THE EVENT: For a morning jolt of color inspiration and education, Colorfest 2018 invited colorists to break from the show floor, network and learn during America’s Beauty Show.

THE DETAILS: About 200 attendees joined MODERN SALON’S Alison Alhamed, Maggie Mulhern and Jamie Newman for the third-annual ColorFest during America’s Beauty Show at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center.

Of the four-hour fest, the first and final hour of Colorfest featured networking, raffles and prizes with event brand partners, who were sponsors of MODERN’s PROCESS hair color supplement and program: Beth Minardi, CHI, Hairtalk Extensions, Joico, Malibu C Professional, Redken, Schwarzkopf Professional, TIGI and Truss. Guests could grab coffee, mingle, and sign up for giveaways.

The meet-and-greet times sandwiched two hours of stage presentations and a panel.

Cosmotologists Chicago President Larry Silvestri welcomed attendees to Colorfest. Then, Mulhern, MODERN’s Beauty and Fashion Director, took the stage with Publisher Steve Reiss to go over key takeaways from MODERN’s 2017 hair color research. Reiss is an active participant in the salon industry conversation and has presented on a range of topics—hair loss, booth rental, hair color, you name it. He plays a tremendous role in MODERN’S research studies. Based on these stats, he noted some key points: there are significant generational differences between your color clients; the health of the hair is the key client concern and has become a key colorist concern; and education is key, and most colorists say they have taken classes with brands they don’t use.

During the program, three colorists-turned-salon-owners shared their insights on various aspects of the color industry. Nick Stenson, VP Salon Services and Trend for ULTA Beauty and Matrix Artistic Director, discussed trends and trend forecasting alongside four models. Kitty Tierney, owner of Impressions Day Spa in Wisconsin, is known for her salon’s marketing campaigns. She talked about these get her team to talk about color to clients more passionately, and how that improves her overall business. Eva Scrivo, owner of her namesake salon in New York City, focused on how she looks at a client and pictures the end result—transforming them in a way that best suits them.

SOCIAL MEDIA 101: Instagram is a significant tool for any hairstylist, but especially colorists. Editor-in-chief, Alhamed, and Senior Editor, Newman, led a panel discussion with three MODERN SALON 100 game-changer honorees, which included Olivia Smalley, Presley Poe, and Nora Dababneh. Each influencer may have a different primary focus, be it attracting guests to their salon, partnering with pro-beauty brands, or promoting their own brand and education, but it all relates back to posting attention-grabbing color work on Instagram.

"Be purposeful when collaborating and make sure you, first and foremost, show value to the other artist and execute with all of your being, or don’t at all," Smalley said, when speaking to the audience of the importance of genuine marketing and the significance of micro-influencers.