Beauty Expo Melbourne 2017
I had the pleasure of going to Beauty Expo Melbourne this year with Anna, Maddy and John, and what a whirlwind it was! We chatted with customers, talked to people in the industry, made new friends, and saw some experts wowing the crowds. Recap and pics after the jump!
The Expo was filled with speakers and demos on both days, and unfortunately we couldn’t make it to all of them. But what we did catch was so inspiring! We’re all about to quit our jobs at Timely and become beauty professionals (just kidding, we would be so outclassed).
Lorna Evans
The Lorna Evans team brought collective decades of experience at red carpet glamour, and the glitz was real.
They used simple materials from Lincraft to glam up a humble braid, showed off the benefits of a curved comb, and (most importantly for us non-hairstylists) taught us how to make a classic wave with a curling wand. Truly magic!
Paula Hibbard
Paula of Paula Hibbard Education was the MC on the hair pop up stage this year. We’ve talked to her at previous Expos (check out her interview here) and it was a pleasure to see her again!
We chatted a bit to her about the importance of continuing education, no matter where you are in your career: learning new things isn’t something that stops after school.I love this philosophy, and not just because I work for a tech company! The more you try new things, the easier it is to stay relevant and informed, which can only help yourself and your business.
And of course, we couldn’t help but admire her beautifully styled french roll. Hanging out with hair professionals for two days in a row really makes you feel like upping your game!
Sarah Hudson
Sarah gave a talk at the Anti-Ageing Hub on innovating in your beauty business to keep up with the market. As the owner of a successful skin clinic in Sydney, her advice was hard-earned and spot-on. Sarah told us that she makes a point of trying something new every year, even if she doesn’t end up adopting that technology or product or piece of equipment, just so she’s constantly challenging herself and pushing her business forward.
We also talked a bit about why she feels Expos are so important, and it’s something that really resonated: even if you don’t buy a single thing, knowledge is power! Knowing what other people are doing (and selling) keeps you in the game. Thanks for chatting with us, Sarah!
Lizzie Liros
After watching Lizzie demonstrate red carpet hairstyles for brides, I am so ready to get done up and walk down a beautiful aisle!
Lizzie’s demonstration was full of practical tips, like:
- using hairpins instead of bobby pins until you’re totally sure you’ve got everything where you want it
- using dry shampoo instead of hairspray
- using your fingers as your best tool
Along with the styling wisdom, Lizzie also offered some gems on running a business. One that really stood out to me was that time is money.
Of course, we’ve all heard that before. But it’s so true, especially for people who sell their time in appointment-sized chunks.
The time you waste in an appointment (or in between them) is time you could be spending with another client.
Lizzie mentioned learning to speed up her finger waves, but as a Timely gal I couldn’t help thinking of things like answering phones, texting reminders, and those sorts of admin tasks.
Jazz Pampling
Jazz’s talk was well-attended as always, and she said hi to us from stage! I fangirled out a bit, not going to lie. She’s an amazing brow artist and businesswoman, and has really embraced the benefits of specialisation. We love Jazz’s educational philosophy – it’s not just about shaping brows, it’s about teaching your clients what looks good on them and how to maintain.
At the Timely stand
We thought we’d try something a bit new this year: a temporary tattoo makeover with Tattly!
We had a blast being (almost) beauticians for the weekend, applying the tats and chatting with the expo-goers.
It was wonderful to see people walking around with the tattoos. But our not-so-secret secret goal was to show people Timely in action! Sneaky, I know.
We had people use Timely online booking to book in for their tattoos, or we scheduled them into the calendar right then and there. Getting to show off Timely is such a pleasure. It kind of feels like introducing a friend to a new show you know she’s going to love.
We met so many lovely people at our stand. It almost felt like we talked to all 5,000 attendees! We answered lots of questions about Timely, and online booking in particular.
From my chats, it seems that more and more people are starting to dip their toes in online booking, which is so encouraging. It’s the way of the future: no more paper, and easier for your clients. Get on board, everyone!
We talked to people about how they got into the beauty industry, and how business is going. A lot of people used to do their friends hair or nails or makeup in high school, and turned it into a successful career – so cool!
One thing I heard over and over is time: not enough of it. Just as we heard in the speakers and demonstrations, time is money in a literal way when you’re taking appointments. Anything that takes you away from servicing clients is hugely frustrating.
There were groups of students from the likes of Victoria University and the Casey Clinic of Hairdressing roaming around the Expo, and a bunch stopped by the stand for a tattoos and chats.
It was great to see the next generation of business owners learning the ropes and mingling with the experts. Can’t wait to set you up with Timely in a few years, ladies ;)
Meeting customers in person
And finally, the Timely customers. A steady trickle of people who already use Timely came by to say hi on both days, and it warmed our hearts!
Some people had questions, and we were able to show them a few little tricks in Timely. I realized that Timely has so many different functions, it’s possible for a business to get amazing value from the app without even touching certain features.
Some people had feedback for our product team, which was thoughtful and super helpful for us.
Some people just stopped by to tell us how much they loved Timely. Well, we love you too!
I also answered a few questions about upcoming features, like booking reminders, and walked people through our newest feature: the resource calendar! I saw a lot people’s eyes light up when they heard about that one.
Beauty Expo Melbourne was loud, exciting, bustling, and a total blast. Thank you to everyone who spoke, demonstrated, visited our stand, and spread the Timely love about the place. Can’t wait for Sydney!
