THE EVENT:Intercoiffure America/Canada (ICA) 2018 Spring Atelier, held at the Guest House at Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee. 

DETAILS: More than 500 salon professionals (owners, managers and artists) attended the largest spring atelier in the history of ICA. 15 new members and one new school partner were sworn in at the kick off of the two-day workshop. Lighter fare included a L’Anza sponsored tour of the Stax Museum, a “bash” and “Lashionshow” sponsored by Revitalash, a performance by a gospel choir, a stand-up routine by comedienne Leanne Morgan and personal tours of Graceland. However, it was the business and technical information that made this atelier one for the books. Hands-on classes included cut (Innovative Cutting) and color (The Deconstruction of Color). 19 brands participated with vendor tables and presentations that included product knowledge, demonstrations and gifting.  

HIGHLIGHTS: There were multiple main stage highlights during this atelier including:

-A talk show hosted by Mary Brunetti conducting interviews with Intercoiffure America/Canada President Frank Gambuzza, Adam Broderick and Lois Christie about training and maintaining staff (sponsored by Salon Tech.)

-A presentation about Beauty Changes Lives with a “call to action” from Lynelle Lynch, Fred Collins, Trevor Attenborough and Robert Passage.

-A high style presentation from Erin Hayden and the Hairdreams Artistic Team.

- A chat by Stanley Wilson, Esq. on “Avoiding a Bad Legal Day in the Salon Business.”

-The joyful Hallerin Hilton Hill introducing “Joy 101: How-to “Revolutionize Your Life and Business” by bringing happiness in to your life and business.

-ICA Nouveau Top Ten with Perry Monge, ICA Nouveau Director, ICA, applauding the finalists of the Nouveau competition, as the winners, Kenzie Cross and Dex Carter of Salon Visage, Knoxville, TN., were crowned.

-A conversation with Trevor Attenborough and Daniel Kaner about the new relationship between Goldwell and Oribe.

-A presentation about “Dynamic Services” from L’Oreal Professionnel artists Drew Schaefering and Laura Gibson.

- A standing ovation for Van Council and Susan Dykstra of the Van Michael Salons for their guidance on how-to “Get Rich or Die Tryin” which included tips on creating a successful salon environment for everyone on the floor.

- Getting the scoop on “Deconstructing NAHA” by Jessi Marshall of the Professional Beauty Association (PBA).

-MODERN Publisher Steve Reiss and Scott Missad sharing insight from in depth research about stylist and client perceptions and behaviors in a presentation called “Retail Realities.”

OVERHEARD: “If I heard it once, I heard it dozens of times - Memphis was the best Spring Best Atelier I’ve ever been to.” Those words, uttered by Gambuzza, were echoed by members and guests upon departing. One member of the press was overheard saying, “I just wish we had another few days. This was amazing.”

PARTING WORDS: “The mix of presenters hit the Hot Topics of the industry one after another made this a particularly special atelier,” Gambuzza says. “It was an intellectual snapshot, with solutions to guide North America’s market leading salons into the next phase of our ever-changing business. Intercoiffure America/Canada continues to raise the bar for the betterment of the beauty business, with the collection of the Industry’s best minds."

MOVING FORWARD: The next atelier will be held in NYC at the New York Hilton Midtown, October 27-29, 2018. The 2019 Spring Atelier will be held at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, April 6-8, 2019. 

For more information about membership, go to www.intercoiffure.com