a variety of new products including the White Brightening Dark Spot Corrector which targets darkspots and pigmentation with a brush applicator pen, The Ultra-Rich, an even more nourishing take on Elemis’ bestselling Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and The Pro-Collagen Neck and Décolleté Balm aimed at firming the skin on the neck and around the décolletage. Also launched at the show was the innovative My Apptitude, a new training app developed by Sally Hewerdine which offers private training platforms, giving complete autonomy over specifically branded training for businesses and a library of courses and workshops, uploaded to a personal training file for individuals. Gharieni brought us its Wellnessmassage4D, based on eight specific treatment steps, developed by Gharieni Group and Jean-Guy de Gabriac while Fashionizer Spa unveiled new lines of uniforms. New hair brand Newsha was available to try for the first time as well as the new M Ceutic Radical renovation from Thalgo. Beauty Leaders also brought an array of new brands, attracting a multitude of visitors to the stand. Nail brands LCN, Morgan Taylor, Gelish presented new season colours at special discounts including Perfect Mood Gel Polish from Le Chat. Beauty Essential caused a storm with Artistic’s new Hybrid nail polishes which promise the longevity of a gel, with the flexibility of a nail polish. All this and much more meant the Professional Beauty GCC expo was the place to be.
Beauty professionals
Eager visitors flocked to our brand new Beauty Conference where they could gain inspiration from the crème de la crème of our industry
Headlining the conference was a lively panel debate, held at the end of each day, when the audience could hear the views of, and glean tips from, our hand-picked Professional Beauty ambassadors. Our leading ladies included businesswomen Tara Roux, Ruksher Malik, Maria Dowling Galina Spierling, Salina Handa, Eryca Freemantle and Mona Syed-Mirza. Each woman brought something different to the table with backgrounds in beauty, hair, make-up, spa and aesthetic medicine. Audiences packed the hall to hear lively debates on the topics What to Do When Things are Tough, and listen to our panelists views on Regional Trends; What’s Hot and What’s Not. Salon owner Maria Dowling commented: “There are very few opportunities to get together with like-minded women in the beauty business. Not only were the panel discussions a great way to share opinions on issues we are facing this year but they were also an opportunity for delegates to ask important questions on a number of topics affecting their businesses in 2016. Thank you for inviting us to be part of it!" Other sessions, which included topics such as How To Create Business Minded Therapists, Marketing Your Salon To A GCC Audience and How To React To Negativity/Bad Reviews On Social Media, also drew crowds and inspired debate. The conference was carefully curated based on feedback from Professional Beauty readers and aimed at proving practical solutions for business owners. Following its success, Professional Beauty’s 2017 Beauty Conference aims to be even bigger and better.
A cut above - The HJ stage
The first HJ stage was a huge success with packed out audiences keen to hone in on the ideas, creativity and advice of our celebrated stylists. Directed by internationally-award winning hair artist Jamilla Paul, who is also brand director of Glamour Salons UAE and creator of Jewel Bar Swarovski crystal hair, the stage’s all-star cast of participants revealed an array of inspirational styles and techniques. Among these were Tracey Devine Scottish Hairdresser of the Year and Men’s Hairdresser of the Year in the UK, who wowed viewers with her creations. Meanwhile looks sculpted by celebrity hairdresser Wafic Saab attracted a huge audience and author of Hair Yoga Jawed Habib demonstrated innovative cutting techniques that delighted viewers. Elsewhere, Michel Zeytoun, Gloss Academy ambassador, showed the awe-inspiring Gloss collection and experts from Goldwell; Claude Al Hacheche, senior professional educator, Amal Abdal Hadi and Fadi Kordab, both professional educators revealed new styling and colouring techniques. The stage was live from 11am until 4pm on both days and the energy never faultered. Jamilla Paul commented: “What an amazing experience from start to finish in organising the first ever HJ Stage at Professional Beauty GCC. My real passion in this industry is education and sadly, in the UAE, there is not normally the platform opportunities for us to expose the amazing artists and salon groups that there are locally. “I was extremely keen to showcase hair artists from the UK as I feel we have some incredible talent and felt it would be a great opportunity for networking with some influential salon chains and distribution companies in the UAE, as there is such a need for creative training in the here. “So my first contact was with my great friend and totally inspirational and fabulous Tracey Devine, global brand ambassador for Affinage. She immediately agreed to support me on this event and help me compare and organise the whole thing. “It worked incredibly well. We had eighteen fabulous show teams which was a real mix of incredible international, global and local hair artists along with myself and Tracey. The salon group I work for here in the UAE, Glamour Salons, were also showcased for the first time in the UAE. “We had so many great presentations and our stage was full from the start of the day till the end of the day. One particular passionate stylist literally did not leave her seat in the audience for the full day! “Madi International presented their Goldwell Artistic Team along with the absolutely gorgeous and the extremely talented Wafic Saab – a celebrity stylist in the Middle East. “We also had the amazing salon and training academy Gloss Global, based in Dubai, who presented their collaboration with an absolutely incredible bridal specialist named Michel Zeytoun. Both Tracey and I sat tight watching his incredible talent I have never seen anything like! Beautiful! He had amazing techniques, which I cannot wait to try. A testament to the talent we have here in the UAE along with all the other brands and companies that presented for us! “The simply inspirational Tracey Devine presented two beautiful presentations for us over the two days again with a full house audience, stunning models, incredible session hair, beautiful clothes by Sophia Begum a new local brand just launched here in the UAE. “All in all it was a great experience and a huge success. We met some great industry leaders and companies here and I am personally so excited and cannot wait for hopefully even bigger HJ Stage at the next Professional Beauty Event in the GCC in 2017.” I would welcome anyone whom is interested in showcasing on the next HJ Stage to please contact me on [email protected] so I can take the educational direction in the UAE to a level never seen before!!!”
