Professional beauty ExCel, what did you think?

[shegha]

Had a good day only due to the friend I went with:lol:​

• Parking a nightmare, ended up being direct to a piece of waste grond 4 mile away and being bused into the excel and then charged £10 ( great fun on the way back with all the baby show visitors)​
• Not as many stands​
• Tickets was a long que too. Did any one get theirs posted?​
• And the baby show were alowed in again, also a lot of minors in from the start of the show(at £40 a ticket?)​

​

 

[Sharkster]

Yep I ended up in that wasteland car park which considering I had a lot of stuff to buy meant that I couldn't pop down to the car park to unload. I got so fed up dragging stuff around that I ended up buying a beauty case trolly! And yes, I struggled on the park & ride bus with my new trolly & giant shopping bags and got a ton of filthy looks from all the baby show lot as I was taking up room (baby buggies are obviously acceptable to clog up the aisles!). I guess that this is just a one off though due to the building work? Only thing about it that really annoyed me was that had I of known about the parking thing I would have arrived a little earlier as I ended up missing Kim's Masterclass - BOOOOO!

In all, yes I agree that it was a lot smaller but there was everything there that I went for (nails, skincare, waxing) so I didn't feel that I was missing out. It was also a LOT quieter, although I got to talk to who I needed to right away so for me a much more preferable experience. I didn't see many from the baby show in there but then I left by 2.30pm - knackered!!!!

I guess it just depends on what you went for?

Em x

 

[fozzyo]

Hi All,
I went to the beauty show today and was REALLY disappointed! :cry:
It was so small, nothing like the other years, and there was no big wholsaler stands with lots to buy, ie last year they had Sallys, and Sina etc

Was anyone else disappointed with the show too?

Well I had a great day! For me the show was everything I wanted from it ... I actually preferred the fact there weren't any big wholesalers! For me this is a trade show, and in every other industry I have been to at a trade / professional only show the exhibitors are there to exhibit and promote themselves and their products, and you can place orders with 'show offers' (mostly VAT free this year). That makes life so much easier, I buy it and a few days later it turns up at my practice cheaper then I would normally pay with no hassles of carrying it!

When I arrived I was directed to the Park & Ride area, very annoyed at the £10 charge initially, but then I have only ever got train to Excel so no idea what parking charges are but when we saw the queues to the car parks the Park & Ride was soo much easier for us.

For me it definately felt much more professionals only, yes some kids in - but kids of therapists with hubbies and boyfriends / girlfriends so that I can just about deal with (would still rather a 16+ rule).

As for exhibitors, good to see less stock it high, sell it cheap stands - they to me don't say Professional. I was able to talk to all the companies I wanted to, I was able to see all the products I wanted. And the turn out seemed good too.

I didn't get to Kim's masterclass but I did get my hands and ears waxed by Andy and then myself and my friend Stephen both had our eyebrows done (thanks Kim - they look fantastic) on the Perron Rigot stand.

Some of the companies I was surprised not to see there:

• Susan Molyneux
• Sweet Squared / Creative Nails (esp since they sponsored the nails bit)
• Wow Products (Berins Wax / Tantrick Tanning)
• Sienna X
• Celebrity Secrets

Overall a great show, spent a bit more then I budgeted (now got three wax heaters and a roller heater) but I also got some bargains! Particularly at the Hive stand! They prices they had on the stand were more expensive then on the website ... I paid the website prices without VAT. Champion!

Mat

 

[jayt]

This was my first time to the show, I was surprised at the size but I really enjoyed it. I am new to the nail industry so I watched the competion and joined in all the master classes. I had a good day :lol:

 

[cabinkel]

I really enjoyed it, and thought it less busy than years before. The one thing that i was shocked about was that a few of the suppliers had run out of products! On the first day of a 3 day show, and at approx lunchtine! Majestic had run out of hand and bath towells, and fake bake had run out of the lip glosses that i retail! Seems a bit of a madness when you consider the prices that they pay for their stands!
I thought that there was less prams this year, which was fantastic! Show was much smaller, and I was gutted that sweet squared and susan molyneaux wasnt there! I had huge lists for those, lol.
I enjoyed the masterclasses that i sat in on, Gigi minxing was great, (and did she ever get through the que that were waiting to get minxed??).
All in all a good show, i may even go back later today, lol!

 

[shell28]

Antony's preview of the new colour drops and what he can do with those was inspiring. The man is brill at arting it up. Georgie's Q&A time was great. Oh and Georgies pyramid nails looked so cool.
I still got run down by 2 pushchairs, so how did they get in there????? I thought it was strictly no under 16s.
So from a shopping point of view hmmmmmmmmm not much but from an inspirational point of view pretty good I say.

I agree hun i saw lots of people with children!! I bet people didnt get charged £40 on the door! Didnt help having a baby show next door.

 

[shell28]

I really wanted to get an "easysoak" but the stand was not there!! even thou they were in the brouchure and were doing a show price of £25!! I was gutted as that was the one thing i was deffo gonna get! x

 

[Gelly]

I am glad I went. Got my hugs from all my friends which I havn't seen in absolute ages. God that felt so good lol..

Not ALL of them!

:hug: That's better!

 

[suzie49]

I really enjoyed the show, mostly due to the Mater classes and going with Shell28, we made a weekend of it and stayed over on the Saturday night.

