MakeUp in organizers refine cosmetics industry tradeshows for today’s market

Expectations are shifting, and industry pros want conference programming that includes hands-on teaching, a well-curated roster of exhibiting suppliers, and provides access to a usefully exclusive community of insiders and innovators.

Much the same way that influential retailers, like Sophora, are evolving​ to meet expectations, so too are beauty industry tradeshows, like the MakeUp in events.

MakeUp in Action​

Next month, Beauteam is launching a new conference concept in Los Angeles, California. The event foregrounds educational workshops and contextualizing presentations on mobile technology, the role of femininity, the influence of global trends on the US market, and more.

Workshops will cover formulation and packaging topics for categories including skin care, eye makeup, nail color, and lip products. Conventional exhibitor space at MakeUp in Action will be minimal.

Summer in New York​

The Grand Prospect Hall, in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood will be the site of this year’s MakeUp in New York show. The venue is billed as a banquet hall and commonly rented out for weddings, parties, and business celebrations.

The ballroom-style space, with its 45’ high ceilings, and the adjoining sunlit rooms, veranda and ground-level garden (complete with an outdoor bar) will certainly bring some character and elegance to this year’s MakeUp in New York event.

Beauteam’s Beatrice Saffre and Jean-Yves Bourgeois recently invited industry press and select prospective exhibitors to tour the ornate facility and hear a presentation on the organization’s plans for the year ahead. 

Attending an event “not in Manhattan,” ​admitsBourgeois “will be a small revolution for some people.”  ​Though he’s quick to point out the transit options and shortest routes to the Hall, including a complementary shuttle​ from the South Street Seaport where the in Cosmetics show will be simultaneously underway this summer (September 7 and 8).

Formula for success​

MakeUp in believes that the right blend of attendees and exhibitors makes for a productive tradeshow.

The organizers aim to keep the number of exhibitors at round 100, with 60% focused on formulation, 30% on packaging, and 10% on accessories.

These are, to an extent, self-selecting. But “the key companies aren't always the same,” ​says Bourgeois. So the organizers exercise a bit of judgement to “identify the 'good' companies, [the ones that] the beauty brands want to work with.” ​80 such exhibitors are already on board for the 2016 MakeUp in New York event.  

Catering to attendees who work in marketing, in R&D, and as buyers is also crucial, say the MakeUp in organizers. In today’s market, big beauty is asking for an event that addresses “formula first then packing,” ​and that’s what MakeUp in aims to deliver this year, with its events in LA, New York, Seoul, Paris, and Sao Paulo.