For 2014, Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) continued to exemplify the energy and creativity that drive the beauty industry. This latest edition of the beauty industry event proved to be a record year, both in terms of the largest and most international number of attendees and the largest number of participating exhibitors. CPNA prides itself on uniting attendees and exhibitors from the Americas and beyond, acting as a platform for networking, product launches and for cultivating new business relationships.
The event, which was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from July 13–15, 2014, featured a sold-out show floor: 217,195 square feet with 946 exhibiting companies and close to 27,000 attendees, a 4% increase over the previous year. As in past years, CPNA attracted many new and innovative brands in addition to industry leaders such as ConAir, CND, Essie, Helen of Troy, HCT Packaging, L’Oréal Technique, OPI, Orly, NYX Cosmetics, Rusk, Toly and Zotos International, as well as notable retailers such as Sephora, Nordstrom and Ulta.
“Cosmoprof North America marks a new success and shows another encouraging sign of the growth of the U.S. market. CPNA asserts itself as the leading beauty event in the North American market thanks to the effective partnership that we have cultivated with [the Professional Beauty Assocation (PBA)], the authority for the professional beauty world in the U.S.,” said Duccio Campagnoli, president of BolognaFiere Group and SoGeCos.
CPNA continues to further solidify its position in the U.S. marketplace as a premiere international beauty destination and featured an array of importers, distributors, manufacturers and global beauty leaders all under one roof. This year’s event delivered a strong international presence with exhibitors from 39 countries, 10 official Country Pavilions and a contingency of foreign buyers from 25 different countries. There were 354 international exhibitors representing a total of 40 countries, a 7% increase, and there was a large increase of companies coming from countries such as Japan, Poland, Spain and the U.K. Aside from individual international exhibitors, the 10 Country Pavilions included Brazil, China, Italy, South Korea, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey.
The International Buyer Program served as a liaison between international buyers and exhibiting companies. The delegation of qualified buyers from abroad attended the show and met one-on-one with exhibitors with matching profiles. The buyers from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and Panama came to CPNA with the mission of finding new beauty products they could introduce into their respective markets. There were over 297 meetings with 165 exhibiting companies over the course of the three-day event.
Discover Beauty, another exclusive initiative of CPNA, assists emerging brands in finding the appropriate retail market while highlighting new trends. The brands housed in this curated section enjoyed one-on-one meetings with prominent retailers such as Amazon, Beauty Bar, Beauty Habit, C.O. Bigelow’s, Dermstore, HauteLook, HSN, Nordstrom Rack, The Beauty Box, Urban Outfitters, Walgreens/Look Boutique, and others who provided Discover Beauty brands with feedback and connections with key decision-making buyers. All 20 brands enrolled in this program were 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 2014 Discover Beauty Award winner was Karora Cosmetics from Ireland, which was announced at the Discover Beauty party at MIX inside THEhotel.
CPNA also brought back Spotlights for a third year as part of the Discover Beauty program. This exhibit space offered smaller companies that excel in creativity the opportunity to showcase their products at CPNA inside a clean, high-end environment. With 20 brands in the program, Spotlights was consistently busy throughout the show and featured small artisan labels that are a prime fit for high-end retail stores, boutiques, salons and spas.
For 2014, CPNA also brought back the successful sampling concept, Boutique. This sampling bar allowed attendees to select deluxe-sized samples, including the latest in up-and-coming cosmetics, skin care, nails, hair and some classic beauty favorites. Once at the sampling bar, attendees could hand-pick seven deluxe samples from 20 featured exhibiting brands in exchange for a small charitable donation that will benefit City of Hope. Donations collected exceeded last year's amounts with slightly over $13,300 raised as a result of this onsite initiative.
CPNA 2014 also again hosted a live TV Shopping Audition. Key merchants from QVC, HSN and Shop HQ, along with their teams, hosted a live Open-See to meet with exhibiting companies. The live presentations were open to all pre-registered CPNA exhibitors. Beauty executives from these shopping networks looked for innovative and authentic product concepts, with the ability to connect with their millions of viewers.
To watch for trends, CPNA welcomed five talented students from Penrose Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona, as the official CPNA Trendscouts Program. They met with exhibitors to find new product launches and discover the latest trends. They reported their findings via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook posts. Attendees and exhibitors had the opportunity to engage with one another, post photos, check in, rate and review products through the new CPNA Smartphone App, which was also a great tool helping attendees find their favorite exhibitors and educational conferences. Guests also could scan the new CPNA QR Code that featured exclusive show promotions and tips from CPNA show organizers.
In regard to beauty industry education, every year CPNA brings industry leaders to the forefront to share innovative ideas and experiences that will help the industry better understand the dynamics and market trends, current and future. Special education seminars moderated by GCI, WWD, CEW and Beauty Store Business, along with some of the leading associations, were well received. Business and industry leaders from multiple sectors of the industry participated in round-table discussions and panels to share their knowledge and insights in sold out classes.
Also, to stay at the forefront of these groundbreaking trends, CPNA show organizers brought in trend-spotting experts from five large and unique beauty video blogs (vlogs)—Beauty Frosting, Diamonds And Heels 14, The Fabulous File, Glam Life Guru and Mixed Makeup. Vloggers have more engagement and provide a more dynamic platform that allows consumers to connect to beauty products in a different way. The five online beauty vloggers participating in this year’s Beaut-E Zone have a total reach of 4+ million consumers and were present daily in their dedicated section to meet with exhibitors and attendees.
CPNA also unveiled its first-ever Interactive Experience Area located on the show floor. The area consisted of the Experience Area and the Interactive Technology Area, which allowed attendees the opportunity to play and experience unique concepts. The Experience Area, housed inside a container, was hosted by Pearlfisher Futures. The presentation highlighted key areas of macro cultural change that are shaping our future view of beauty, health and wellness and aimed to help visitors understand what these changes mean for their brands and consumers. The Interactive Technology Area was a digital playground hosted by The New Agency. Included in this Digital Discovery Tool Booth were three pods showcasing technology from Bamboo, SpringBox and Strike Social; principals from these three platforms were on-hand to provide answers to specific questions attendees had. This area gave brand marketers the opportunity to use various analysis tools allowing them to see the state of their online and YouTube presence more clearly as well as turning their current consumers into brand ambassadors through games and rewards. The inaugural program allowed attendees to immerse themselves in the big picture of the digital landscape and explore tools to enhance their business.
The North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) 25th Anniversary Celebration proved to be the pinnacle event at PBA Beauty Week 2014, recognizing the artistry and skill of the professional salon industry. As the top achievement for professional hairstylists and makeup artists, past and present NAHA entrants, finalists and winners continue to push the boundaries of trend-setting style. This year’s celebration included high-energy artistic presentations by Aveda, JCP Salons, Redken and Allen Ruiz, recipient of the 2013 NAHA Hairstylist of the Year award. Renowned entertainment journalists, television personalities and producers Bill and Giuliana Rancic hosted the 2014 Awards Ceremony. Dwight Miller received the Lifetime Acheivement Award as well.
PBA also welcomed Mark Cuban as the keynote speaker for the PBA Business Forum of over 1,000 attendees. As a famed business man, TV personality and the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Cuban spoke to a sold-out crowd of over one thousand guests about being an entrepreneur and his investments in the beauty market. His address was followed by a Q&A moderated by Faye Brookman from WWD, Deborah Carver from Creative Age and Scott Buchanan, chair of PBA’s board of directors. Attendees could also text in questions that were asked during presentation.
Cosmoprof North America 2015 will take place July 12–14, 2015, again at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
