HBA Global Expo Highlights Special Features

HBA Global Expo & Conference welcomed industry professionals, exhibitors and educational partners, June 10-12, 2014. The three-day show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan was co-located alongside six other shows this year, for the first time, including EastPack and PharmaPack.

“This year’s HBA Global features were stronger than ever,” said Nina Brown, event director, North American Events, UBM Canon. She explained, “The HBA Conference and free Trend Theater showcased over 100 beauty and packaging speakers who sparked in-depth conversations on industry trends. At Wednesday evening’s IPDA awards, over 200 gathered to celebrate finalists from 13 categories; the energy in the area was palpable as winners were announced.”

The Stats

 

According to show organizers, 64% of visitors said they attended to find new suppliers.

The exhibitors showcased a variety of the latest products and services for beauty and personal care manufacturers across these categories: primary packaging; secondary packaging including labels; finished goods and sampling products; contract manufacturers; applicators; and raw material/ingredient suppliers.

‘Beauty Met Business’

The trade show seemed to live up to its slogan “Where Beauty Meets Business.” Business relationships were encouraged through Speed Networking events, where crowds gathered for an informal “meet and greet” session. The Trend Theater, an area on the show floor, offered visitors another opportunity to mingle. Speakers appeared on the stage nearly every hour and then responded to attendees’ questions.

Although the show floor seemed a little quiet at times, many of the conference rooms in the front of the lower level were filled with entrepreneurs and executives piling in—anxious to hear one of the many speakers that were on the packed conference roster. Expanded sessions were offered across five tracks: marketing, packaging, branding, market trends, and innovations in health and beauty aids.

The conference program included case studies presented by executives from both indie and global brands, including Estée Lauder, Nars Cosmetics, Tarte, The NeoStrata Company and others.

Cynthia Beesemyer, founder and president, The Brand Initiative LLC, presented the conference “Launching a Product in the Highly Competitive Beauty World.”

Beesemyer discussed how to choose the right packaging, as well as the best suppliers to execute the concept; how to determine the distribution for your product; and tips on managing the marketing plan.

She offered some useful advice for a start-up entrepreneur, including this tip: “Do your due diligence before developing your product line. Know the competitive environment so you can find the white space your brand can own. Know your unique selling proposition—and being ‘the best’ is not it.”

Beesemyer also stressed the importance of branding—and that every company needs to make sure it stays consistent from the packaging through to shelf presence. To avoid supply issues, she advised knowing your distribution channel and pricing strategy. “Back out your target COGS before developing your products, to ensure you have enough margin to adequately support your brand.”

Going Digital

 

Sarah Kugelman, president/founder, Skyn Iceland, LLC, presented the panel discussion “Beauty in the Digital Age,” in which the speakers addressed the reasons why digital has become so critical to a brand and how it can help drive sales and engage consumers. In addition to Kugelman, the panelists included Robert Ricci, chief of digital strategy and social media strategy, Marina Maher Communications; and Catherine Littlefield, director of public relations, Alchimie Forever.

Rahul Mehendale, CEO/co-founder, mySkin Inc., presented the conference “Breakthrough Technologies: Apps in Skincare”—and it was packed with industry executives. “It was a very good crowd—everyone was very engaged in the discussion—from companies like Johnson & Johnson to all the big retailers,” said Mehendale.

The seminar was about the usefulness of looking at beauty from a medical point of view, including how to assess skin health using the technologies and devices developed by mySkin—and brand strategies for driving commerce.

Supplier Innovations

There was no shortage of new packaging to discuss, as suppliers showed visitors their latest launches.

Allstar Packaging showcased its new inventory of sprayers, pumps, caps, and metal droppers; Essel Propack featured its high luster metallic looks, including Egnite, intended to ‘spark’ the consumer’s attention when displayed on store shelves; and 3C featured its new innovative mascara brushes, including The Twister, which has bristles that get shorter or longer as you turn the handle.

Connie Fernandez, SeaCliff Beauty Packaging & Laboratories, kept busy speaking to visitors about their latest innovation, a mini airtight compact called BeautiLock. “We just added new sizes, a 48mm and 59mm, along with a palette, which holds four airtight compacts, and 30ml and 50ml jars—all with our patent-pending airtight system,” she explained.

Several “green” packaging options also stood out. Tricor Braun presented its new Eco low-profile tube; and Diamond Wipes showcased its single-use wipes made with FSC and Rainforest Alliance certified materials.

Pat McGee, HLP Klearpak, featured the Klearfold PlantBox carton, which is made with RPET, including up to 30% post-consumer recycled content. “There’s no way to distinguish this carton from our standard Klearfold PET cartons, since they have the same appearance, quality and performance—yet they are produced from a renewable agricultural crop, sugarcane, which reduces the consumption of fossil-fuel resources,” he explained.

Anthony Gentile, XelaPack, said the company’s PaperBottle, which is an eco-friendly alternative to plastic bottles and tubes for trial and sample sizes, was well-received by visitors—perhaps due to how popular sample packaging is these days. “We kept busy at the show explaining all the environmental advantages of our PaperBottle—it is constructed of 75% paper, with a self-closing orifice, which is a useful feature that makes it perfect for multi-dose applications,” he explained.

Looking Ahead

HBA Global Expo 2015 will take place on June 9-11, 2015.

Brown added, “To everyone who attended, thank you for being part of this year’s HBA show. We hope to see you in 2015.”