ABOUT SALON SMART
Salon Smart is Creative HEAD’s
business networking event for salon and barbershop owners and managers, delivering unique opportunities to learn from and spend time with a host of respected industry innovators
Hosted at a London riverside venue
look forward to a jam-packed, day-long agenda featuring solo talks, group discussions, topical debates, live Q&A – and a working lunch!
Now in its 19th year
the event is much-loved for being relaxed, fully inclusive and abuzz with energy, as like-minded hair professionals gather to gain next level insight.
Plus
endless opportunities to network with others and make valuable connections that could become lasting partnerships.
TICKETS
SINGLE TICKET £100 +VAT
- Access to the full event agenda – talks, panel debates, Q&A, interactive sessions
- A hot buffet lunch – with a side helping of hair and business brands, ready to support
- Refreshment breaks – tea, coffee and cake
- Non-stop networking
Save £20!
Creative HEAD newsletter subscribers enjoy a £20 discount on Salon Smart ticket orders – check your inbox for a code to apply at point of purchase*. Don’t receive the newsletter? Sign up here
Controlled attendance
To safeguard the event experience, and in fairness to our event sponsors, only salon and barber shop owners, managers and their teams may attend Salon Smart. It is not possible to attend Salon Smart if you are a product brand, product distributor or product marketer (unless the product brand has sponsorship affiliation), in which case, we have the right to issue refunds for any tickets purchased and/or refuse admission. Extenuating circumstances may be considered OR In certain cases, allowances may be made, please email your request to laura@alfol.co.uk.
*Discount applies to a single order, whether for one or multiple tickets
ON THE AGENDA
How to stay relevant and find self-worth
New consumer insights
Navigating the next generation (it’s their world now)
The secret to an award-winning client experience
Rethinking education: "be more mentor"
Forging stronger client connections
Setting goals and maximising earnings
Flexing colour as a business superpower
Budget response – discussion and debate
Live Q&A – your business questions answered
Plus, new products, services and business opportunities
And more...
SPEAKERS
Hear from brilliant people sharing real experiences, smart advice, and fresh thinking on business
Oliver Blackaby
Salon owner, educator and podcaster
Oliver has been working in hairdressing for 26 years. His career began in a small independent salon in Brighton, and he later joined the prestigious Trevor Sorbie company, honing his craft and expanding his expertise. A decade at Headmasters in London followed, where he excelled as art director, art team manager and educator, after which he returned to his coastal roots and set up his own studio that eventually evolved into The Hair Salon Collective – a vibrant freelance-only space in the heart of Brighton and Hove. Driven by a passion for creativity and collaboration, Oliver is proud to have created a space where stylists and clients alike can thrive.
Dylan Bradshaw
Co-owner, Dylan Bradshaw Dublin
Dylan is the co-owner of Dylan Bradshaw Dublin, a 10,000 square foot concept store offering high quality hair services, extensive retail – spanning home, hair and personal care, speciality coffee and tea and artisan baked goods. Throughout his 30-year career, Dylan has constantly looked for ways to evolve and lead, always listening to his clients to ensure his business remains relevant and well-regarded. Dylan is a staunch believer that strong education and ongoing skills development are vital to maintaining an industry that is prosperous, progressive and robust.
Sean Butt
Group operations manager, Alchemy & I Group
Sean is an award-winning and published colourist and stylist and has collaborated with leading industry names including Toni&Guy, Mark Leeson and Cooper & Taylor. Exclusively aligned with L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, Sean is an accredited Colour Specialist (earning a distinction) and he now mentors the entire Alchemy & I team, boosting the group’s reputation for providing expert colour services. Since the company’s inception, Sean has played a key role, working closely with CEO, Haylee Benton, to bring her vision to life.
