HAIR FESTIVAL - The Wrap up

The first Hair Festival, held at Carriageworks in Sydney earlier this month, was a celebration of the hair industry – its people, its products and its creativity.

It’s been three years since the hair industry gathered for a dedicated weekend of hair and, judging by the energy in the room over two full days of Hair Festival, the excitement of that reunion and celebration was palpable with 4300 industry members walking through the doors of Carriageworks.

Over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, as is the legacy of hairfocused weekends; it was two days all about the salon industry. The MarketPlace floor was more than the proverbial candy shop promised, it was a packed haven of every hair innovation. Attendees grabbed a hot drink at the Festival Hub, had their business questions answered at the Business Hub and checked out AREA Academy and their inspiring collaborations at the Barber Hub.

Beyond that, a vast assortment of stands showcased everything from the latest in hair tools, products, extensions, supplements, uniforms, sustainability, education, media and so much more. Attendees left with handfuls of bags of the best and latest the hair market has to offer. Thank you to AMR for supplying portable basins, stools and barber chairs for the MarketPlace and Education Sessions.

We also saw the 50 metre AHIA Creative Gallery showcasing over 500 beautiful images that constituted the collective works of all 2022 AHIA Finalists. Attendees were asked to vote for their favourite collection which saw Paul James Graham, Paul and Paul salon win for a second ear running for his Avant Garde Collection, and which was announced on Monday night at the 2022 AHIA Gala.

“Hair Festival has truly positioned itself as the seminal event on the Hair Industry calendar and I’m so proud of our team who have worked tirelessly to create an experience to meet the needs of the community,” shared Bethanie Tobin, Hair Festival Director “Faced with the uncertainty of organising a significant event during a pandemic, there’s been an unbelievable amount of flexibility – we’re all very good at pivoting and thinking outside of the box in order to deliver a memorable event and the results speak for themselves.”

“We welcomed over 4300 hairdressers, barbers and business owners to explore over 80 leading brands in the MarketPlace, three networking hubs, and multiple dedicated education rooms with a curated program from leading brands, energetic competitions, and a full-day business forum. The event was crowned by 1000 guests at a spectacular party overlooking the city’s skyline at the Australian National Maritime Museum,” she continued. “An event of this size takes a full-year of planning and we’re already underway for 2023. Without revealing too much, we can certainly say that we’re raising the bar, again.”

Sunday was a day particularly dedicated to business elevation, as salon owners and managers learned from the REALTalk Business summit from morning until evening. Five panel presentations from industry leaders as well as keynote speaker presentations from MC Terry Hawkins, Phill Nosworthy and Australian Hairdressing Council CEO Sandy Chong delved into the state of the industry, leadership, customer service and a continuous thread and focus on sustainability. The worthwhile day had a multitude of key insights and takeaways to inspire salon leaders in their innovation, eco footprint, services and more.

The education didn’t stop there, taking over the rooms of Carriageworks on Sunday and especially Monday with 15 dedicated Festival Education Sessions, educating to full rooms of hundreds of hairdressers eager to learn and be inspired. From major brands to leading educators, artistic inspiration was front and centre, while business tips and industry knowledge were also in full force. Turning the stage into both a runway and salon with live hair cutting, styling and colour and true artistic creations, brands such as Piloroo, ANTI Collective, Showpony Professional, ghd, Dyson, Pivot Point, Excellent Edges, De Lorenzo, TONI&GUY, Piiq, Seamless1 and Area Academy inspired the crowd, and business sessions from Caitlyn Menzel Coaching, Elite Hair Education and The Sales Catalyst left them with important insights.

Wonderland was an unmissable event on Sunday night, becoming the unofficial overdue reunion of the hair industry as complemented by an open bar and boxtails, food trucks and installations, dance troupes, a live DJ and band, photo wall and so many other festivities.

The competitions closed out the Hair Festival event, with an energetic showdown in four categories of editorial, men’s hair, salon teams and colour on Monday afternoon, keeping the tradition of live hair competitions alive and well and highlighting the immense talent not just on the stages but on the floor.

Hair Festival 2022 was worth the wait, a multi-day beacon of all things hairdressing that reconnected the community as anchored by every facet of salon values – education, innovation, competition and connection. The long weekend of hair is officially back and we couldn’t be happier.

Hair Festival is Australia’s Biggest Hair Event brought to you by the teams at BHA Media (a subsidiary of The Intermedia Group, publisher of INSTYLE magazine and styleicons.com.au and supported by the Australian Hair Industry Awards (AHIA) and Australian Hairdressing Council (AHC).

www.hairfestival.com.au