Salon International

24 Oct 2017

Written by Alice Smithson

Within the hairdressing industry, Salon International is a weekend that is in every calendar for all industry professionals, and come October those from all over the UK and also internationally descend on London’s ExCel Exhibition Centre for a weekend of creative and inspirational activities!

The show itself is one of the largest of it’s kind, with an average visitor attendance of 40,000+ over the course of the weekend, and is a place for brands and business minds to connect and build relationships, whilst speaking with stylists and salons and securing business contacts and contracts.

This year iSalon were exhibiting at Salon 2017, and travelled down to ExCel just in time for the Friday build up day, a day which allows the exhibitors to build up their stands with help of the contractors and solve any issues before the site opens on the Saturday morning. The day itself was a whirlwind from beginning to end, and by the end of the day the stand, located within the technology area, was complete, and looked spectacular. The design brief was open and inviting, and that was exactly what was achieved.

Fast forward to the Saturday morning and it was all systems go from the minute the doors opened at 10.00am until the doors closed at 5.30pm. Enquiries from salons and individuals kept on coming, and it was great to connect with many industry professionals from different countries all who had different briefs.

Sunday was an unbelievably busy day from start to finish. From the minute the doors opened to the minute they closed our stand was non stop, which was fantastic, and created a huge buzz for the entire team. The day was a success on all counts.

On Sunday evening, iSalon was delighted to be a sponsor of the annual RUSH Live Show, which is an annual show presented by the RUSH Artistic Team. The show, in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, is a fantastic event, with the teams showcasing their latest collections and the latest hairdressing trends to the audience. The RUSH Team have raised in excess of £150,000+ for the charity and each year they push the boundaries with their creative vision.

The last day of Salon International came round extremely quickly, and Monday was more of a relaxed atmosphere, as it is generally a day for the students. It was great for the team to explore the exhibition whilst holding meetings with various UK Press and business contacts to further our outreach within the industry.