Samantha Cusick
Owner, Samantha Cusick London and Stā Studios
Samantha is intuitively good at business, and she has built her own with a firm eye on evolution. An exceptional colourist with a big consumer following and a passion for the industry she serves, her salon brand, Samantha Cusick London, has become a sought-after space both for clients and staff. In 2023, she opened a flexible co-working and event space, Stā Studios, to great acclaim. And last November, following her Most Wanted Business Thinker win, Samantha launched ‘Silly Little Girls’, a podcast dedicated to inspiring and empowering women.
Katya Milavic Davies
Salon owner and entrepreneur
Katya founded Myla and Davis in 2009 – then a four-chair salon in south-east London. Fifteen years later, she now runs four thriving spaces and a 55-strong team. Not a hairdresser by trade but captivated by the industry and its fundamental values, she has built a business rooted in care, skill, and community and her people-first approach ensures longevity – stylists staying, clients returning, and an enduring culture. Beyond hairdressing, Katya also owns Llewelyn’s, a neighbourhood restaurant, and Lulu’s, a deli and wine bar, reflecting her passion for hospitality and love of a challenge!
Lisa Farrall
Founder, WIG London
Lisa is a multi-award-winning session stylist and educator, resolute about using her platform to teach hairstylists how to be texture neutral – a trademark she has claimed. When she’s not on set styling music artists or presenting prime time television shows, she’s regularly booked by salons, colleges and individuals to impart her knowledge and skill. Determined to “change the hair game”, Lisa’s on a long-term mission to ensure every hair client is best served, arming those she teaches and mentors with a bespoke approach to learning – and growing – in skill and confidence.
Louise Howard-Long
Owner, Architect Hair Collective
Hairdressing “practically all of her life”, Louise set up Architect Hair salon aged just 24. Since then, the award-winning salon has moved three times, finally landing in Headingley, Leeds, where it has stayed for the last 12 years. Having successfully navigated her business through pandemic, Louise went on to suffer massive hair loss a year later, a trauma she is still emerging from. She’s a strong supporter of salon-based apprenticeships, and she sat on the advisory panel for the ill-rated T-Level in hairdressing. In 2024, Louise restructured her business model, relaunching as Architect Hair Collective – a space allowing hair professionals to grow independently.
Sophie Hill
Director and chief marketing officer, Headmasters
A a former hairdresser and colour technician for L’Oréal Professionnel Paris, Sophie moved into communications – first in-house at L’Oréal, and later through the launch of her own public relations and marketing consultancy, where she worked for 12 years managing hair and beauty accounts, largely within the professional sector. She took a head of marketing consultancy at Headmasters in 2018, became the company’s chief marketing officer four years later, and in 2024, Sophie was appointed director, alongside three of her senior team members. Together, they look after 54 Headmasters salons across London and the south-east of England.
Sophia Hilton
Owner, Not Another
Since opening the doors Not Another Salon on London’s Brick Lane 15 years ago, Sophia has continued to disrupt the hairdressing industry, bringing progressive education to the masses through her hugely successful in-person academy, online learning platform and social media consultancy. She currently serves 11,000 students across 52 countries, her courses are being translated into five languages, and with demand ever-increasing, Sophia recently launched the Hilton Club – a monthly social media and marketing membership program that’s really taking off! A whopping 14 business awards (she has a further four for colour) further confirm what we already know: Sophia is an industry titan.
Scott Humphreys
Co-owner, Kitch
With roots in high fashion (he worked previously as both a tailor on London’s Savile Row and a couturier for Vivienne Westwood), Scott’s barbering skills have been honed to perfection, and he believes the craft is not only for men but for every client, regardless of gender identity or expression. In July 2020 he and partner Luca Jones opened Kitch – a no-judgement, nostalgia-inducing 50s kitchen-inspired salon in Angel, London, providing an inclusive menu of hair services – and it’s taken off, with plans well underway to open Kitch #2 in the coming months.
