The ONLY SHOW IN TOWN!

Professional Beauty & Hair 2024 welcomed thousands of visitors through the doors of Dublin’s RDS in April. Beauty and hair professionals, including salon and spa owners, therapists, stylists, barbers, nail techs, lash and brow artists, make-up artists and students, met with suppliers and industry peers, browsed over 100 brand stands and took part in education sessions and competitions.

From Irish-owned start-ups to global names, exhibitors showcased a range of new product launches and recent innovations from across all sectors of the market, including hair, beauty, barbering, aesthetics, salon software, furniture, nails, lashes and make-up.

“The show was both excellent and extremely well-organised,” said Robin Creagh, managing director, Creagh Aesthetics. “Our stand was very busy over the two days and we generated a lot of new business leads.”

“This year’s event was very beneficial to our business as the quality of clients that came through the door was really high,” said Paul O’Neill, co-founder and managing director, Global Beauty, distributor of brands such as CBD 3D Professional Hair Colour Cream. “We also used the show as a meeting hub, which worked out really well as we got to meet some key customers. All in all, it was a really strong event.”

‘We met a lot of beauty businesses, as well as skincare-led salons – it was great to see such a wide range of visitors.’

“We generated solid leads over the two days,” said Olivia Murray, owner of YouthTech, which distributes Marie Reynolds London and Rejuvapen. “We met a lot of beauty businesses, as well as skincare-led salons – it was great to see such a wide range of visitors.”

“It was our first time exhibiting at the show, and we were delighted to be able to engage and speak directly with the talented professionals who attended about both Revlon Professional and

American Crew,” said Matt Horder, Revlon Professional and American Crew general manager UK & Ireland. “Events such as this also enable us to platform the talented artists we are delighted to partner with.”

Learning hubs

The two days also featured three live stages, with some well-known industry names giving talks and doing demonstrations on a variety of topics. The Hair & Barbering Stage hosted stylists such as Dylan Bradshaw, Mark Sherwood, Laura Murphy, Debbie O'Keeffe Crinnion, Greg Clarke and Patrick Browne.

The Business & Trends Stage welcomed a range of experts, including nail artist Kirsty Meakin, MUAs James Mac and Evelyn Byrne, waxing specialists Sarah Clarke and Sandra Masterson, salon business expert Liz McKeon, and brow and last artist and podcaster Rachel Smyth.

Meanwhile, over on the Skin & Advanced Techniques Stage were skincare and aesthetics experts such as Susan Fox, Olivia Murray, Heidi McCann, Claudia McGloin, Kimberly Brophy, Louise O’Loughlin and Sinead McGovern.

Among the other highlights at Professional Beauty & Hair were the Nail Competitions, which were hosted by the Federation of Nail Professionals (FNP) and sponsored by Glitterbels, and the Make-up Competitions. The line-up of talented nails techs and MUAs who entered the different categories blew the judges away with their skills and creativity. You can read all about the winners on page 35 and 38.

“There was a really positive feeling in the air at the RDS over the two days of the show, and it was good to see visitor numbers substantially up on last year,” said Mark Moloney, managing director, Professional Beauty Group.

“In our business, we’re only as good as our last show, and next year’s March dates, combined with even more exciting content across all sectors, will ensure the event continues to aid the growth of businesses in the professional arena.”

Professional Beauty & Hair will return to Dublin’s RDS on 9-10 March 2025. You can register your interest and keep up to date with exciting additions to show at professionalbeauty.ie/show