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Taking place on 4 & 5 October 2026 at Excel London, the International Manufacturers & Distributors Forum (IMF) has launched its high-level educational programme.
Running alongside Professional Beauty London and Salon International, this strategic event moves past corporate fluff to deliver unscripted live panels, expert-led roundtables, and exclusive networking sessions. It is the ultimate blueprint for hair and beauty executives looking to manage channel conflict, protect pricing architecture, and secure cross-border distribution partnerships.
The 3 core pillars of the 2026 programme
The 2026 programme is designed for senior executives who require actionable market intelligence over high-level industry overviews. The two days are broken down into three major focus areas:
- The future of distribution & global scaling
Market consolidation and shifting brand expectations have fundamentally changed how supply chains operate. Key sessions will map out what a successful distributor looks like for 2030, where partners need to be investing capital (data, digital, and field sales), and how brands can successfully get scouted by elite international partners without an enterprise marketing budget. - The pricing & multichannel minefield
Pricing is where brand-distributor partnerships most commonly break down. Industry experts will unpack the pricing conversations nobody wants to have - sharing how to build a unified pricing architecture that works across professional salons, retail, e-commerce, and export channels simultaneously without destroying your margins or your professional credibility. -
The human element: talent, loyalty & investment
For a people-driven industry, the hair and beauty sectors rarely talk openly about corporate culture. Panels will tackle the silent barriers to growth: finding top-tier commercial talent, keeping salons loyal in a crowded market, and the ultimate founder dilemma - when to take external private equity investment, when to scale independently, and how to plan for a successful exit.
Interactive roundtables & elite networking
Beyond the main stage panels, the programme prioritises peer-to-peer collaboration:
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Expert-led roundtables
Sit alongside global peers with a skilled facilitator to solve your exact commercial headaches. Tables will cover everything from handling tricky distributor agreements and pricing in practice, to mastering the founder's mindset. -
Dedicated matchmaking
Step into the exclusive IMF Lounge during extended mid-day networking blocks. This is where cross-border partnerships are negotiated and agreements are actually signed. -
The open forum finale
An entirely audience-owned, no-holds-barred session where you can put your hardest operational challenges directly to a panel of global experts.
👉 View the complete, session-by-session IMF London programme.
