
Kelly Huether Reacquires Life of Riley and Riley Salon Resources
Life of Riley Salon Supply and Riley Salon Resources are back in the family, as Kelly Huether acquires the professional distributor he co-founded in 2013.
BolognaFiere Group, Informa Markets, and the Professional Beauty Association announced a collaboration to accelerate growth in the U.S. beauty and personal care industry.

On the show floor at Cosmoprof North American in Las Vegas, 2022
Photo: Professional Beauty Association (PBA)
Three B2B trade show organizers --BolognaFiere, Informa Markets, and the Professional Beauty Association (PBA)--have announced a joint venture to a series of beauty events in the U.S. beauty market.
Beginning in January 2023, BolognaFiere, Informa Markets, and PBA will combine their extensive beauty industry knowledge and network to create a best-in-class event format with unrivalled reach. BolognaFiere and PBA currently partner on the Cosmoprof North America show, held in Las Vegas, which was a resounding success in its 2022 edition. About 32,000 retailers, distributors, investors, beauty brands, suppliers, and the press connected with 1,100 exhibiting brands to discover new product launches and facilitate business.
As a part of the new joint venture, PBA, who currently organizes ISSE in Long Beach, will now evolve the show to be a part of the Premiere Beauty expansion in Anaheim, one of several events in the new USA Beauty portfolio.
Beginning in 2024, the joint venture partners will also expand the Cosmoprof North America brand, bringing beauty industry professionals together in Miami, FL which will also be well positioned to serve the Latin American market.
While Cosmoprof North America and Premiere have different attendee value propositions, by partnering, the three organizations are able to better leverage the power of the two industry leading brands, delivering more robust digital offerings and data enrichment opportunities in the U.S. beauty industry.
The joint venture will combine brands under the USA Beauty Portfolio, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, led by industry veteran Ed McNeill, with Meredith Loza and Marco Labbate, leading Marketing and Sales, respectively in cooperation with the Sales and Marketing teams of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof. An expanded call center is also planned to launch in Orlando supporting the U.S. portfolio.
“With Cosmoprof North America’s exceptional customer experience and Premiere’s best-in-class education and data strategy, this partnership will bring truly unmatched quality and service levels to the beauty industry,” said Ken McAvoy, president of Informa Markets’ South Florida Ventures portfolio. “Together, we can leverage the best of each brand across the entirety of the portfolio, creating an unrivalled customer experience.”
"The agreement is a fundamental step for the international expansion of the Cosmoprof brand”, added Gianpiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere Group. "We are proud to continue to increase the growth of the beauty industry worldwide and build on the existing prestige and value that our shows bring to the U.S. market.”
“We are thrilled to announce this partnership,” said Enrico Zannini, general manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof. “Together with Informa Markets and PBA, our trusted partners, we will offer more business and educational opportunities for the U.S. beauty industry, supporting the industry in its growth, and offering more value to our customers.”
"This partnership is an exciting opportunity for continued growth for all sectors in the beauty industry," said Nina Daily, executive director of the Professional Beauty Association. "PBA is committed to supporting and elevating beauty professionals, and the partnership with Informa Markets and BolognaFiere offers the best-in-class event opportunities for the industry as a whole.”
“The industry has been asking for our commitment to align industry leaders and we are thrilled to take a historic next step towards delivering on that commitment,” noted Ed McNeill, vice president of the Informa Markets, U.S. Beauty Portfolio. “This positions our brands to deliver education, content, digital, and community to an unparalleled level. By combining our resources, we can offer the best experience possible for the beauty industry.”
The beauty community can expect dramatically expanded marketing and sponsorship opportunities, the ability to easily participate in multiple shows through multi-show contracts opportunities, better support through the expanded call center, additional educational opportunities, and access to global markets.
This partnership is a landmark one for the U.S. beauty industry, bringing the best business opportunities, education, connection, and innovation to cities across the country, under a single umbrella.
Originally posted on Modern Salon

Life of Riley Salon Supply and Riley Salon Resources are back in the family, as Kelly Huether acquires the professional distributor he co-founded in 2013.

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