Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) will take place on July 29-31 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The annual event brings the global leaders in beauty and cosmetics together in one venue and offers industry professionals a wide array of knowledge and presentations.

Beauty Packaging talked with Daniela Ciocan (shown above), marketing director of CPNA, about the upcoming show, some of the trends in packaging, and some of the innovations at this year’s event:

Beauty Packaging (BP): As we get closer to Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) on July 29-31 in Las Vegas, what are the biggest changes attendees will see in the 2018 event?

Daniela Ciocan: As the leading beauty exposition in North America, our formula for success is always great programs that add value for our attendees and the industry at large. We bring new ideas and programs every year to provide value to attendees and exhibitors. We are also sure to keep the successful elements of the show intact. 

The floor plan layout is different, with the packaging sector being the first area as you enter the convention. We’ve also expanded the packaging sector due to tremendous demand, and we see this as a key area.

Our events cater to companies of all sizes, and so our programs are created to help grow their business. A new and exciting element this year will be our partnership with Founder’s Factory, which is a new model for corporate innovation and startup creation out of London. This collaboration enables CPNA to maintain its leadership for offering unmatched business building networking and learning opportunities. Exhibitors will have the opportunity to meet with Founder’s Factory executives during the show at the Founder’s Factory activation point in the Interactive Technology section.

The Beauty Vanities is another area where we’re created a “show-within-a-show” feel to appeal specifically to today’s smaller brands. We already have close to two dozen exhibitors in The Beauty Vanities venue, all of them exhibiting at CPNA for the first time. These exciting brands will get special perks, such as access to high-end booth design and access to PR and marketing teams. These spaces are limited, but for companies with fewer than 10 SKUs, it’s a great way to get exposure to this international audience for a reasonable investment.

CPNA celebrates both beauty brand innovators as well as formulators and packaging companies that bring a brand to life. More than one-third of CPNA’s floor space is devoted to packaging and formulation, and this puts companies looking to develop a new product line in touch with the manufacturing and packaging experts they need to take this idea from concept to reality.

BP: In 2017, you launched DISCOVER PACK, which spotlights the packaging industry and further reinforces the importance packaging plays in the beauty industry. How will DISCOVER PACK grow and change at this year’s event?

Ciocan: We know packaging is an integral part of the beauty product experience—and it makes up 15% of our show exhibitors. DISCOVER PACK will bring innovative suppliers to the event and assure them appointments. We’ll expand in every area and highlight how packaging continues to impact consumer demand and sales, both from a manufacturing and aesthetic perspective.

It’s important for the industry to understand more about how packaging will impact every aspect of the business. The experience the customer has at the point of purchase is primarily dominated by the packaging elements, the materials used and the technological advances to allow information exchange and delivery through smart devices.

We carried this idea over to our collaboration with the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). The FIDM undergraduate students have been asked to look into the future and create a connected beauty concept for the year 2050. These exciting concepts will be featured at CPNA, and we’re thrilled to be able to host the winning team and have them present their concepts as part of a power session on July 30.

Engaging students who are tomorrow’s leaders and work force allows those already in the field to expose us to novel, fresh thinking that is meant to push the barriers of conventional thinking. This is one important reason why we chose to collaborate with FIDM.

When I asked Tina Perez, the director of Beauty Industry Management for FIDM, about this project, she told me, “The challenge CPNA gave our students will benefit them beyond measure, but it’s also thrilling to know these concepts could spark further innovation and potentially fuel the next big beauty tech solution.”

BP: The global supply chain is so important in a changing world. Will attendance at CPNA again reflect the global nature of the industry?

Ciocan: It’s a cliché, but beauty is universal. So is attendance at CPNA. We’ll have more than 1,300 exhibitors this year from about 40 countries, and almost 40% of our exhibitors will come from outside the U.S.

While most of our attendees will come from North America, we will welcome visitors from Europe, Asia, South America, the Oceania region and the Middle East. More than 22% of our attendees will travel from outside the U.S., and that makes our global focus for CPNA even more important.

BP: What are some of the other show highlights in the packaging and supply area?

Ciocan: In 2017, we collaborated with Beauty Packaging magazine to present the first Beauty Innovation & Design (BeautyID) awards. Winners will be announced during a July 30 reception. A panel of 11 industry leaders will select the winners from among 10 categories, including the Grand Award, for outstanding achievement in categories ranging from hair, nail, skin and color to personal care, fragrance and sustainability.

View the finalists here for this year’s BeautyID Awards.