Cosmoprof North America 2012 Post Show Release

I still have lots to show you from Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas (which is why I've been posting 4+ times a day!), but I wanted to include the Post Show Release.  I was really proud to be a part of this year's show as a media blogger again.  I feel like I had a swift kick in the blogging pants to get back into the swing of things and also I was honored to speak on Social Media.  I was told that we received great conference feedback, and that is the best compliment ever.  Please enjoy the following press release.



COSMOPROF NORTH AMERICA 2012
POST SHOW RELEASE
 
Las Vegas, NV (July 25, 2012) –  Celebrating 10 years in Las Vegas, Cosmoprof North America continues to exemplify the energy and creativity that drive the beauty industry. This year’s show boasted the highest attendance and participation, which proves that the beauty industry is resilient and poised for expansion in the upcoming year.  Cosmoprof North America prides itself on uniting attendees and exhibitors, acting as the ultimate platform for networking, sharing new and upcoming products and cultivating new business relationships.  Encompassing all sectors of the industry under one venue, Cosmoprof North America remains the single most important forum for the beauty industry in the United States.  
The event, which was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from July 22 – 24, featured 856 exhibiting companies to a sold out show floor along with over 25,000 attendees representing a 9% increase to the year before that included importers, distributors, manufactures, and global beauty leaders all under one roof. As in past years, CPNA attracted many new and innovative brands in addition to industry leaders such as AHAVA, CONAIR, CND, Essie / L’Oreal Professional, Moroccan Oil, OPI Nail, Orly, RUSK, Schwarzkopf, and Zotos International.

The International Buyer Program, sponsored by UNIPRO, the Italian Association of Cosmetic Industries, once again united buyers and sellers around the world with the resources, contacts, and data to build business partnerships. Beauty and cosmetic companies showcased their products and were offered the opportunity to have pre-scheduled appointments with a group of selected importers and distributors. Overall 300 meetings were held between international buyers involving more than 150 exhibiting companies and 88 qualified international buyers. The international buyers were invited from Argentina, Canada, Chili, Honduras and Mexico; the US Commercial Service was also present at the event with buyers from Bulgaria, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Canada, Ecuador and New Zealand.

Through strong collaborations with countries seeking to expand their beauty trade presence, CPNA dedicated special sections on the show floor to distinct International Country Pavilions. Country Pavilions allow small and medium-sized companies from within select markets to participate in CPNA with the objective of obtaining direct “face time” with distributors and retailers to secure distribution in the U.S. Featured countries and regions at the 2012 show included Brazil, China, Columbia, Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Discover Beauty, an exclusive initiative of CPNA, assists emerging brands in finding the appropriate retail market, while highlighting new trends. The one-on-one meetings with prominent retailers like BeautySage.com, C.O. Bigelow, Duane Reade, Henri Bendel, HSN, Nordstrom, Skins 6|2 and Zappos aim to give Discover Beauty brands critiques and feedback. The program returned this year with 15 brands competing for the prestigious Discover Beauty Award. With voting done by specialty retailers and editors from top beauty sites, these brands were judged on creativity, innovation and market readiness. The 2012 Discover Beauty Award winner is Layla Cosmetics from Italy, which was announced at the Discover Beauty party at MIX in THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. Fusing together the latest technology and Italian fashion influence, Layla Cosmetics has been creating trend setting and cutting edge nail products from Milan for over 70 years.

Earlier this year, CPNA unveiled its first-ever Discover Beauty partnership with BeautySage.com, the new e-commerce site founded by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen. BeautySage.com will host an exclusive Discover Beauty pop-up store that will feature three Discover Beauty brands from this year’s lineup. These brands, which were announced also announced at the Discover Beauty party include, Marula – The Leakey Collection, Recipe for men and Fairiche.

CPNA also introduced another new initiative this year as a part of the Discover Beauty program called, SPOTLIGHTS. This new exhibit space offered smaller companies that excel on creativity, but seek economic solutions, the opportunity to showcase their products at CPNA. With 19 brands in the program, SPOTLIGHTS featured small artisan labels that are a prime fit for high-end retail stores, boutiques, salons and spas, and was all abuzz with activity throughout the three days of the show.

Top trade publications from across the globe joined leading beauty industry professionals at the show to seek out the newest emerging trends. CPNA also saw a higher presence of online media with over 100 bloggers reporting live from the show. In addition, Beaut-E Zone, which featured editors from Bellasugar.com, DailyMakeover.com, TotalBeauty.com and YouBeauty.com / BeautySage.com was a huge success. These leading online beauty editors were able to meet with exhibitors in Discover Beauty and report trends they discovered and show happenings on their respective sites; combined they have a total reach of over 30+ million readers.

Prior to the show, CPNA announced that five talented students from the Penrose Academy in Scottsdale, AZ would participate in CPNA’s second annual Trendscout program. While given unrestricted access to the show floor, the CPNA Trendscouts met with exhibitors to find new product launches and discover the latest trends. They reported their findings via Twitter and Facebook posts, which were displayed in real-time at the main entrance of the show floor, helping attendees identify the current trends at the show. CPNA will issue a Trend Report, which will be based on the scouts findings later this month.

Staying connected during the show was easier than ever this year. Attendees and exhibitors could “check in” via Foursquare and view show specials as well as download the new CPNA Smartphone App, which helped attendees find their favorite exhibitors and other companies. Guests could also scan the new CPNA QR Code that featured exclusive show promotions and tips from CPNA show organizers.

Every year CPNA brings industry leaders to the forefront to share innovative ideas and experiences that will help the beauty industry better understand the dynamics and market trends, current and future. Special education seminars were filled to capacity with more than 500 attendees in total. Business and industry leaders from multiple sectors of the industry participated in round-table discussions and panels to share their knowledge and insights.

CPNA Hosts PBA Beauty Week
In addition to all that CPNA offers, the event also hosts PBA Beauty Week from the Professional Beauty Association. PBA Beauty Week features the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA), PBA Symposium, and BEACON. All three events featured a record number of attendees.

The NAHAs in particular, which are the professional hair care industry’s single most important awards event of the year, were hosted by famed entertainment journalist and star of E! Network’s E! News and Fashion Police, Giuliana Rancic. In addition to hosting the show, Rancic also received the Professional Beauty Association’s Beautiful Humanitarian Award for her work with the charities Dress for Success, Bright Pink, Operation Smile, Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Chicago, and the Children’s Miracle Networks. This year’s show was attended by a record number of more than 3,000 guests and was also seen worldwide via live online steaming broadcast by an additional 40,000.  Dimitrios Tsioumas of the Mizu Salon in New York City took home NAHA’s top prize, Hairstylist of the Year, as well as the Contemporary Classic honor. To see the winners, visit probeauty.org/naha.

Cosmoprof North America 2013 will take place July 14 – 16 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. For more information on exhibiting or attending, please visit cosmoprofnorthamerica.com or call 800-557-3356.