Premium Beauty News - Success was the one expected at MakeUp in Sao Paulo!
Sandra Maguarian - Yes another successful event! And you will agree that the task was not an easy one considering the current situation in Brazil. With a deflating economy and a deleterious political climate, MakeUp in Sao Paulo welcomed in two days more than 1,200 visitors! And all the exhibitors were delighted, because in spite of the situation, Brazilian and South American women in general use more beauty products. This market is holding up well and is even more resilient than expected given the general crisis in Brazil.
Premium Beauty News - As for the United States, 2016 is shaping up as a very busy year in terms of Beauty BtoB events, with the launch of two new tradeshows. What do you think of what some call this "overflow" of trade shows?
Jean-Yves Bourgeois - Sandra and I are not really adepts of waffling. All these competitors do not deliver, in our view, a new concept in New York. With an interval of four months between them, the same year, what difference do you see between PCD and Luxe Pack New York in terms of positioning? In a one-month interval, what difference do you see between Cosmoprof/Cosmopack in New York and Cosmoprof/Cosmopack Las Vegas?
Anyway, we have never compared ourselves to others. We really have very few exhibitors in common who made the distinction between both a long time ago, and, above all, very few visitors in common... Our core target remains Marketing and R&D teams.
Premium Beauty News - Regarding MakeUp in New York, you chose another venue. Brooklyn is quite challenging!
Jean-Yves Bourgeois - Yes and it’s a winning challenge! Getting to Grand Prospect Hall is very easy. Probably easier than to get to other places in East of South Manhattan. We made the experiment several times. There is a direct subway line that connects in 35 minutes Upper Manhattan to Prospect Avenue station, which is a few steps away (150 meters) from the venue we chose. Grand Prospect Hall is a beautiful, warm and friendly place with a garden and 250 free parking spaces. In addition, we will organize free shuttles, every half hour, from Central Park and Penn Station (for visitors coming from New Jersey). By telling the taxi driver to drive along the East River or Hudson River, it takes only 35 minutes with no traffic jams or traffic lights, to get to Grand Prospect Hall from downtown Manhattan. This is probably the reason why a lot of people working in marketing and development teams of major brands located in Manhattan, live in Brooklyn!
And it is much easier to go from Kennedy Airport (where a lot of our visitors land!) to Brooklyn.
We have already sold more than 70% of the show floor dedicated to exhibitors. All our loyal exhibitors are following us! And some "key" visitors even confirm: "Go Brooklyn!"
Premium Beauty News - MakeUp in Action in Los Angeles? Yet another challenge to take up!
Sandra Maguarian - It’s great and original! Everyone is so exited! Registrations for Conferences and Workshops are doing very well. The twenty five exclusive stand locations planned for a few number of suppliers were distributed in only ten days! Just have a look at the list of speakers taking part to the various round tables to convince yourself that we are supported by the biggest brands in the region. Chanel Parfums et Beauté also wanted to partner.
Premium Beauty News - Too many shows spoil the shows! What is your opinion?
Jean-Yves Bourgeois - Competition is very healthy when it takes place in a fair manner. It makes things move in the right direction. But ultimately, it is up to exhibitors and visitors to make their choice. They are the final arbiter. We visit our exhibitors often and we listen to our visitors. They know it. And our unique positioning attracts both of them.