Mikyla Limpkin
Writer, artist, speaker and coach
Mikyla is a problem-solver, creator and storyteller, championing kindness and connection. She has a passion for helping individuals and small businesses uncover unconscious barriers and identify simple paths forward. An accomplished author and artist, Mikyla is known for her vibrant energy, deep empathy and inspiring perspective, providing the tools and encouragement needed to make meaningful change. Her business, The Company of Smiles, provides workshops, talks and project design, creating transformations through the power of human connection.
Luca Jones
Co-owner, Kitch
Born into hairdressing and trained from a young age, Luca has enjoyed a buoyant career behind the chair but also behind the scenes, as a session stylist working at Fashion Week, shooting magazine editorials and styling on set for prime-time television shows. In July 2020 he and partner Scott Humphreys opened Kitch – a no-judgement, nostalgia-inducing 50s kitchen-inspired salon in Angel, London, providing an inclusive menu of hair services – and it’s taken off, with plans well underway to open Kitch #2 in the coming months.
Jacob Morris
Product designer, Phorest
In his role as product designer at Phorest, Jacob specialises in payments and mobile design – building financial products and features that are applied by most of the 11k+ users of the platform. Over the course of the past year, he has been heavily involved with the new PhorestTips product offering and is in the process of designing additional financial tools that will help hair professionals run a smoother, more efficient and more profitable business.
Maxwell Oakley
Co-founder, Supply 91
Together with co-founder, Luke Davies, Maxwell opened the doors of Supply 91 in 2021 with the aim to provide a grooming space that is inclusive, progressive and unique. Little more than three years on, the company has evolved to comprise four London locations, including a permanent residency at 180 The Strand – a burgeoning cultural and creative hub, and a flagship site on Regent Street. It’s also been named ‘No 1 Best Barbershop in London’ by GQ magazine. Maxwell has fostered a reputation for truly listening to and celebrating every one of his clients, and his journey is defined by a drive to create a brand that is recognised for quality, care and true innovation.
Lorraine Naughton
Managing director, OB-1 Hair and Inside Outside
Lorraine founded OB-1 Hair in 2002 – not as a trained hairdresser, but as an entrepreneur with a vision. A bold move, which led to an incredible journey of growth, learning and industry leadership. At OB-1 Hair, colour is a hero service – a creative, high-performance business driver that keeps clients loyal and stylists inspired. But to Lorraine, great colour isn’t only about technique; it’s about the entire client journey, with every touchpoint shaping experience and loyalty. So, she created Inside Outside, an education platform teaching body language, voice dynamics and communication strategies to help salon professionals elevate interactions and build deeper client connections.
Neil Prigent
Owner, JAS Hair Group
Alongside his wife, Jayne, Neil has supported the development of JAS Hair Group to become the award-winning company it is today, boasting several local business awards as well as Legend status at Creative HEAD’s Most Wanted Awards for scooping the Best Local Salon title three times. Since joining the business in 2006, JAS Hair Group has endured two recessions, one pandemic and the Russian Novichok poisonings, where the deadly bottle of poison was found close to their salon in Salisbury’s city centre. But robust in its operations and with a strong team to boot, the company now employs nearly 40 staff and trains four apprentices across its three locations and remains a community stalwart.
Sussan Verghese
General manager, L’Oréal Professionnel Paris UK & Ireland
With a 20-year career building brands and businesses internationally, Sussan now leads L’Oréal Professionnel Paris in the UK and Ireland. At L’Oréal, she led multiple brands into growth and acceleration by leveraging her premium hair and beauty category experience. L’Oréal Professionnel Paris is a brand that has been committed to the hairdressing industry for more than 115 years and Sussan is passionate about helping to empower salons for future success, by not only providing innovative products and education excellence but also by recognising and scaling trends and co-creating new professional services powered by technology.
Monica Teodoro
General manager of education and professional development, L’Oréal Professional Products UK & Ireland
With a career heavily rooted in the hairdressing industry and an unrelenting passion for supporting its future evolution, Monica has become an established and trusted voice for all hair professionals. From how the industry can power ahead through first-class education, to nurturing talent and managing online-offline strategy, Monica is dedicated to paving a way for a new era of hairdressing.
