Back for its eighth year, Phorest’s 2024 Salon Owners Summit was held on January 7th and 8th at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre in Ireland.
The annual two-day educational and motivational conference gathered more than 600 salon and spa owners, managers and beauty professionals from all over the world, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and more.
This year marks Phorest’s 20th anniversary, and the event featured a wide range of keynote speakers that ranged from industry experts and hairstylists to researchers, entrepreneurs and business coaches, as well as the Phorest team.
The event kicked off with Phorest’s CEO and founder, Ronan Perceval, who took the stage to welcome and thank attendees. He also shared the meaning behind this year’s theme, “Elevate.”
“There’s a famous Irish saying, ‘There’s no strangers in here, there’s only friends you haven’t met yet,’” he said. “When I look around this room, I see a lot of old friends but also new faces that me and the team are really looking forward to getting to know.”
“The theme this year is ‘Elevate’ and we want to elevate the conversation with fantastic talks, good workshops and also intimate conversations,” he added, “that will give you bits of inspiration and ideas that will have you and your businesses thriving in 2024.”
Among the speakers for day one was researcher David Meade, who spoke about having a growth mindset.
Phorest’s chief product officer Patrick Monaghan and the brand’s product development team shared tips for elevating the consumer experience and showcased some of Phorest’s new features, which include a refreshed look for their online bookings page and Reserve with Google, along with a referral rewards program.
Entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid took attendees through her process of finding trends within her clientele and data, and how she uses that data to further connect with her guests.
To close out the day, hairstylist, educator and beauty industry expert Geno Stampora gave an inspirational and motivational talk on how to go above and beyond for your clients, and shared his list of success fundamentals for salon owners.
In addition to the stage presentations, the event included workshops that provided insight and business advice on topics ranging from social media and team development to sustainability and financial success.
Attendees ended the day with a networking drink reception and a crowd-favourite game of Bingo Loco.
Day two began with a presentation on old school versus new school leadership by salon mentor Nina Tulio. During her presentation, Tulio provided insight into how fear can hold salon owners back from success, and gave her top tips on how to transition from fear-leading to confidence.
Also taking the stage was Phorest’s research manager, Verna Wall, and the brand’s lead product designer, Rich Cullen, who shared success stories from salons and provided insight into business strategies that have been implemented at some of Phorest’s top salons around the world.
Among the speakers was Phorest’s global education content lead, Alex Bélisle-Springe, and director of product management, Becky Bryne.
The day ended with mentalist Keith Barry who shared intuitive tips for better understanding your clients and team.
We also got the chance to catch up with North Vancouver-based salon owner, Dana Lyseng, who was attending the summit for her second year in a row.
“What brought me back was how much I enjoyed beginning the year with some inspiration and motivation,” she says. “The conference has really great speakers who share about the salon industry and how to become a stronger leader in my salon and for my team, as well as how to keep evolving to become a better business.”
“This year and last year, I really learned about ideas to keep my salon team happy and connected to the salon,” she adds. “I felt inspired, but it also confirmed that I’m on the right track. Last year, I took the time to use the education and plan out my year and it really helped me stay on track and motivated.”
Browse our gallery from the event.
Photos: 1IMAGE Photography/Bryan Brophy©/All Rights Reserved
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