Ezflow masterclass was excellent, and I got to introduce myself to Jo and Anthony Buckley, who will be doing my conversion on the 11th March. They were both so lovely, I am not nervous now .

I was really surprised at some of the big names not showing this year,
Entity...Le Chat...Star Nails..especially as I was looking to buy some stock.

Very disappointed with the baby show next door being allowed in after all the promises of being kept professional, and after being told we needed ID to be admitted, no one asked to even see it... I got my ticket for £10 if I had paid more I would have been asking for a refund I think x

 

[littlekate]

I was disappointed. Considering it was meant to be 'strictly professional' I saw several people with prams and there was a baby show next door so I think people from there came in to the beauty show. There were not many stands I wanted to see. I only bought 2 nail polishes and I normally spend a fortune there! Im glad I only paid £10 for the ticket. I may not go next year.

 

[pure]

I really enjoyed it. I was able to get the things I wanted, got some fab new tunics fro a company I had never heard of before which I would never have found had it not been for the show.

I did see a couple of pushchairs and young children which I wasn't impressed with but the adults with them did have PB badges so I don't know that that was about. But it didn't appear to be people from the baby show who were coming in. I also had my badge scanned every time I went in and out of the arena.

 

[fozzyo]

One of the comments here is about prams etc. The only way this will be avoided is having a strict 16+ policy. Also, maybe those people with prams etc who'd been to the Baby Show were also therapists who had kids and did both shows.

Mat

 

[pure]

One of the comments here is about prams etc. The only way this will be avoided is having a strict 16+ policy. Also, maybe those people with prams etc who'd been to the Baby Show were also therapists who had kids and did both shows.

Mat

Unfortunaltey PB's promotional materials stated that there was such a policy.:irked: Typical eh? Although I have to say that I found being bashed in the ankles by trolley bags far more annoying than the 2 buggies I saw!

 

[Gelly]

Unfortunaltey PB's promotional materials stated that there was such a policy.:irked: Typical eh? Although I have to say that I found being bashed in the ankles by trolley bags far more annoying than the 2 buggies I saw!

:lol: me too!

 

[Cec]

Well, it wasn't that busy, so why complain about non-professionals being there, just to have something to complain of?

Honestly, WHAT DO YOU WANT? There were lots of competitions, there were suppliers without queuing, you could actually TALK to them and at least there were the master-classes. I am just so sorry there weren't more people at the master-classes... And at least, I was surprised not more people were at the Big Nail Debate. However I had hoped for a more heated debate, it seamed that everybody agreed, so it wasn't that much of a debate (in my opinion...).

20 pounds to get into a show isn't that much? I have been to shows in Norway and in Dusseldorf, and in Dusseldorf it costs about 20 pounds EACH day. Still the show is PACKED in all 9 halls!

I missed Creative and Young Nails and some other companies, but they will not show up if WE don't support the show.

I had some great days. I haven't bought a thing but I have met LOTS of great techs and geeks and companies. For me, it's more about getting together, have a chat with distributors, look at some demos, compete and go to the master-classes than buying lots of stuff I can by from my distributor.

I am going back tomorrow, to the master-class with Denis Wright, Gemma and Kirsty. I want to get as most out of it as I can....

 

[Chameleon]

I can see the flip side of both issues here.

Yes £20 might be sttep for some...but then again the master classes were free....but then not all i suppose would want to attend the master classes....however for me it was my first time to attend the classes,and my mind was buzzing afterwards...taking part in the skin care debate was brilliant,and also was the nail mastewr class with Sam,Denise,marian,Georgie,Clair and Tara

It was great to touch base with Andy from Perron Rigot,and Rich became the centre attraction when he had his eye browa waxes and his nostrils too...i think Kim was annoyed with him and told him to stop frowning and he was squirming a little:lol:

Parking was a dream to day,and yes you pay but it is a fact of life today....i was just glad to be there....and i am glad that i have not lost my "mojo" for the one thing i love in my life...apart from Rich...LOL.and that is the world of beauty,nails and skincare:!:

 

[Crystaltippers]

Thanks to all the geeks for the positive feedback on the nail masterclasses. Rachel and I take a lot of time organising what we hope will provide the nail community with interesting and inspiring demos and talks. The comp has been great and for those of you who haven't heard yet, Cec won the Southern Championships<, Gemma Lambert won Comp Tech of the Year and Jo Coates stormed home to win Nail Artist of the year. Rachel will post the full results in the next day or two.

I can't remeber all the names and places and am finding it hard to type which any of you who have seen my naails at the show will undrstand.. lol

We hope to see a few of you at the workshops tomorrow.

Well done t o all the competitors and thank you for supporting the masterclasses

x

 

[Bebeautiful]

I went to the exhibition today and I think I saw 1 pushchair, it wasn't busy and I too took my time looking and buying, did anyone from here go to the exhibition today

 

[Nail Delights]

i wanted to go and get a stand but the prices were out of this world so i did not see the point it seemingly is for the big players only

 

[fozzyo]

i wanted to go and get a stand but the prices were out of this world so i did not see the point it seemingly is for the big players only

As in exhibiting at the show? They are fairly average prices for trade show stands, yes for us small companies they seem huge but if you have the right product, the right price and the right service you can do really well there.

Mat