The event: The 87th annual America’s Beauty Show, held March 12-14, 2011, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Modern at ABS: At MODERN SALON’s booth, MODERN offered complimentary copies of its March issue, plus issues of SALON TODAY and FIRST CHAIR. Attendees also had the opportunity to connect with MODERN’s editors by receiving texting alerts, which shared breaking news, celebrity sightings, special event reminders and details on a daily CHI flatiron giveaway at the MODERN booth.

Farouk Systems’ Executive Artist Rocky McCormick and Global Artistic Board Joe Pena made a special appearance to sign the CHI flatirons, and Brig Van Osten, winner of Shear Genius 3, autographed copies of the March issue of SALON TODAY, where she was featured on the cover. And the MODERN SALON TV crew was on the floor all three days—tune into our coverage at modernsalon.tv on April 4.

Vidal Sassoon The Movie Premiere in Chicago: At the Cadillac Palace Theater in downtown Chicago, red carpet event tickets included a gala screening of Vidal Sassoon The Movie, Cosmetologists Chicago’s presentation to Vidal Sassoon of the Hair Icon Award, and a Q&A with Vidal Sassoon and the film’s producer Michael Gordon, founder of Bumble and bumble. Directed by Craig Teper, this documentary showed how Sassoon revolutionized the world of hair with his innovate approach to cutting women’s hair and geometric styles, plus a look into his personal life.

2011 Business Forum: Presented by ABS, P&G Salon Professional and SALON TODAY, this forum delved deep into salon business practices and armed salon professionals with the necessary business and leadership skills they need to succeed.

After being welcomed by Cosmetologists Chicago President Frank Gironda, the forum was moderated by SALON TODAY Editor-in-Chief Stacey Soble and P&G Salon Professional’s John Moroney. The forum included a panel of beauty editors from Allure, Marie Claire, Today’s Chicago Woman and Self plus salon owners who educated on recognizing different types of beauty clients and how to understand/provide the proper service for each type.

There were presentations by P&G Salon Professional CEO Reuben Carranza; P&G Salon Professional Director of Shopper- Based Design Mark Komanecky; author and founder/CEO of Strategies Publishing Corp. Neil Ducoff; and Coca-Cola West Africa CEO Jim Lafferty.

Describing in detail his “No-Compromise Leadership” concept, Ducoff urged salon owners to take full accountability for their business challenges. “Don’t get stuck in the blame thing,” Ducoff advised. “Don’t ask, ‘When will they begin to perform?’ The hardest thing we do at Strategies is to get the owner to look in the mirror. Be tenacious, and be courageous.” To close the discussion Lafferty shared his strategies for attaining work/life balance. “You own your own business. You’re following a dream that people would kill for. Find a way to give back,” he said. For owners who were not able to attend the forum in person, there was an exclusive PGSP Webcast at pgsalonpro.com/abs that allowed viewers to watch.

Photography: Lauren Salapatek, unless otherwise noted

Related:
Best of the Windy City: ABS 2011 (Part 1)
Best of the Windy City: ABS 2011 (Part 2)

Best of the Windy City: ABS 2011 (Part 1)


Best of the Windy City: ABS 2011 (Part 1)




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