Nailing it
The two-day Nail Masters competition inspired more than 30 aspiring technicians to pit their skills against one another in a bid to gain industry recognition
Categories included nail art, gel polish, tip and overlay and sculpting, all of which instigated some original and gorgeous talons. Technicians, who worked on their models in a separate area near the beauty hall at exhibition, were judged on their techniques and the finished results. In three of the nail art categories, there was an exciting battled between colleagues Cherryl Lalog Llaneta, and Thidar Linn from the The Nail Spa for first and second place (see list of winners). Eventually, Cherryl Lalog Llaneta presided as the overall winner of the competition. Sharon Hernandez, beauty educator at The Nail Spa said “After our amazing success in 2014, The Nail Spa could all but hope to match that success again in 2015. We are so proud of our talented girls and their hard work has paid off brilliantly. “The Nail Spa are absolutely delighted to have won so many categories and overall winner again this year. This shows our clients once again the dedication and reflects the high standards of our services throughout our spas. We would like to thank the organisers and judges for their professionalism and a wonderful show.” Prizes and trophies were awarded at the end of each day, on the HJ stage, allowing winners to gain accolade in front of their industry peers. This year we were lucky enough to have Sonette van Rensburg directing the competition. Van Rensburg has more than 24 years experience in the nail industry in Dubai and South Africa. She told Professional Beauty “I was very pleased with the great turn out and also very impressed with the professional way in which the nail stylist represented themselves and the great competition spirit they showed and support towards one another. The level of skill and expertise they showed was also high, and think it will be even higher for next year, it would be great to see many more nailstylists competing and showing off their skills and expertise in next year’s competition.
There is no reason for the nail stylists in Dubai to take a back sear - they have what it takes! "Competing can be quite daunting even for the most experienced technicians but it is also very rewarding, there is no doubt that it will assist competitors in acquiring better skills, and it is probably one of the best ways by which to self- assess skills and techniques, setting higher standards within the industry. It is the most invaluable way to gain further experience. Most Nail stylists who are competing for the first time do so not knowing what to expect and are not always as prepared as they should be. So each time they compete, they will become more experienced.” Looking ahead, we asked Sonette for tips for the 2017 competition. “First and foremost, set worthwhile and purposeful goals for yourself, remain focused on the key aspects of the competition and know what you want to achieve by competing. If it is only to win then you should definitely rethink your reasons, I am sure if you ask any competition winner if they actually won the very first time they entered, probably very few will say they did. Try not get disheartened when you don’t get placed, or see it as a poor reflection of your work, but rather as a challenge to improve and perfect your skills, not only for future competitions, but also to provide better services for your clients. It is a wonderful way to gain experience and get to learn the ropes even for beginners in the nail industry, remember to compete against yourself and totake your capabilities to the limit. The best advice I can give to any competing nail tech who wants to achieve a flawless set of nail enhancements is to make sure that they pay attention to perfecting each and every criteria, as they all go towards engineering a perfect set of winning nails. Remember consistency throughout is absolutely key! What exactly are the judges looking for? “Your goal for the first competition should be to learn the ropes so you can compete smarter the next time. As a competitor and judge and having been on both sides of the curtain, I myself have said and heard from first time competitors ‘if I only knew what to expect’ and the only way you learn is by participating. It takes perseverance, skill and determination to succeed at anything you do as long as you keep trying, always strive for perfection and never give up on yourself!” A big thanks to our sponsors of the Nail Master competition which included Heaven by Deborah Mitchell, Madi International, Nailstation, Morgan Taylor by Sawaya Intl, Profit Beauty Supplies, Scratch magazine and Professional Beauty GCC.