Tony Walmsley
Salon owner and business mentor/coach
Just three years into a career in hairdressing, Tony was managing his first salon team. By year eight, he’d established Anthony John Salons, opening the doors of his first space in a converted barn in Staffordshire. Today, Tony employes more than 20 staff, boasts a customer retention rate sitting above the 90 per cent mark, and has earned a raft of industry accolades. Leading his team through effective communication and mentorship, Tony also provides coaching services; he is committed to ensuring excellence in hairdressing and business and helping others to reach their full potential.
Michael Young
Co-founder and creative director, Hooker & Young | Founder, Michael Young Hair Photography
Alongside partner Gary Hooker, Michael has cultivated a successful salon brand, Hooker & Young, which boasts four sites across Newcastle and Teesside, delivering ‘luxurious hair’. But over his 30-year career, he has constantly searched for new ways to promote self-expression – always seeking to extend his creative capabilities. A decade ago, Michael took up photography, immersing himself in technique and concept. This move opened him up to “exciting new territory”, and his passion for image creation has since added a fruitful and empowering new string to his bow.
Sheona Will
Owner, Bloom Salons
Sheona began her career as a 15-year-old Saturday assistant, before training and qualifying as a professional hairdresser. Passionate about business, she studied and earned a degree while working full-time and went on to co-found a multi-location salon group. In 2019, Sheona branched out on her own and launched Bloom in Glasgow, Aberdeen and later in with the Keune flagship salon, House of Keune by Bloom. With a focus on innovation, guest experience, and sustainable growth, Sheona continues to evolve the Bloom Salons brand and enhance the ultimate environment, within which both clients and team can thrive.
BRANDS
Connect with the teams behind the products and services designed to support and elevate your business
HEADLINE SPONSOR
The story of L’Oréal Professionnel began in Paris at the turn of the 20th century, with a disruptive innovation that changed the rules of hair colour. The company has since become the world’s largest beauty group – thanks to its combination of world-class innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Today, L’Oréal Professionnel Paris empowers the professional community and continues to inspire the next generation of hair professionals all over the world, driving the professional difference and creativity, led by ground-breaking innovation and artistry.
SOFTWARE PARTNER
Founded on the salon floor nearly 20 years ago, Phorest is an all-in-one salon software solution designed specifically for the professional hair, beauty and aesthetics industry. Touching every point of the salon experience, the system offers seamless online booking, simple client scheduling, hassle-free reporting, custom-branded booking apps, a sleek POS, the industry’s most innovative marketing features, an integrated payment processing – and so much more. Together with the provision of unrivalled mentoring, education, and customer support, Phorest empowers professionals to manage, market, and grow their businesses.
ASSOCIATE SPONSOR
GLOWWA is on a mission to change the way we care for hair through an inside-out approach. Founded by nutritional therapist, Suzanne Cooper, following her own struggle with hair loss, the brand is driven by a relentless pursuit for results and committed to harnessing the power of clean active ingredients to optimise hair health and wellbeing. Since launching just a few years ago, GLOWWA has won eight prestigious awards and is trusted and supported by some of the industry’s most respected hair professionals.
ASSOCIATE SPONSOR
Belgium-born brand, Olivia Garden Europe, has been serving the hairdressing industry since 1967, with high-quality, professional-grade hair tools, all crafted with passion. Standing at the forefront of innovation, Olivia Garden puts the best brushes and scissors into the hands of hairdressing professionals, allowing artists to unleash their creativity through styling. With the launch of JEAN by Olivia Garden – a premium range of precision barbering tools, modern barbers can elevate their hair game, too.
