HAIR FESTIVAL 2022
Cameron Pine, Lance Kalish, Paul Frasca, Richard Kavanagh and Simone Abaron
REALTALK REALTALK 2022 TOOK OVER THE FIRST DAY OF HAIR FESTIVAL TO INSPIRE CHANGE, EDUCATE ON KEY TOPICS, TELEGRAPH THE FUTURE OF THE HAIR INDUSTRY AND, OF COURSE, CREATE CONVERSATIONS THAT MATTER, WRITES SHANNON GUSS.
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fter a COVID-built hiatus that hit just after REALTalk’s successful inaugural event in 2019, the acclaimed education forum was back for 2022, headlining the first day of Hair Festival on June 12 and taking over the upper levels of Carriageworks to get back to the important things – creating conversations that matter for the salon industry. Packing the room full of our industry leaders, salon owners and managers and inspiring speakers, those conversations turned out to largely focus on innovation, customer service, leadership and sustainability – all core tenets of the hair industry and all spoken about from deep personal experience. These vast insights took up a full day, kicking off in the morning with a welcome from INSTYLE Editorial and Creative Director Cameron Pine, who shared these REALTalk values that both permeate and drive the event. REALTalk MC and Keynote Speaker Terry Hawkins took it from there, travelling all the way from the US to share her knowledge on leadership as it pertains to generational gaps, and speaking about truly listening to and empathising with clients and staff, while leading with compassion. Importantly, Terry offered her six-step process around her titular tough conversations, which involve creating a safe space, defining the issue clearly, passive empathy to genuine empathy and active listening, then setting clear outcomes. Terry delivered these directives with emotional familial storytelling, humour and bold energy that sustained her MC duties all day. The first panel of the day was centred on Salon Culture and 24 INSTYLE
Terry Hawkins
Leadership, with an all-star group of true trailblazers – Sharlene Lee of Circles of Hair, Tom Donato of Xiang Hair, Chris Hunter of Willomina, Rita Marcon of Kao Salon Group and Ash Croker of The Salon by Ash Croker, as compered by Cameron. Sharlene spoke to her own personal experiences of working through a full-salon renovation and her Western Australian perspective of salon life through the pandemic, while Ash’s experience was anchored by her position as primarily a floor hairdresser and how that informs her leadership style. Her key insights were in specifying leadership to each unique culture and accommodating staff. Tom spoke to salon schedules around changing client routines that now facilitate working from home more. From his new business coaching venture he discussed the mindful minute and the importance of first reconnecting to yourself as a leader. Chris added on to this to discuss his own journey as a leader and what he values in this role – treating employees as individuals and hearing them, consistent communication and flexibility. Rita spoke from more of a brand perspective on significant parts of the industry, delving into brand versus culture and saying that our industry is never successful alone, we crave engagement and connection and must take from this group knowledge. After morning tea, Australian Hairdressing Council CEO Sandy Chong presented on the current state of the hair industry, focusing on the skills shortage and advising attendees to think differently in working with diverse groups to fill this gap. Sandy also discussed the pertinent issue of hairdressers leaving salons to become sole traders, and the need to accommodate flexibility and promote a culture and message that fosters salon communities.
