IAS or Independent Academy Sessions is a group of the salon industry’s top educators who will share their expertise, passion, and talent on stage at the famed Delray Beach Marriott Resort on February 5, 2017

The event is called IAS because it claims its independence from manufacturers. The event is being branded as raw unfiltered education; because salon industry professionals can gain incredible knowledge without being specific to any brand, making the content of powerful education available to all salons and salon professionals regardless of what they use and sell in their salons. More importantly, the group is bringing unity through education. Education is the common ground that binds our industry regardless of business model.

The history of hair is being featured as an integral part of this event. The legendary Robert Lobetta (the face of British Hairdressing in the 1970s-80s) will serve as Master of Ceremonies along with two-time NAHA Winner Charlie Price, who appeared on the television hair competition Shear Genius, and is one of today’s most recognizable faces in the North American hairdressing.

Joining these powerhouses are several other top professionals. Albie Mulcahy, of the John Sahog Salon, is known as an editorial commercial stylist and educator and is a rock star talent who constantly gives back to the industry. Chad Clark from California has wowed audiences nationwide with the multigenerational message of outstanding education. Phil Ring known as the pixel hair color illusionist, has joined IAS to represent the new generation of innovative hair color concepts. And, Misael Aponte is an internationally renowned master colorist and educator as well as the international color director for Oligo Professional. With his infectious enthusiasm and innovative visuals, he will show attendees the fine art of color placement.

IAS is beauty-on-the-beach education. It’s a chance for salon professionals to get up close and personal with five generations of talent on one stage.  IAS is about the history of hair, a continued learning process in the age of art and science, and giving professional hairdressers the most up-to-date career growth through education and inspiration.

In addition to the mainstage class to stage education, there will be small classroom opportunities throughout the venue to meet peer to peer professionals, educators and sponsor companies.

For more details about the event, please visit www.iasraw.com. To purchase tickets, click here.

Eric Charles Mokotoff, founder of The Independent Academy Sessions has been educating hair color for two decades, sharing knowledge from top color companies during his early career in NY. Now, the owner of Hair Studio Artists Salon in Delray Beach. Florida, it’s been his dream to bring outstanding education to South FL where the message is industry unity, history and education being more important now than ever before. Offering his unique brand of independent education, Mokotoff still travels nationwide to the top hair shows to teach. For the past four years he has been inspiring participants at the American Board of Certified Haircolorists’ annual summit. When creating IAS, he simply reached out to his salon industry friends. IAS is not backed by anyone, it’s simply a dream to be lived out to be shared by all.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.