VENUE & LOCATION
The Chain and Buoy Store
Trinity Buoy Wharf, 64 Orchard Place, London E14 0JW
Situated in East London on the banks of the River Thames with stunning views of The 02 and Canary Wharf, The Chain and Buoy Store is a Grade II listed Victorian building boasting high ceilings, bathed in natural light and connected to a private adjoining riverside terrace. Far from a traditional conference-style setting, Salon Smart’s London space is refreshingly informal and designed to help you relax and re-energise, as you soak up a whole day of business insight, learning and inspiration. And don’t let the postcode fool you – the venue is well connected to public transport links.
Getting to the venue
Walking from Canning Town Station (Jubilee Line – five stops from London Bridge; seven stops from London Waterloo)
10-15-minute walk
On the ticket concourse level at Canning Town, take the first exit on the left after the ticket barriers, walk through the double doors and head up the circular stairs, following the signposting for Bow Creek/City Island. Outside on the towpath of the river, cross the red pedestrian bridge and walk through City Island until you reach Orchard Place. Continue under the overpass and head to the very end the road. Follow the blue signs for Trinity Buoy Wharf. Google Maps walking route here
Walking from East India Station (DLR – four stops from London City Airport; six stops from Bank)
10-15-minute walk
Do not walk over the footbridge at East India Station, instead use the stairs to the south exit opposite Nisa Convenience Store. Outside the station turn left and follow the blue signs marked either Trinity Buoy Wharf or Bird Sanctuary. Follow the route, which will take you around the East India Dock Nature Reserve and down onto Orchard Place. Turn right then walk to the end of the very end of the road. Google Maps walking route here
Please note, there is no on-site parking. If you are a blue badge holder, please contact us for assistance.
For more information click here
FAQ
What is Salon Smart?
Salon Smart is Creative HEAD magazine’s annual business networking event, providing a whole day of new insight, learning and inspiration, delivered by industry experts and innovators.
Who is the event for?
Salon and barber shop owners and managers, and their teams.
What’s the vibe and format?
Friendly, informal and inclusive. All the main sessions take place back-to-back, in one space, with seating for all, while meeting, mixing, eating and drinking takes place in another. We aim to create an environment where attendees feel comfortable, confident and supported to share their own experiences and ask their burning questions.
What will I learn?
Salon Smart is packed with support, guidance, and fresh thinking on business, to help you build a better one. The agenda will comprise a variety of theme-led sessions including, for example, response pieces to changes in business or industry legislation, insight into current and future customer trends, maintaining a work/life balance, staying relevant, creating a healthy working environment, marketing, recruitment, the importance of human connection, and so much more! We’ll also connect you with the hair and business brands whose products and services could revolutionise and support future business growth.
Is food and drink included in the ticket price?
Yes! There’s a delicious hot buffet on the lunch menu, plus drinks and sweet treats served during scheduled refreshment breaks.
Do I need to bring anything on the day?
Just you and your smart phone or other smart device (if you have one), to access our digital event guide (don’t worry if you don’t have a smart device, we have printed agendas on site). We’ll provide some note-taking materials, and you won’t need to spend a penny while you’re with us. Ooh, if you carry a reusable water bottle, bring that with you, too!
What are the event timings?
Sessions commence at 10am, but please arrive ahead of time; doors open at 9.15am for registration and refreshments. The event will run throughout the day and is scheduled to conclude at 6pm. We will break in the morning and afternoon, as well as over lunchtime.
I’m not a salon owner or manager; can I still buy a ticket?
The content delivered at Salon Smart is designed, primarily, to support and inform business owners, managers and their teams – the workplace decision-makers. But regardless of your status at work, if you are a hair professional and feel Salon Smart’s up your street, then of course we would love to welcome you. Unfortunately, it is not possible to attend Salon Smart if you are a product brand, product distributor or product marketer (unless the product brand has sponsorship affiliation). Please see the ‘Tickets’ section for further details.
I have a question; how do I get in touch?
Please email laura@alfol.co.uk in the first instance. For urgent enquiries, you can call our head office on +44 (0)20 7324 7540.