The countdown begins for Look show at IFEMA MADRID. A very special year as the event celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary. For this quarter of a century, it has been the epicentre where professionals and enthusiasts from the beauty, hair and make-up industry meet to discover the latest trends and technologies. This anniversary is a testament to its success in promoting innovation and creativity in a constantly evolving sector.

We spoke with Julia Gonzalez Director of Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Fairs at IFEMA, on what this edition has in store for us.

This year, Salón Look will see the arrival of UPP THE SHOW, a training and high-end hairdressing event… What does it mean for the fair to include this offer in its calendar?

We believe that events like UPP THE SHOW are what the sector needs. We share the same objectives: to position hairdressing in the place it deserves and to achieve excellence by offering unique and exclusive programmes. In addition, the fact that UPP THE SHOW is supported by Urbiola Formación, with whom we have collaborated extensively, and with the support of Montibello and Booksy, is a guarantee of success.

How is technology expected to evolve in the hairdressing field and how will it affect trade shows?

If you refer to technology as R&D, we must bear in mind that the companies that are present year after year at Salón Look are constantly innovating and do not stop researching new tools and products to make the work of professionals easier. So that, in turn, they obtain the optimal result that increasingly demanding clients demand. Salón Look is the container where all this is produced and shown to the world, the perfect showcase. And if you refer to the institution itself, it is investing in technology to lead the cutting-edge development in the digital transformation of trade fairs. An example of this is the IFEMA LAB Foundation, which promotes new generation technologies.

How will sustainability and environmental awareness influence or is it influencing hairdressing fairs in the future?

One of IFEMA MADRID's main concerns is to become an active agent in the creation of a new model of social, economic and environmental sustainability, creating economic and personal value. We are aware of our ability to transmit, which is why we lead sustainability actions that include improving the environment, both economically and environmentally.

What will be the role of virtual and augmented reality in professional hairdressing fairs?

It will enrich the professional visit and the exhibitor's presentation. We have to be clever and take advantage of everything that the digital revolution has to offer. As I mentioned before, we are developing a prototype of an augmented reality fair, promoting research into new technologies to improve productivity. But let's not forget that our sector is about human contact, seeing, touching, smelling, and that our professionals carry out their work and their daily lives through this relationship. This ambivalence of both worlds that the sector offers us is really interesting.

Are hairdressing fairs expected to incorporate more educational and training elements for attendees in the future?

At Salón Look we already have a wide range of training and education options that we develop and plan for our visitors. We try to cover all aspects, cutting techniques, colour, styling, treatments, fashion trends, but also something that we believe is fundamental, management and communication and the use of the virtual world. We encourage our visitors to find out about everything that the fair has to offer and if they notice that something is missing, to let us know.

With everything that is happening with AI and the metaverse, do you think that the presentation of products and new products at trade fairs, to which brands have accustomed us, could change in the future?

I have already spoken about IFEMA MADRID's firm, determined and committed commitment to artificial intelligence, but it insists on contact, networking, human warmth, that is irreplaceable. After the pandemic, we all thought that our way of relating had been transformed. It has changed, yes, but it has not been transformed. In-person presence continues to be essential and decisive, and even more so in our small universe.

What opportunities will there be in the future for the international exchange of knowledge and techniques at hairdressing fairs?

We want to position our name in Latin America, we have already announced the 4th edition of Salón Look Chile, from November 5 to 7. At Salón Look, we have a significant number of trainers and professionals who come to share their knowledge from all over the world. We will not stop trying to make all this go further. I assure you that we are working on it.

How will trade fairs adapt to new consumer demands and preferences?

We analyse our consumer, dividing it into targets, by age, tastes, abilities at all levels, but what is clear is that our society has changed its way of communicating with the development of all the digital tools that we have at our disposal, with special mention to social networks. But be careful in venturing out and trying to group or simplify our consumer.

How are hairdressing trade shows expected to leverage social media and digital influence in the future?

We don't wait for the future, we already take advantage of social media, we have multiplied our investment in digital marketing, and in all the new generation promotional media that have emerged. It is true that everything changes so quickly that you have to be constantly adapting, but that is what it is all about, adapting, evolving, always working for and with the hairdressing sector.

Salón Look will be held on 4, 5 and 6 November at IFEMA.

More information. www.ifema.es/salonlook.