Trade Show Talk - A Day at The World’s Largest Salon & Spa Expo in Long Beach, California

On Sunday, January 29th 2017, I climbed the steps of the Long Beach, California Convention Center and entered The World’s Largest Salon & Spa Expo, completely unprepared for what I was about to witness...

My jaw kept dropping as I walked past booth after booth!  I witnessed hairdressers taking half-wrinkled strands of plain Jane hair and transform these into brilliantly lush, full bounties of cascading curls, quite literally before the audience’s eyes.

I saw barbers defy gravity with blow dryers and pomades and gels and combs, piling and sculpting a very regular amount of hair until the resulting mass looked like the leaning tower of Piza atop some guy’s head. Seemingly ordinary nail gels were combined and layered until suddenly a shiny black bird seemed to be jumping off a woman’s pointy finger. Another set of nails overflowed with 3-dimensional flowers and diamonds, winding and twirling around in playful sharp, sparkly twists. Woah, I murmured under my breath. How did they do that?? Women in their 40’s and 50’s were self–applying dabs of cream that seemed to shrink under-eye puffs with lightning speed. Frown lines and laugh-lines alike deflated instantaneously.  Wrinkle-resolving sorcery! I thought to myself. Everywhere I turned, faces were being buffed with huge sponges, smoky, powdery clouds floated through the air, putties and clays were being rubbed on every surface you could think of and mists were spraying clients into anticipatory shrouds of mystery, before dissipating to reveal the miraculous end result to the crowd. 

Of course, let’s not forget what I was really there for. Since most of the exhibitors expected to speak only with salon owners, barbers, nail techs and other beauty pros that day, I think it was kind of refreshing for them to be able to flip things around for a moment and speak to me about their needs, as they pertained to the jars and containers that held their awesome products.

Don’t get me wrong, these retailers were doing a phenomenal job addressing the many unique desires and concerns expressed by the thousands of beauty professionals that came through that day. But turning the focus to the packaging of their product, the outer look of it as it sits on the shelf and the feel of it as a customer picks it up and turns it over to read the instructions on the label, proved to be a warmly welcomed shift in conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with these exhibitors. As they relayed impressive information to me regarding their different innovative, cutting edge products, there was a real sense of passion, creativity and fresh thinking that was exuded. They seemed to have such a firm, knowledgeable grasp of what their customers truly needed to do a great job, which in my opinion is a key component to success in any industry.

It was great seeing some of our customers displaying our gorgeous Parkway Jars on their shelves. Although the stacking, display treatment and labeling of each company was of course entirely different, the common themes of sleek design and professional, clean, eye-catching packaging were evident threads running through each of these different brands.

Parkway's Clear Polystyrene Jar Displayed on the Shelf Upside Down with White Cap Down

I left that day convinced that the beauty industry is nothing short of magical. From the incredible advances that have been made to take beauty to the next level, to the unwavering commitment of beauty’s very best professionals to their trusting clientele, to the relentless desire to accomplish all of this in a more sustainable, earth–friendly way than the beauty pros of yesteryear, I was humbled and inspired by these great people.

I know I can speak for everyone at Parkway Jars when I say that we look forward to further supporting them in their business pursuits for a long, long time to come.