Hair Festival 2024: What Attendees Said

Hair Festival 2024 ignited the hair industry over June 30 and July 1 at Sydney’s ICC and between the Festival Hub of expo stands, education, innovation and THE STAGE., all of which was totally free to experience, alongside Education Sessions, the REALtalk Business Forum, the Wonderland party, the Competitions and more, it was a true celebration of the very best of the hair industry. Hair Festival was presented by INSTYLE and Styleicons.

You can click in above to these event highlights, or check out some quotes below from attendees, exhibitors, educators and hairdressing legends who walked through the doors of Hair Festival 2024 and loved it.

In their words, don’t miss out next year!

“I feel like Hair Festival this year has taken it up to a whole new level, this one was bigger and better than ever, the changes of venue and timing were a great success,” said educator Sheridan Rose Shaw of MAMAWEST. “It’s been so nice to connect with the industry and bring the industry together – young and old, it feels like there’s a lot of unity now thanks to Hair Festival, it’s been amazing to be a part of it. Educating on stage and giving back all the wisdom and knowledge that’s been passed down to me is a dream come true. I feel incredibly humbled and grateful to be in the position to give back.”

“The event has been great, we’ve been everywhere, getting the clippers in everyone’s hands, everyone’s been using them on the mannequins and giving them a go,” said educator, ambassador and exhibitor Matt Clarke of Heiniger. “It also great to do our show for the Education Sessions and show a few techniques that maybe the hairdressing world isn’t used to seeing. It’s been really cool. Everyone in the room is our potential clients, we want our tools in the hands of the business owners, the hairdressers, the barbers, so this is crucial. This is the chance to get up and personal with the products, and everyone has responded really well.”

“It’s been so fantastic this year, it’s been building over the last couple of years and this year I felt the energy come back,” shared educator and ambassador Nathan Yip. “Yesterday I was on the floor for Excellent Edges and everyone was rushing in and running around. It felt alive and energetic, it felt like people were wanting to be there and there were some really great education opportunities.”

“REALTalk is always fantastic. The speakers were inspiring, insightful and authentic. They shared so many useful tips and fresh ideas alongside some raw and honest vulnerability. It was great to hear from passionate professionals from our industry and others that have a direct impact on our success such as the fabulous session on marketing,” said attendee, salon director and coach Kerrie DiMattia.

“The energy in changing venue to this luxury environment just changed it up a notch and everybody seems more engaged, the industry feels like it’s really coming back to life in a positive way,” added hairdressing legend and educator Sharon Blain. “Walking around the Festival Hub, there are so many new products and exhibitors, what you may expect about what used to be has totally flipped. That’s a really good thing for our industry, it shows forward growth and movement.”

“The excitement and energy of the people coming has been so great, it’s just alive. It’s been really amazing meeting all our colleagues,” said educator Benni Tognini. “The energy from being on stage and sharing education is awesome. There’s a whole difference between seeing it on social media and seeing it live. The networking that you gain is often missing online so that’s the beauty of having Hair Festival. I feel sorry for all the people who missed out and my suggestion to them is to be there next year.”

“The event has been great, it’s a great venue, it’s nice to be central. Going around and seeing a lot of friends, everyone seems to have the same feedback, everyone’s interactive, so I think it’s been a really successful Hair Festival,” shared exhibitor Mark Rabone of Wahl, who spoke to the presence and engagement around barbering, especially with their presence in the Barber Hub. “We smashed it at our stand yesterday and today. There’s been a great response with lots of people moving around and enjoying interactive hair education, it’s been phenomenal. People want to stay for two days and experience free education on the stands, it’s a great taster and then there’s a wealth of education they can see in the Education Sessions.”

“It’s been great, it’s been great to be at the ICC, it lifted the whole mood for it, people were excited and it was packed. The industry has been pretty pumped up by this week and I think it’s just going to get bigger and better from here on in so I’m excited to see where it goes,” said exhibitor Pete Walstab of Excellent Edges.

“We have been blown away, it’s been two days of craziness and we can’t believe how many people have come through, we’ve had a really good time,” shared exhibitor Catherine Evans of Dateline Imports. “The response to the international educators has been amazing and has helped us as an exhibitor and distributor with the power of that education. The crowd came with the intent to learn something new and is open and engaged, everyone’s been really wanting to learn, which has been fantastic. People are ready to celebrate being an industry.”

“REALTalk was such an incredible experience! I felt so in sync with the audience and their needs in-business today,” shared presenter and exhibitor Voulla Fronis of Gellibn. “There were so many nods and smiles, and I can’t tell you how many people came up to me afterwards to let me know how much they enjoyed it and how valuable they found the discussion. I feel a strong pull to fully dive back into the hairdressing industry and support salon owners. There’s clearly a need for more business support, and I want to get involved as much as possible to help salon owners.”