HBA Global Expo Keys Up with Expanded Features

An enlivened show floor and a top-notch educational program combine for three days of an incomparable industry immersion program.

Written by Jamie Matusow, Editor

The HBA Global Expo & Conference is known for encompassing all elements of the beauty industry, from mass to prestige, and this year will be no exception. When the 18th annual event takes place September 28-30, 2010 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, Pamela Baxter, president and CEO of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics North America, will kick things off by delivering the keynote address.

Baxter’s speech is open to all attendees, and will take place at Javits on Tuesday, September 28th at 9am in the Special Events Hall.

“We are delighted to have Pamela Baxter deliver the keynote address at HBA,” says Jill Birkett, HBA’s brand director, Beauty & Wellness. “Her keynote will be inspiring and is a great way for attendees to start their HBA experience.”

In conjunction with the keynote address, model Christie Brinkley will receive the 2nd Annual HBA “Positively Beautiful” Award from HBA Global Expo for her active support of Smile Train (www.smiletrain.com) and its mission.

HBA will once again feature an extensive educational program addressing a wide range of marketing, product development, business strategy and trend forecasting topics.Programming and event highlights include the Green, Trends, Global Perspectives and Marketing & Technical Conference programs.There will also be two workshops from Organic Monitor on the natural cosmetics market.

Complementing the educational agenda, of course, is the expo—an exhibit floor showcasing a full spectrum of products and services, including private label, contract manufacturing, prestige and mass market packaging components, delivery systems, design houses, raw material and ingredient suppliers—including natural and organic, analytical and testing devices, and equipment. In addition, there will be international contingencies from the Dominican Republic, Italy and other parts of Europe as well as exhibitors from all over the world.

The New Product Innovation Showcase will highlight this year’s hottest new product announcements from HBA exhibitors, and Mintel will present its Innovating Trends Showcase.

Education for Every Business Need

HBA’s educational programming offers something for everyone, and is always eagerly anticipated along with the expo.New this year, HBA presents the Global Perspectives Conference. This is billed as a must-attend event for international visitors looking to form U.S. partnerships and American businesses seeking worldwide expansions. Topics include“Not Getting Lost in Translation:Taking International Brands to U.S. Markets,”“The World’s Largest Beauty Market: Cosmetics in Europe,” and “The Global South: Emerging Markets in India and Fair Trade Opportunities.”

The core Marketing & Technical Conference offers more than 30 sessions that cover the top strategies, technologies, and research findings that will help attendees capitalize on areas of growth in the industry.

Five leading executives will assemble for a panel at HBA’s Marketing & Technical Conference. At “Insights from the Top: Looking Ahead to Innovation and Growth Challenges,” held on Wednesday, September 29, from 9-10:30am, current industry leaders will reveal the foreseeable issues and viable opportunities that will help create and shape the future of the beauty and personal care industry. Participants are Christian Bardin, president, CBA Associates; Craig Frischling, president, Lipo Chemicals, Inc.; Kevin Gallagher, president, Croda, Inc.; John Van Hulle, president, Global Color Additives and Inks, PolyOne; and Karen Young, CEO, The Young Group.

Marketing-focused sessions include “Wal-Mart and the Consumer;” “Reaching Every Woman: The Multi-ethnic Market,” and “Sniffing Out Opportunities: New Perspectives on Fragrance.”This edition of HBA will also feature the introduction of “20 Tips in 90 Minutes,” on topics ranging from beauty blogging to package design pointers from past HBA IPDA winners.

Topics covered in the technical program include “Insights from the Top: Meeting Innovation and Growth Challenges of the Future;” with leaders from major personal care companies; “Anti-Aging Path—Where No One Has Gone Before” and “New Directions in Skin and Hair Formulations.”

The popular Trends Conference is back with sessions led by top industry trend watchers, such as “Beauty Forecast 2011”; presented by The Doneger Group and the “Take Time to Listen—Consumers Talk Back,” moderated by BeautyStat.com and featuring a diverse panel of beauty and personal care consumers.

At 3pm on opening day, September 28, Beauty Packaging magazine will present a special panel on“Trends in Celebrity Packaging,” featuring Nirav Mehta, director of Packaging Concept Development (PCD) and Innovation, Coty Beauty, and John Deputato, senior vice president and leader of the Beauty and Personal Care, Client Team Vertical, at SymphonyIRI Group.

The all-natural beauty field, total body/mind wellness, and sustainability are still growing agendas for consumers, and HBA has enhanced its Green Conference to include a program that gives an in-depth view on both the science that goes into green and organic products, and the marketing and business decisions that make those products successful. Featuring an inspiring kickoff presentation by Birute Mary Galdikas, professor, Simon Fraser University, and president, Orangutan Foundation International, a leading scientific voice, who is helping to turn personal care to a more sustainable future, the Green Conference will take attendees from Borneo to the organic shelves of local beauty stores.

In addition to the HBA conference programs, Organic Monitor will present two workshops for the first time in the United States at HBA Global.This leading international research and consulting company that specializes in the global organic and related product industries will provide in-depth information and practical road maps on “Unraveling Natural and Organic Standards”; and “Business Opportunities in the Global Market for Natural and Organic Cosmetics.”

Show Floor Special Features

Be sure to visit the newest show floor feature for 2010, the Trend Spot, where cutting-edge trends in makeup, color, packaging, ingredients, and consumer buying will be featured.Attendees can see daily demonstrations by professional makeup artists including Emmy-award winner Eve Pearl, featuring the latest styles in colors and beauty looks. Organizations such as Euromonitor and Mintel, will also be on hand to offer their insights on the changing global marketplace, and there will be book signings with prominent industry authors.

HBA again will provide Networking Topic Tables, sponsored by the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC). These free networking roundtables on the show floor, are hosted by top industry professionals and cover diverse topics, from “Getting Social Online” to “Regulatory Confusion—Sorting It Out.”An expanded program allows for more seating this year and the sessions will be more interactive to foster even greater relationship-building among peers.

Connect face-to-face in the new Social Media Spot, where the online community meets reality. More than 2,000 industry professionals in HBA’s online social communities will be able to “meet-up” in this show floor lounge and interact in-person with some of the people they have been “talking” to on Facebook, LindkedIn or Twitter. Special activities include a “meet the beauty bloggers” event after the Marketing 20 Tips conference session.

Another new show floor feature will be the RSVP Pavilion, a private suite area for leading beauty and personal care suppliers to meet with top customers and prospects. Access to the RSVP Pavilion will be limited to invitation holders only.

The VIP Lounge also returns to HBA providing a convenient, comfortable, exclusive venue for the industry’s top beauty buyers to network, discuss business, or just relax and enjoy special amenities.

HBA IPDA

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this year, the HBA International Package Design Awards (IPDA) showcase, at Booth No. 1006, will feature this year’s hottest brand designs in cosmetics, fragrance, personal care, skin care, and sustainable packaging.This area, sponsored by Beauty Packaging, recognizes the year’s most outstanding package design and will help spark ideas and bring new creativity back to the office “drawing board.” For more on these awards, please see page 49 of this issue.

Completing the 360-degree product development experience, all HBA attendees will again have access to the co-located two-day Spa & Resort/Medical Aesthetics Expo.Discover advanced technology, up-to-date treatments and procedures, and the latest in skin care, from leading companies at this progressive industry event.

More info: www.hbaexpo.com