The winners!
Overall winner: Cherryl Lalog Llaneta, The Nail Spa
Photographic Nail Art
1st place: Cherryl Lalog Llaneta, The Nail Spa System: Nail art
2nd place: Thidar Linn, The Nail Spa System: Nail art
Tip Box art
1st place: Thidar Linn, The Nail Spa System: Nail art
2nd place: Cherryl Lalog Llaneta, The Nail Spa System: Nail art
Mixed media Nail Art
1st place: Cherryl Lalog Llaneta, The Nail Spa System: Nail art
2nd place: Thidar Linn, The Nail Spa System: Nail art
Gel Polish manicure
Winner: Ara Sucaldito, Galina’s second place: Erica Miranda, Cocoon Nail Spa
Tip Overlay Intermediate
1st place: Thidar Linn, The Nail Spa System: Liquid and powder
2nd place: Juvlyn Jose, Nayomi Beauty Centre System: Gel
3rd place: Marijana Manojlovic, Nayomi Beauty Centre System: Gel
Sculpting Intermediate - Liquid & Powder
1st place: Cherryl Lalog Llaneta, The Nail Spa
2nd place: Remelyn Obra Orbos, The Nail Spa
Sculpting Intermediate - Gel
1st place: Jenny Alegre, Galina’s
2nd place: Ricarda Labutan, Galina’s
3rd place: Brenda Gullod, Galina’s
3rd place: Ara Sucaldito, Galina’s
Sculpting Professionals/masters
1st place: Javita Taguban, Galina’s
2nd place: Tatyana Korol, Afrodita Beauty
Salon Judging Panel:
Competition director and head judge – Sonette van Rensburg Judge – Lindsay Robinson, Heaven Skincare Judge – Alex Fox, Scratch magazine Judge – Annie Thomassian, Nailstation
Be inspired by the PSWC!
A broad range of topics and ample networking opportunities ensured that the second Dubai Professional Spa and Wellness Convention continued to inspire, educate and amaze. The two-day programme, which ran alongside the Professional Beauty GCC exhibition at The Meydan, drew in a wide audience of local and regional spa managers, directors and operators with its internationally-recognised line-up of speakers and its diverse array of topics, which provided insightful, engaging and sometimes even differing opinions from the speakers and the audience.
Jean-Guy de Gabriac, conference producer said:“ Delegates were amazed at the high-level of strategic view points and real-life operational information that they received during the panels, and also during breaks and lunch at the Delegates’ Lounge.” Dignitaries from all the key hotel chains such as Jumeirah Group, FRHI, Four Seasons and the Hilton Group were in attendance. Panel discussions ranged from Exploring the Positive Impact of Spas on Cancer Patients, to Budgeting and Mega Trends. The keynote speaker, successful former spa owner and internationally-known speaker, trainer, industry consultant, Carol Phillips discussed The Art of Retail Therapy to a captive audience. New to this year’s convention, now in its second year in the GCC, was The Breakfast Club, where Jeremy McCarthy, Andrew Gibson, Trent Munday and Jeff Butterworth shared best practices that worked for them over the last year. There was also ample networking time to hobnob with the top names in the global spa industry. De Gabriac said: “What a treat to see 36 speakers from five continents share case studies and best practices during two days at the Meydan Racecourse, addressing key challenges for spa managers and directors. “The spirit of the Professional Spa and Wellness Convention is that speakers talk less to say more, with enough time at the end of each panel for an interactive question and answer sessions to discuss, challenge and argue if necessary.”
The Mega Trends session on Day two of the Convention was among the more lively of the addresses, not only were the audience asked to vote on whether they believed the 10 trends outlined by the 016 Spafinder Spa & Wellness Trends Forecast were fact or fiction, but the panelists also displayed some interesting and frequently differing opinions on the trends. Chaired by Mia Kyricos, chief brand officer, Spafinder Wellness Inc., and founder, Kryicos and Associates (USA), the international panelists: Andrew Gibson, Kathryn Moore, Paul Hawco and Jeremy McCarthy shared their thoughts on trends that had titles such as “Surf’s Up”, “Parenting Well”, “Adrenaline and Zen Cocktail”, “Well-Fests” and “Healthy Cruising”. In most cases, the panel was divided on whether they felt a trend was fact or fiction; sometimes a trend was dismissed by a panelist due to the fact it is a pre-existing or evolving area of spa, such as with Well-Fests, in other cases trends were perceived to have a limited geographic area of exposure or timeframe, for example with the Surf’s Up trends. Divided or otherwise, the session provided an interesting insight into spa trends that may well develop more traction over the coming 12 months and beyond.
