15.05.2012 Final Report Hair and Beauty 2012

Successful première of the new Hair and Beauty concept as a stand-alone event in Hall 11

German hairdressers confirm that Hair and Beauty is the top event for the hairdressing and cosmetics sector

A great atmosphere and very high level of visitor satisfaction

With its new concept as an independent trade fair in Hall 11, Hair and Beauty 2012 gave an impressive demonstration of its position as the top event for the entire hairdressing and cosmetics sector. Visitors were delighted not only with the holistic concept for trainees, young talents, professionals and entrepreneurs but also with the brand presentations, shows, workshops and congress programme. Around 15,000 visitors came to Frankfurt to gain inspiration from the 160 exhibitors and 185 brands on 13 and 14 May *.

“We shifted Hair and Beauty from January to May at the request of the sector and this has been a great success. The balanced concept was also well received, as reflected by the unequivocal increase in visitor satisfaction to approximately 90 percent”, said Stephan Kurzawski, Vice President, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, explaining the great atmosphere in the exhibition halls.

A special highlight was the German Hairdressing Championships, in which 140 participants competed during the two days of the fair. Visitors followed their favourites with feverish enthusiasm and were able to witness the contestants’ undiluted passion for their creative work. Andreas Popp, President of the Central Association of the German Hairdressing Trade (Zentralverband des Deutschen Friseurhandwerks - ZV), partner and notional sponsor, is very pleased with the positive results of the trade fair. “We are highly satisfied with the halls, the new dates in May and our competitions. The move to Hall 11 has been extremely worthwhile. In a nutshell: full aisles, full stages and full exhibition stands. It was a complete success both for the fair and for the hairdressing trade.”

The exhibitors of the hair-cosmetics industry also see Hair and Beauty in a very positive light. “For us, the fair has been a great success and the new hall is distinguished by a super ambience”, said Noah Wild, Director of Wild Beauty AG.

“First impressions of the fair left no doubt that returning to Hair and Beauty was the right move for us. We are delighted with the high quality of the discussions, which were certainly given a boost by the modern trade-fair concept and clear layout. The fair perfectly captured the spirit and passion that characterise the sector”, said Stephan Conzen, CEO, Hans Conzen Kosmetik GmbH.

“We have always been in favour of holding the fair in May and we find the detachment from the other fairs to be extremely advantageous. Holding Hair and Beauty as a stand-alone event has been very good for it. We are very pleased with the overall ambience and the structure of the fair. And, of course, with the high degree of interest shown in our products and services”, said Dr Peter Wenzel, CEO, Olymp GmbH & Co. KG.

Ralf Billharz, Vice President of Wella Germany, Austria and Switzerland, was also satisfied: “Our concept has been a complete success. Our trends and "Colour-Full-Services" were effectively presented and gave visitors ideas that they could use in their everyday professional lives.” Carola Wacker-Meister, Head of Press and PR at Wella, added: “Hall 11 is a great improvement. We feel at home there – the spacious atmosphere is very appealing and the flow of visitors outstanding.”

New cuts, new colours and lots of educational and career opportunities
In addition to leading players and exhibitors, such as Gieseke, Paul Mitchell, Wella, Hans Conzen, Olymp, Vitality´s, Balmain, L´Oréal, Beni Durrer, Famous Face Academy, Boris Entrup, J.7, Toni & Guy, Markus Herrmann, Daniele Pulia, Intercoiffure Western Europe and ICD Fondation Guillaume, Hair and Beauty was distinguished by a multi-faceted congress programme focusing on salon-management and staffing questions, as well as attracting trainees, training options and career perspectives. Top speakers including Leo Martin, Guido Paar, Peter F. Pfister and Udo Brand, filled the Professionals@Business lecture area and generated new impulses.

“Frankfurt’s the place: hairdressers need a blend of on-stand activities and an opportunity to hold intensive discussions. And Frankfurt offers this blend. For this, our thanks are due to the supporting exhibitors and our partner, Messe Frankfurt. The new, light and airy Hall 11 and the spacious entrance hall were exactly right for the sector’s ‘cosmetic’ demands. The halls were full and the noise level not unpleasant. With a view to the World Hairdressing Championships in 2014, this year’s Hair and Beauty represented a big step forward”, said Rainer Röhr, CEO of the Central Association of the German Hairdressing Trade (ZV).

The focus of the practical workshops and demonstrations by the hair-cosmetics industry was on new hairdressing and cosmetic trends. Besides curls, styled short cuts constitute the main trend for women – either with very light blond tones or dark with lots of violet or red highlights and coupled with accessories, such as rhinestones and woven extensions swept-up into updos. For men, short sides with a longer top layer are in the ascendant, whereby the longer hair can be styled to give plenty of volume. The make-up field is led by contrasting colours, such as pink and orange. Colour blocking and neon colours are popular, whilst the nude look is given new life with coloured highlights, such as green or blue eyeliner.

Particular attention has been paid this year to male customers: “Under the motto ‘Ran an den Mann’ (roughly: 'Now for the men'), we presented ‘Mitch’, our new range of products for men. At the same time, we not only washed our models’ hair at the fair but also gave a large number of hairdressers ideas about the many options open to them in the men’s hairdressing field. This proved to be very popular in our non-stop shows,” added Noah Wild.

