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At the start of the new year, clients resolve to amp up their beauty routines and salon professionals make plans to enhance their service offerings and grow their business. The time could not have been better for the 2017 Face & Body Midwest Spa Conference and Expo, an event that connected pros to brands and education that offered business and beauty inspiration for the year ahead. 

The three-day expo, held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, attracted over 3,000 salon pros and industry suppliers, all who were eager to have a jump start this year on their education, product knowledge and business insight.

Known as a launch and networking pad for new spa products and equipment, this year’s event featured 585 exhibitors from 109 companies. Ranging from international beauty leaders to indie trendsetters, exhibiting brands included Amarte Skincare, Bio France Lab, Borboleta Beauty, Eminence Organic Skincare, HydraFacial MD, Le Mieux Cosmetics, LightStim, M.A.D Skincare/California Skincare Supply, PCA Skin, Rhonda Allison Skin Care and ZAQ Aromatherapy.

Show Highlights: Education

Education was a main highlight of Face & Body Midwest 2017. The show kicked off on Saturday, January 21, 2017 with the Advanced Education Conference program. 294 registered attendees could choose education that was broken up into a Wellness Track, a MedSpa Track, a Business Track, a Science Track and a Treatment Track. With over 25 educational sessions taught by spa industry experts, the Advanced Education Conference allowed attendees to earn up to six Illinois Continuing Education credits. Industry suppliers also presented their specific products and techniques and conducted hands-on demonstrations and lectures in Supplier Classes.

This year, Face & Body Midwest debuted the Medical Spa Summit through a partnership with the American Med Spa Association. The summit provided comprehensive education to current and potential medical spa owners on the ins and outs of operating a successful medical spa. Attendees at the summit were able to earn up to seven Illinois CEs.

Face & Body Midwest also partnered with the Melanoma Foundation of New England to offer “The Skinny on Skin,” an on-site cancer education program. In this sold-out 90-minute session, attendees learned how to screen for suspicious moles while performing common skin care and salon services, gained tips for how to talk to clients about findings, and became certified after attending the class.

Show Highlights: Keynote Speakers

Kicking off the Advanced Education Conference on Saturday, January 21, 2017 was the keynote "Beauty + Passion = Purpose," by celebrity makeup artist and best-selling author Michelle Phillips. Her speech explored the topic of first impressions and self-confidence, and how both dynamics impact the beauty industry.

Celebrity esthetician JoElle Lee returned to Face & Body Midwest on Sunday, January 22 with a keynote on “5 Tools Every Esthetician Must Have to be Successful.” Mondays keynote was presented by fitness and lifestyle expert Andrea Metcalf, who discussed achieving “A Healthier You in 2017.”

Plan for Face & Body Midwest 2018:

Face & Body Midwest will take place again on January 20-22, 2018 and will be held at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.

Face & Body Northern California will take place Aug. 26-28, 2017, in San Jose, CA; and Face & Body Southeast will take place Oct. 7-9, 2017 in Atlanta.

For additional information, visit midwest.faceandbody.com.

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