Wellness trends:
Surf's Up!
New Waves in Wellness Surfing is fast becoming a new wellness travel genre. It’s rapidly expanding (to women, families, the wealthy—and in 160 countries from the North Shore to the North Sea).
Parenting Well
Poor diets, constant stress, and hours hunched over glowing screens are taking their toll on kids. This year look for more mindfulness and meditation in schools, kid-focused yoga classes, massage for toddlers and wellness-centric family vacations
The Adrenaline and Zen Cocktail
More extreme adventure travel is the zeitgeist, and we’re seeing a dizzying proliferation of high-octane adventure topped off with “après-adrenaline” relaxation at spas, resorts and wellness retreats.
Well-Fests
Move over party animals—the latest festival trend is wellness. Wellness festivals are cropping up all over the globe, celebrating health and wellbeing.
Healthy Cruising
Wellness is boarding ship, allowing travellers to de-stress and keep healthy while onboard and even once they dock. In 2016, think less cruise ship and more floating retreat.
Takeways
Be inspired by our “takeaways” taken from key panels during the PSWC Dubai 2016:
“Wellness is a multidimensional, personally-chosen journey, most effectively enhanced with a functional, progressive, evolving and self-reinforcing co-created plan … ponder that for a while” Bryan Hoare, wellness lead, Naufar Wellness and Recovery
“With the new economic order, money is important, but not essential. Experience is essential! We focus on functional movement, emotional wellbeing, stress resilience and nourishment for cell regeneration” Sharon Kolkka, general manager and wellness director, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
“Be clear on what you offer, and what you don’t. Do not bend your philosophy to fads or in a bid to ‘be everything to everyone’. A stay at Lanserhof includes a doctor appointment, food by prescription, movement exercise for your daily life, regeneration and beauty. We do not offer botox, because it does not make sense to inject toxins in your body while you detox” Nils Behrens managing director and chief marketing officer Lanserhof Group
“Make your spa a great place to shop and spa, in that order, if you want to boost your retail. Then understand that 78 per cent of the buying decision comes from interaction with the beauty therapist. Your new ratio strategy should be 1:2, each guest should walk out with two products” Carol Philipps, best-selling author, educator, consultant
“For years we have been discussing that a KPI benchmark panel in the GCC would be highly useful. Now that it exists, I encourage all hotel spas, resort spas and day spas of the region to share their data, confidentially. These results are essential indicators on how to act upon your operations, and boost capture rates and utilisation rates, among other essential Key Performance Indicators” Paul Hawco, director of Talise Spa operations, Jumeirah Group
“Hire for culture values empower your team to grow and give them career opportunities. We are always looking for ways to improve our team’s professional life within the company and we enjoy a solid 82 per cent staff retention rate after 10 years of operation” Shabana Karim, owner/founder, House of Enspa
“The cost of cancer treatment is financially, emotionally and consciously staggering. Since most cancers are now lifestyle related, 40 per cent of the world’s population will encounter cancer. Either they will be diagnosed, or have a first degree relative diagnosed” Dr Nasim Ashraf, chairman and chief executive officer, DNA health
“Most patients develop a second cancer 12 to 18 months after, unless they change their lifestyle completely. In this sense, cancer survivors’ caregivers become co-survivors in the cancer journey. Make cancer your coach” Dr Manuela Boyle clinical integrative oncology
“Before the airline deregulation in the USA, there was a fixed price for every destination (like you have currently on spa menus). Now it is impossible to imagine that as you book a flight online. It varies automatically on the inventory left and the closeness of departure. Electronic display helps to offer flexibility without saying, you can’t have this now” Frank Pitsikalis, chief executive officer, Resort Suite
“Average spas and salons run at 30 per cent utilisation rate. In a way, that is asking each client to pay for two who are not showing up. Twenty per cent of online bookings are made within two hours before the appointment time. You should know your cost of opening every day, and understand how an extra treatment has only a marginal cost, but a huge impact on your net profit” Lopo Champalimaud, chief executive officer, Treatwell
“Luxury is very personal and subjective. It can be expensive, but it does not have to be. Excellence is about getting the basics right, then elevating it to the rare place where true excellence really is” Simon Casson, regional vice president and general manager at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
Read the full article in the March issue of the magazine here
