Beauty Is Still a Hot Commodity
Diane Taylor -- Tradeshow Week, 7/3/2008 10:24:00 AM
When people are finding it hard enough to buy a tank of gas, how many of them have enough extra cash on hand for eyelash extensions or teeth whitening? Talk to exhibitors and attendees at Questex’s Intl. Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference Las Vegas show, collocated with the Intl. Beauty Show, and you learn: There are plenty.
Exhibitors at both shows said they thought attendance was slightly less than they remembered from previous years. Show Manager Dana Lupton said, even though final statistics were not yet available, she was “through the roof” in terms of being pleased with the number of exhibitors and show attendees. The shows were held June 28-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
If there is a recession in place, it wasn’t evident at the two shows. Cyndi Lott, marketing specialist with Xtreme Lashes, said her company’s business is “excellent,” and that consumer continue to pay up to $350 for a set of 60 eyelash extensions and for touch-ups in the $45 range. Having a presence at the show was very important in terms of securing new business, she added.
Sue Ottoboni, regional sales manager of Dermalogica, was part of her company’s 40-person exhibit staff demonstrating skin care products and providing free demonstrations. Ottoboni said, “The quality of visitor was excellent, so business has been good for us.”
Attendee Angela Padgett, who owns three Skin Sense Day Spas in Raleigh, N.C., also gave the show good reviews. She said she attends the spa show to “spot the trends.” One of them was a new system that claims to “draw out the body’s toxins” using a footbath and a detoxifying unit. Equipment costs approximately $1,500, and Padgett was about to place an order.
Over at the beauty show, exhibitor James Hobart of Barbar beauty appliances called attendee response “fair.” Another exhibitor, Nancy Soll of OPI nail products, said it was the busiest show she ever experienced, “and I’ve been going to shows for eight years.”
Aisles at both shows were dotted with teeth whitening booths. Exhibitors not only sold “systems” to spas and salons, but conducted on-the-spot whitening at show-special prices in the $50 to $60 range.
