The 2014 PBA Executive Summit hosts a packed house of beauty
professionals.
Phoenix, AZ (December 12, 2014) – The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) is
pleased to announce the success of the first annual PBA Executive Summit. This
year’s summit was held December 4th and 5th, in Scottsdale, Ariz., and provided
attendees with optimal education and networking opportunities. The sold-out,
one-day event brought together 135 executives from top beauty companies,
including Andis, DePasquale Salon Systems, Dermalogica, Joico, Matrix, OPI
Products, Inc., Sally Beauty Supply, Ulta, Zotos and many more, to learn from
leading business experts on how expanding technology and social connections has
transformed marketing and communications in the beauty industry.
“We are
very pleased with the success of this event. To be able to bring together so
many beauty professionals to network, socialize and grow with each other is an
honor. This event was a testament that beauty professionals share a continued
goal to grow and constantly improve their industry,” said Steve Sleeper, PBA
Executive Director.
Event attendees completed a post-show survey and 100 percent of respondents
said they would attend next year’s event. “I would absolutely return and do a
2nd annual PBA event. In December it is a busy time trying to close the
year…so to be able to take time away and feel like it was valuable is saying
something. So yes, I would do it again, which I think speaks volumes,” said
Jennifer Parks, Sr. Vice President of National Account Sales with Sexy Hair.
This year’s theme, Consumer IQ, was reinforced through presentations by
event speakers Jane Buckingham, Steven Berlin Johnson and Carrie Mellage. The
speakers explored the trends that Generation Y and Millennials are responding
to, as well as examined comprehensive industry data that can forecast upcoming
trends applicable to business strategies heading into 2015.
Moderating
this inaugural summit was former CNN Anchor and NBC Correspondent Gene Randall,
who has been front and center to chronicle global events over the course of his
impressive career span. His keynote address praised PBA for its charity
initiatives and dedication to bettering the beauty industry.
“Leadership
conferences in my experience are almost always a profitable exercise because I
find that people that come to these events are very serious about number one,
joining the discussion and number two, learning from each other and learning
from the presenters that are brought in as part of the program. I always welcome
an event where people are very serious about their business and certainly this
figures to be one of those,” said Randall.
Buckingham started off the
summit with her session What Gen Y & Millennials Want from Your Brand, where she
explored the similarities and differences between the variety of generations,
followed by advice on how to market to each individually. She concluded her
presentation by emphasizing that with all generations, honesty is the best
policy and in-depth, thorough research is a must to connect with today’s
consumers.
“The targeted consumer groups I thought was fascinating, and
just the multi-generations that we are marketing to and interacting with on a
day-to-day basis in our profession, I think I really gained some insights on
that,” Mary van Praag, General Manager of OPI Products, INC. said.
Mellage followed by discussing the results of a revolutionary, first-of-its kind
comprehensive study, Kline Pro, produced in collaboration between Kline &
Company, Inc. and PBA. Her presentation provided data that will be valuable in
identifying trends, benchmarking performance, and evaluating competitive beauty
related sectors. The results of this study will aid in the decision-making
process for businesses involved in the professional beauty industry.
Johnson rounded out the individual presentations with his session Where Good
Ideas Come From, which discussed what environments foster ideas and how to
encourage creativity and grow business in the beauty industry. He highlighted on
history’s innovators and how their great sense of curiosity ultimately lead to
the future as we know it.
The event concluded with an intimate Q&A
session with all three speakers, hosted by Randall, which reinforced the theme
of the event that technology and social connections are shaping marketing and
communication within the beauty industry and how flexible marketing toward all
generations can excel your brand.
For more information regarding the PBA
Executive Summit, including photos of the event, please visit
probeauty.org/execs.
