The Inside Scoop at Cosmoprof North America

1. We have been liberated. With no sucking up to global companies at debilitating meetings, there was no stress.

2. I did not walk the show floor aisle by aisle. In fact, I didn’t even walk the show floor although it was the smallest ever.

3. All the action was in private meetings held at hotel suites far away from the show floor. Between Kemon, Label.m, Michael O’Rourke and a few others, I can sense this incubator of new and fresh ideas paving the way for the next generation. The show floor saw fewer exhibitors and attendees than ever before. CPNA is an embarrassment to its flagship show in Bologna. I felt sorry for the huge number of China, Korea, Taiwan and Italy stands that tried to do some business. The big booths catered to retail customers such as ULTA, Sephora and chain drug. Although either CND or OPI were on the floor, the nail category took up a sizeable amount of space. There wasn’t much else that was noteworthy. Even the rep groups see the handwriting on the wall. While they still had booths on the floor, most of them were running around the Four Seasons, Mandalay Bay and the Hotel going to meetings. They are desperate for new blood and it was quite scary considering it was daytime. Salons were around for NAHA but why CPNA and the PBA ties the two events together is still a mystery. But we do need to thank CPNA and the PBA for bringing distributors to Las Vegas to do business over a 2-3 day period even if it’s not done on the show floor. I’m already looking forward to next July 24-26. Happy Wednesday!