Beauty Insiders Connect at Cosmoprof North America 2011

The annual Las Vegas event brought together more than 760 exhibitors and nearly 25,000 attendees.

Cosmoprof North America, the three-day event held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV, from July 31 to August 2, drew more than 760 exhibiting companies and nearly 25,000 attendees, including importers, distributors, manufacturers and global beauty leaders. Attendees and exhibitors connected, experienced new products, and conducted business meetings. More than 1,100 attendees, including business and industry leaders from multiple sectors, filled special education seminars and participated in roundtable discussions to share insights and knowledge about the beauty industry.

The tradeshow attracted many new and innovative brands, industry leaders, and trade and consumer publications, as well as more than 100 bloggers who reported live from the exhibit floor.

International Networking

Special sections on the show floor were dedicated to International Country Pavilions, which allowed small- and medium-sized companies from select markets to meet face-to-face with distributors and retailers to secure U.S. distribution. Argentina, Brazil, China, Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan were among those featured.

Another innovative aspect of the show included The International Buyer Program, sponsored by UNIPRO. The program joined buyers and sellers around the world with the resources, contacts, and data to build business partnerships. Companies showcased their products and met for pre-scheduled appointments with selected importers and distributors. Overall, 560 meetings involving more than 200 exhibiting companies and 134 qualified international buyers were held as part of the program. The international buyers came from Argentina, Australia, Benin, Canada, Congo, Guinea, Japan, Mauritania, Mexico, Peru, Senegal Uganda and Uruguay.

Boost for Emerging Brands

Discover Beauty, another Cosmoprof North America program, assisted emerging brands in finding the proper market and also helped highlight the latest trends. One-on-one meetings between prestigious retailers like Bergdorf Goodman, C.O. Bigelow, Cosbar, Duane Reade, Henri Bendel, HSN, Nordstrom, Skins 6|2 and Zappos enabled Discover Beauty brands to receive high-level critiques and feedback. Seventeen brands participated in the 2011 Discover Beauty program and the event culminated with the selection of The 2011 Discover Beauty Award winner. Brands were judged on creativity, innovation and market readiness. Specialty retailers as well as a number of popular beauty bloggers, such as Bellasugar.com, DailyMakeover.com and Youbeauty.com, voted. Snowberry, the natural anti-aging skin care product line from New Zealand, took home the top prize. The products display fanciful packaging and are created with peptides, antioxidants, “super fruits,” and herbal oils, including extracts from New Zealand rain forest plants.

Hairstylists also gathered for the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA), which was held in conjunction with Cosmoprof North America, on Sunday, July 31. A record number of 2,800 guests at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas attended, and Eli Mancha, of the Lock & Loaded Salon in Chicago, was named Hairstylist of the Year.