Finally, the Southeast’s largest beauty trade show dedicated to the black hair care industry googled the definition of ‘trade show’.

 A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, services, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities.

 

It is no longer acceptable to rub shoulders with randoms who are neither certified, vested, or dedicated to the progress of our professional beauty industry at our semi-annual event. Back in August as I entered the World Congress Center for the Summer show, I was approached by a group of ladies who drove in from Alabama to attend the Show and buy instructional DVD’s and score some wholesale swag. I don’t begrudge anyone a good time or a good sale but not at my expense. These ladies were friendly enough but as we checked in at the ticketing booth, I was struck by the lack of differentiation made between myself and them (randoms). The fact that Bronner Bros. charged all of us the same rate without having to produce a single piece of identification or credentials was infuriating.

On the heels of attending the Premier Orlando and Birmingham Trade shows, both requiring two forms of professional credentials including your cosmetology license and your driver’s license to prove that you were indeed who you professed, I couldn’t help but note the stark contrast in show production. If there is any correlation between more professional attendants attracting higher level professional manufacturers and educators, than I would think it would be positive and direct.
Which is why, this year’s Bronner Bros. Winter festivities held February 22-24, 2014, will be TRADE ONLY!!! praise Jesus. I am sure it wasn’t an easy decision to arrive at considering the loss of revenue from the public;   limiting the floor to trade only will cost them initially due to lower ticket sales.  However,  if Bronner commits to producing a better show, it will pay off when disenfranchised salon professionals make their way back to the Georgia World Congress Center for an actual ‘Trade Show’.  After all, Bronner is all we have in the Southeast seeing as though the larger more mainstream shows abandoned Atlanta long ago, I will remain loyal to the Bronner Family because they have been good to Atlanta.

 

 

 

The take away,

Allowing unlicensed, non-certified individuals into our professional trade shows undermines our industry by revealing trade secrets to our consumers and by disclosing wholesale prices and distribution chains to our competitors, to say the least. As it is we must contend with beauty bloggers and youtube tutorials that disseminate misinformation on the daily basis. Unfortunately, it will take someone losing all of their hair or an eye before these frauds are held accountable for their shameless self-promotion in search of free products….but I digress!

In the end, Bronner may have to scale back to smaller venues and less activities during show weekend but it will serve a greater purpose.

See you at the show!