Welcome Guild campaign well received
Following the successful launch of the Welcome Guild campaign last year, even more ZV hairdressers took advantage of the bonus package offered by Hair and Beauty, the Central Association of the German Hairdressing Trade (ZV) and the supporting Exhibitor Partners. “The Welcome Guild campaign in Frankfurt ensures that members feel welcome”, said participant Sandra Gareiss, Head of the East Allgäu section. “Membership of the ZV incorporates a completely different, significantly up-graded category. And that is extremely noticeable here”, added Jürgen Wulf, owner of the ‘Haar Fachwerk’ salon in Kiel.

With the Welcome Guild campaign, the partners aimed to promote higher quality in the hairdressing trade and to thank the ZV members for their great commitment to basic and advanced training for their employees. Thus, Wolfgang Knetsch, CEO of exhibitor Balmain Hair, said, “We were one of the partners and sponsors of the first Welcome Guild. This year, we set up a separate Welcome Guild Counter on our stand. This was a great attraction. Hairdressers came in droves and we were able to inform ZV members about our new services.”

International flair on the programme with Hairworld 2014
Hair and Beauty continues unerringly on its way, with its sights set on the World Hairdressing Championships to be held in Frankfurt in 2014, and this year attracted visitors from no less than 38 nations. “Driving along the Europa Allee before you even reach the fair leaves no doubt that Frankfurt has made great progress. The new home of Hair and Beauty in Hall 11 ensured a sensational international setting for the entire hairdressing sector – something that is almost unparalleled worldwide. And, with a view to Hairworld 2014, this represents a highly successful start”, said Klaus Peter Ochs, President of Intercoiffure Mondial. His colleague, Bert de Zeeuw, Fashion Director Netherlands Intercoiffure Western Europe, was also delighted with the show programme: “It is wonderful to work on stage with colleagues from other nations. With our hands, we all speak the same language.”

The AIPP Grand Trophy Award was presented at Hair and Beauty for the first time this year. Given by the Association Internationale Presse Professionelle Coiffure, this year’s award went to Angelo Seminara from Great Britain for his 3D colouring technique.

More hairdressing and make-up trends – as seen at Hair and Beauty 2012
For women there are two clear hairstyle trends: short cuts in the style of the 80s and curls. Skilful cutting techniques with many coloured highlights define the short cuts, either in fresh blond tones or deep violet or red shades (seen at Wella, Paul Mitchell, Matrix, J7, ICD for example). The undercut and layers on the top and back of the head are important elements for creating structure (e.g. Toni&Guy). Curls on the other hand are full and luxuriant; crinkle curls, too, are back again. They are often worn piled high or partly braided. Backcombed hair, piled high with some creped sections in a Rococo style is also very happening (e.g. Glamour Look Academy).

Also set to be a major up-and-coming feature are length and volume extensions of every kind: to be clipped in, glued or bonded, in natural tones, gaudy colours, as streaks with rhinestones (e.g. Balmain, Hair Act at Fischbach + Miller, Euro So. Cap, Hair Talk, Hair Couture, In Touch) or as a thickening 'powder' to increase volume (e.g. Super Million Hair, BioThik).

For men, double cuts are the hot commodity. Short sides and longer top hair are very much the thing; the top hair often being cut in alternating layers to achieve a 'jagged' look, so that it appears spiky or punk-like (e.g. Toni&Guy). The transition from the short sides to the longer top hair can happily appear emphatically stark. (e.g. Matrix, Paul Mitchell).

When it comes to make-up, it's mainly about the 'nude look' with a fine-pored complexion, achieved through the use of a primer (e.g. Glamour Look Academy, Kryolan) and contrasting colour combinations such as pink and orange (e.g. Glamour Look Academy, Famous Face Academy, Kryolan). As for accessories, new products are also following the trend for vivid colours: hair slides with large flowers (e.g. Dolly Martin), powdered pigments to create highlights that can be washed out again later (e.g. Color Bug von Kevin Murphy), gentle brushes with soft plastic bristles (e.g. Tangle Teezer), hair bands that leave no impression marks in the hair (invisibobble@Tangle Teezer) and hairdressers' smocks with integrated iPad pocket (e.g. Tium & Tium) – whatever it is, it's got to be brightly coloured!

As far as tools are concerned, it's still all about quality workmanship. Scissors with a 360° rotatable thumb ring (e.g. Akashi) or fine Damascus patterning (e.g. Kasho) are much to the fore; bright colours are also very popular here too (e.g. Tondeo, Jaguar, Akashi).

As for care products - the more natural the better. Self-tanning spray with extract of ginkgo (e.g. Marc Inbane), hair-care products with natural ingredients (e.g. Paul Mitchell, Pur Hair), sulphate free (e.g. REF) or with extracts obtained from biodynamic cultivation (e.g. Rolland ReLife) – herbal and natural ingredients continue to be much sought after.

The next Hair and Beauty will be held in Frankfurt am Main from 9 to 10 June 2013.

* These figures are not comparable to those of Hair and Beauty 2011 because the
   event is no longer part of an association of consumer-goods fairs.