5 essential business insights

The Salon & Spa Owners’ Convention takes place in Manchester on October 22–23 and is aimed squarely at beauty and hair salon owners as well as independent spa operators. It will deliver real-life experiences, advice, concrete figures and benchmarking information to help identify and overcome the challenges of running a small business. Here are just five of the key areas in which you can expect to boost your skills.

1 Grow your brand while staying true to your vision

Keynote speaker, Jo Fairley, founder of Green & Black’s and author of several beauty books, will tell the rollercoaster story of how she built her brand from the ground up, sharing the lessons she learned from her brand-building experience, which can be translated to any business. “I’ll talk about how having strong values at the heart of a business helps with recruitment, commitment and retention – which is a challenge for the spa and salon industry, of course,” she says.

In addition, our panel Q&A on how to stand out in an increasingly crowded market will focus on the growing importance of branding, with tips to create experiences and memories throughout the client journey that reflect your message. Hear from panellists including Elizabeth Caroline, celebrity facialist and owner of Aquavie.

2 Be the first to hear the trends for 2018

Hellen Ward is the industry keynote and will reveal the trends in customer spend and demand that are set to shape the market next year and beyond. As managing director of the renowned Richard Ward Hair and Metrospa in London, a business mentor and a regular columnist for Professional Beauty, Ward will share her knowledge of what it takes to secure an increase in both client spend and staff loyalty in today’s tough salon climate.

In addition, our panel, “The client of the future: changes in spending habits; treatment and product trends” will see experienced salon owners sharing their insight into the changes you need to be making now to stay competititve in the year ahead. Hear from Louise Caithness of Zest Skin Spas, Lilac Miller of the Sleeping Beauty group of salons and Francesco Cappalonga of Frank Di Lusso Hair.

3 Learn how to motivate and develop a team

With salons struggling more than ever before to attract and retain fantastic therapists, our experienced panellists will reveal what makes the younger generation tick. “The myth about millennials is that they hop from job to job because they are aimless or disloyal, but in most cases, it is because they are impatient with systems or people that stifle their career,” says panellist Sara Shoemark, who runs three successful Glow Salons in the North West.

She will be joined by Victoria Rickett, manager of Rockliffe Hall Spa in Darlington, Valerie Delforge, business trainer and former head of spa operations for Steiner, and Harriet Kopij, owner of PB-Awardwinning Idyllic salon in Guildford.

4 Become a social media master

The world of social media is constantly changing and it can be a struggle to stay on top of new platforms, and indeed updates to the way that existing channels function. Our panellists for “The new wave of social media: measuring success and understanding every platform” include salons and pros with some of the largest and most successful followings in the market.

Hear from Tamsin Koslowski, owner of NAF Salon, and Kerri-Ann Angus, owner of Peaches Wax Bar, about how they grew their followings. They’ll also tell you how to measure success on social media to make sure you’re not wasting your time, how to adjust your social plan to fit your target market and how the different algorithms of each social platform work, to ensure your message gets in front of the right people.

5 Get your finances in order

Learn where to cut costs and where to invest in order to futureproof your finances for the year ahead. Our panel will see three experienced salon and spa professionals sharing the wisdom of their experience.

Hear from Emma Williams, consultant and national spa manager for Nuffield Health, Lesley Caster, owner of City Retreat salon in Newcastle, and Matt Craven, general manager of The Grange Spa, about how to benchmark your business against your competitors so you can establish the figures you should be aiming for. We’ll also look deeper into negotiating for success and the common mistakes salon owners make in their planning and budgeting.

Ticket prices (including lunch and VIP access to the show) One-day pass: £75 + VAT Two-day pass: £115 + VAT
Special discounted packages are available for anyone also attending the Professional Beauty Regional Awards on October 22.
For the full programme and to secure your ticket, see professionalbeauty.co.uk/convention