Industry news

An event designed to help you grow your business

Managing your business, marketing your salon and managing your premises are the three conference streams that will run at the Salon International/Professional Beauty Conference and Buyers Forum on 25 October 2021, at the Bryanston Country Club in Johannesburg.

Part of the event comprises a mini-expo, with table top exhibits of the latest wares from top suppliers in the beauty and nails sector.

Says Phil Woods, commercial director of Salon International/ Professional Beauty: “There will be three different rooms to host the various topics within each conference stream. We are coordinating a mix of individuals and panel discussions.

“On arrival at the event, delegates will be split into three groups and rotate between the three rooms to ensure that they can attend all the talks over the course of the day. Each session will last approximately an hour and a half. The delegates will break for tea and coffee, as well as lunch.”

Topics

One of the topics included in the Managing Your Business conference stream is sales and retailing and ways to improve this essential income stream. In another session, two salon owners will debate the pros and cons of requiring a deposit on booking. Lastly, staff training, as in why you need to do it and how to get the best, most cost-effective upskilling for your team, will complete this conference stream.

In the Marketing Your Salon stream, speakers will discuss how to win back clients in an environment where lockdown continues and many clients have been lured away from your business by your ex-employees, who are now offering home treatments.

Also to be covered in this stream is client loyalty, as well as a discussion on the effectiveness of social media and whether there are other ways to promote your business.

The third conference stream is themed, Managing Your Premises, and will include a presentation on how to spruce up your salon on a budget. In addition, there will be a discussion on how to make your salon as energy efficient as possible and how to save money in this regard.

Another important topic that is part of this conference stream is the factors that come into play when choosing which salon route you wish to pursue, whether it be rent, buy, home-based or mobile.

Comments Woods: “Apart from the fact that delegates will be able to derive a host of valuable information and tips for running their business, the Salon International/Professional Beauty Conference and Buyers Forum will allow them to see some of the latest products and technologies in the market. In addition, it will offer a much-needed opportunity for delegates to get out and about and interact with their peers, something that has not been really possible during the pandemic and extended lockdown.

“I just wish to emphasise that all COVID-19 social distancing and safety protocols will be enforced at the event, as safety of delegates and exhibitors remains our number one priority. We look forward to welcoming the industry to the event.”

For more information click below: www.saloninternational.co.za

Pinterest has recently introduced a new feature to improve inclusiveness in hair searches

In recognition of the diversity that we have in the world, Pinterest is launching a “much needed” first-ofits-kind hair pattern search tool. Created with Black, Brown and Latinx people in mind, users – known as Pinners – will be able to refine hair searches by six different hair patterns: protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and shaved/bald. This means that, Pinners can search for a broad hair term such as ‘summer hairstyles’, ‘glam hair’, or ‘short hair’ and narrow their results by selecting one of the six hair patterns to find hair inspiration that is most relevant to their style and preference. “This new tool will mark a much needed milestone for racial equity in the world of coding,” said editorial hair stylist and global artistic director of Amika, Naeemah LaFond, who worked with Pinterest to develop the tool. “Just the simple idea that I don’t have to work twice as hard to find a hairstyle because of my hair type is a game changer. I’m sure that in the coming years we will find ways to even further improve the process, but I’m excited that with Pinterest we’ve taken one huge step forward.” In the past month alone, there were over 120 million searches for hair on Pinterest and over five billion Pins created were related to hair. “Our mission on the Inclusive Product team is to help everyone feel like Pinterest is a place for them,” Annie Ta, head of inclusive product at Pinterest, said in a press statement. “As a visual discovery platform, we have an opportunity and responsibility to do a better job of increasing representation in the products we build. That’s why we built hair pattern search using computer vision technology to help identify hair patterns in images. “By doing this, we hope we’re able to use technology for good and make it easier for people, no matter who they are, to find hair inspiration for them on Pinterest.”

Tackling hair discrimination at school

UK Activist Zina Alfa offers her advice on how to tackle the topic. Most schools have a uniform (or dress code) and rules around things like haircuts and piercings, to make sure their students look presentable, and that’s perfectly acceptable. But what’s not OK is hair discrimination. “Hair discrimination is when you treat a person differently and unfairly, not because of who they are, but because they have hair that is different to European standards,” says activist Zina Alfa, who is working with Dove on this important issue through their My Hair, My Crown campaign. “It is usually because they have afro-textured hair. For school children, it can result in being excluded from school due to wearing your natural afro, fade, locs or braids, as well as other protective or natural hairstyles.” For more information regarding this important topic visit https://www.dove.com/uk/ dove-self-esteem-project/helpfor-parents/my-hair-my-crown. html

Save The Date: 19 September 6pm

L'Oréal Professionnel Paris is launching the second episode of ‘Run Le Hair Show’ on the 19 September at 6pm. The next instalment, ‘EPISODE 02: COLOR, COLOR, COLOR!’ will feature incredible global artists and in-depth exploration of all things colour. It will look at the science behind penetrating colourants and the hottest hair colour trends of the season from L'Oréal Professionnel Paris pros all over the world.