Visitors flock to the Spring 2016 Ben’s
Beauty trade show in Baltimore, MD
couldn’t help but be impressed. It’s no wonder Ben’s Beauty is one of the top and most beloved distributors in the
business.
Beauty and Business at Ben’s Spring
Trade Show
After getting a closer look at the company we made our
way to Baltimore’s BWI Marriott hotel to attend Ben’s
Beauty Supply’s spring trade show. The packed halls were
crowded with vendors and retail professionals all looking
for the best new products. We spoke with the company’s
Vice President Emily Hyun who explained that this year
over 600 attendees registered. There were also 90 vendors
representing a wide variety of companies including Sensational, It’s A Wig, Shea Moisture, Strength of Nature, and
many more.
Hyun explained that in the last few years the trends have
changed in trade shows, while there were still plenty of
people placing orders the average customer has become
more discerning. “Every year they come to find good products,” said Hyun, noting that stiff competition between
beauty supply stores as well as competition between manufacturers has made both more conscientious. “Trends and
consumers change rapidly so they try to develop new products and products must be very unique, more effort is put
into developing.” We noticed that samples were a big thing
as people want to test a product before they try to stock it.
Morgan R Grantt, brand manager for Reshma Femme,
noted that developing effort is a huge part of why they
come to shows like Ben’s. Her company has been attending Ben’s Beauty shows for the past several years, and she
explained that they love shows like Ben’s as it allows them
not only a chance to meet new potential customers but to
talk with old ones about what the brand can work on.
Similarly Vinny Curcio of the Kirschner Group who was
attending to represent Oster and Sparks told us, “The Ben’s
shows are good for us because it gives us an opportunity
to answer questions that maybe Ben’s can’t answer. It also
allows customers to engage with the brand in a different
way.” Nodding to a display of clippers he added, “Maybe
they don’t know about the different motors in the oyster
products—why one is $20 and another is $120.”
34
COSMOBIZ SALON APRIL 2016
Emily Hyun, Vice President of
Ben’s Beauty Supply
Products displayed
at the OKAY Pure
Naturals booth
Reshma Femme showcases
their henna hair dyes