…And we’re back!! It was SO lovely to meet you all at the Beauty UK show over the weekend!! What a jam-packed weekend it was… So, let’s get into all of the behind the scenes of attending a beauty trade show and meet the team!!!
DAY ONE
In the *very* early hours of Saturday morning we all hit the road, armed with snacks and suitcases (yes, suitcases!) for the journey from Kent to Coventry. As soon as we arrived, it was straight to the arena for setting up time! We only had 6 hours to construct our stands and get all of our stock out and organised. If there was ever a time for saying ‘all hands-on deck’, this was it! We had palettes of gel polishes, glitters, crystals, acrylics, and trial kits! Living in your Pure Nails and Halo dreams!
After a little while, our lovely VIP’s and ladies from Newcastle arrived to help us set up after a 7-hour journey- but that wasn’t stopping them! Everyone was on a MISSION to get it all done. Thousands of polishes and glitters later, everything was coming together. Our main stand was painted, electricals were wired in, and we had made a huge dent into the sea of boxes surrounding both stands...
*Snack break*
A few sausage rolls and some crisps later everybody was on a roll! Time was ticking on and the serious stocking up was happening. A few hours went by and before we knew it, 5pm had come round and it was time to chill out for an hour before getting some dinner… and a well-deserved drink!
After some nibbles and a few drinks, we all head up to bed for an early night in preparation for Day 2, aka Day One of the Beauty UK show...
DAY TWO
All alarms set for 6:30, we got ready at super-speed to fit in a quick breakfast, before heading back down to the show to complete all of the finishing touches to the stands, then a team talk before the doors open at 10am to meet all of you!
The doors open and we were ready and rearing to go. We had Demos being shown by our educators, VIP’s sharing their vast knowledge of everything nails, and all of our wonderful staff helping you pick all the goodies you were after! As it was our first show back since covid restrictions had been properly dropped, we weren’t too sure what to expect! We didn’t know if it would be packed shoulder to shoulder or just a steady flow of people… Overall on the first day we all had so much fun and lots of giggles among selling to you, our Halo lovers!! We hope you had as good a time as us!!
You may have seen some of the other cool brands and businesses attending the Beauty UK Show, through socials or in person if you made it to the show. There were models in special effects makeup and full body paint! Or if hairstyling is more up your street, there were models showing off so many different extreme hairstyles. We had a look around the show at all of the exhibitors’ stands which was really exciting! They had everything from palm readings and tarot readings to well-known lash brands! What we really enjoyed was sharing the experience with our Halo family, alongside some new additions!
Before we knew it, time had ticked on, and it was 5pm. The majority of customers had trickled out and everyone was dying to get their feet up and have a few hours to relax before dinner. We all headed to our rooms to chill and get ready for dinner, 7pm flew round and we were all reunited for a bite to eat and a few drinks.
Slowly the table got smaller and smaller as everyone headed up for bed in dribs and drabs. Another early night to prepare for Day 3… I think I can speak for everyone when I say as soon as our heads hit the pillow, we were all out like a light!
DAY THREE
Here we go again… another early morning wakeup, getting ready and it’s time for a feast at breakfast to keep us fuelled for the day. We check out of our hotel, after eating enough to feed a herd of elephants and load all of our luggage into our cars. Time for the last day of the show… Student Day!! As we walked back into the arena, the queues had already begun, we waited in anticipation of what the day would entail. 10am and the doors opened to a sea of students! Goodie bags being given out left, right and centre. Gel polishes were practically flying off the shelves as everyone stocked up on their favourite products and colours!
Luckily for us, once the rush had passed, after a few hours we were able to start stripping back one side of the main stand which was super handy. For a few of the team it was their first show, you may be thinking surely it doesn’t take long to set up/ take down? Or that it’s mainly just selling products? But that isn’t exactly right… we would say the selling is the easiest part! We have a team come in and help us construct the stands in the morning, then paint them and fit the electricals. (Think 60-minute makeover but x1000!!) While the stands are drying, we put together all of the polish stands, wall backings and shelves for our second stand…then begin stocking up one glitter at a time! That’s the biggest transformation, from arrival to the completed stands.
Everybody mucks in to get the job done. Teamwork makes the dreamwork, as they say. But now, back to the last day of the show. We were all packing up, this took a few hours, then before we knew it the builders were back dismantling the stands and unwiring the electricals, our job was mainly to box everything back up and get them ready on the palettes to be delivered back to our warehouses in Kent! What a LONG day!! Finally, around 7/8pm we were ready to start our journey home! With a quick stop at the nearest services for a well-deserved McDonald’s, and maybe a cheeky nap in the car ride home!
