What was Belleza Y Salud all about in 2019?
This year the show highlighted the biggest trends in the all-important hair care market, drew on the barber exhibitor space to make it more attractive to male visitors and had a particular emphasis on the nail care category, one of the fastest paced trends in Colombia and the Latin American region right now.
In this interview Marcela also the show organizer’s achievement in building on visitor and exhibitor numbers, what was most satisfying about the event and what the plans are for next year, the 20th edition of the event.
What is new at this year’s show?
So we did something very focused for this year, and this was to provide a hall dedicated to nail care. This is the first time we have provided a separate hall for this, and alongside this we have staged a ‘War of the Brushes’, a dedicated competition, pitching nail art professionals against one another to highlight both their talents and the latest trends in this very exciting category. This was the main highlight for this year and reflects the fact that the nail care category is so important right now.
What are you most proud about for this year’s event?
One thing I would really like to highlight is the pronounced increase in the number of exhibitors. This year we saw a 10% increase in the number of exhibitors, reflecting the healthy growth of the sector. It is also worth noting that many companies are launching vegan and natural products, underlining what an important and very current trend this is for the market in Colombia and the region and one we are pleased to highlight.
What are the key industry trends you are seeing this year?
There is a big trend for nail decoration and stamping and that is really evident on the show floor, with exhibitors of these type of products generating a lot of interest from our visitors. We are seeing a lot of innovation in this area, through bright colors and elaborate decorative art.
Also, in the hair care area we are seeing a big move towards products that provide natural formulation solutions, as well as products that have been created for curly and frizzy hair types. On top of this we are also seeing a big rise in men’s grooming products. This is highlighted by the barber hall, which entails a high participation of male grooming professionals, as well as generating a lot of male visitors.
What are the exhibitor and visitor numbers like for this year?
So the most notable aspect for our statistics this year is that visitor numbers have increased significantly. We believe that this year our visitor numbers will exceed 70,000 people, compared to 2018 when we had approximately 64,000 visitors. We have also increased the number of exhibitors, increasing from 380 companies last year, to 420 this year, including companies from USA, Mexico, Italy, Korea, Russia, Spain, Brazil, Cuba, Germany, China and Dominican Republic. On top of that, we also have the new dedicated area for nail care, as previously mentioned, as well as platforming curly hair on the show floor. We have also kept and strengthened the Aesthetics Congress, which we introduced last year.
What are your plans for next year’s event? Will there be any changes?
The main change for next year will be an emphasis on hair care, which will entail more participation of both domestic and international brands from this sector. In line with this we also want to increase our hair care and hair dressing congress, to provide full support to hair care professionals. And of course, our ultimate goal will also be to increase the number of exhibitors and visitors even more, particularly by attracting a greater representation from across the Latin American region. And finally we can confirm that the dates will be 30th of September through to the 4th of October, 2020.
