Aloha from Hawaii iBeauty Digital! The Show uniting the Beauty Hemispheres in Paradise

Mahalo means thank you here in the island, and that’s what some of the top educators of the industry had to say after attending the first annual iBeauty Digital Symposium + EXPO show in Honolulu.

The inaugural show took place September 15-17, 2018 at the grand Hawaii Convention Center and it was the 1st Beauty and Digital event of its kind.

“Digital has shifted the paradigms of marketing, iBeauty Digital’s goal is to create an space for the beauty professional and digital platforms to collaborate, educate and inspire dynamic processes to positively reach their customer, inspire the community, and grow their business,” said Lani Miniham, the founder and director of the event.

With a combination of artists from North America and from the other side of the world, this beauty show is located at a global hotspot – unique in the way it unites the East with the West and fuses both into a space where education is the protagonist of the show.

NYC based hairstylist, salon owner and humanitarian Mark Bustos kicked off the event with a keynote speech that, as usual, made everyone cry as he inspired attendees to simply do what is right with intention. He also taught a haircutting class where he took Matty Conrad and cleaned him up on stage for everyone to follow.

“As hairdressers, we have the power to change someone’s life by giving back to those who need it the most,” he said. “No matter whose hair I am cutting, whether on a helicopter to my clients in the Hamptons or on the cemetery in the Philippines on top of tombstones, I make sure to take the same amount of time on each person, because the people on the streets need it more than my clients do behind the chair.”

The show was beautifully executed, with floral leis for every speaker, a runway show which included a delicious lunch with Hawaiian dishes that made what was supposed to be work feel like an great breath of fresh air. The beauty show circuit is heavy and exhausting due to travel – but iBeauty Digital embraced the concept of an ‘escape’ making this stand out against all other trade shows in the industry. The lineup was one to remember featuring stage time as well as meet and greets with icons in hair, skin, nails, education and business.

Top educators included Matty Conrad @mattyconrad, who took us back in time as a historian would, and explained beautifully why barbering exists the way it does today. He spoke of his brand, Victory, and how he designed this line for every man. “I truly believe every man is handsome – but it all depends on his confidence, and as professionals in this industry, we have the power to give them that confidence,” he said.

Olivia Smalley @omgartistry and Jamie Dana @jamiedanahairstylist, each had a class on social media but took different approaches to explain this tool to the hairstylists that attended. They each went deep into the details of what makes their businesses successful in their own classes. Olivia spoke of the algorythm that seems so mysterious to all of us IG users while Jamie took a coaching approach in her class and individually told them what would work for their goals.

Brianna Cisneros @brianacisneros, taught a cutting class with her wit and charm throughout, creating some transformations and inviting her students onstage to prove that we can all pull of some kind of fringe – and wow. She really proved it, especially with the beautiful brunette, who happen to have been one of the attentees!

Maggie May Hancock @maggiemh and Lihn Phan @Bescene colored some gorgeous models with extremely long hair and left them like the most elegant mermaids on the Pacific. Their talent together is insurmountable, and the results breathtaking – see images below.

Maggie May Hancock @maggiemh and Lihn Phan @Bescene colored some gorgeous models with extremely long hair and left them like the most elegant mermaids on the Pacific. Their talent together is insurmountable, and the results breathtaking – see images below.

The amazing Tony Ly @tonysnails was present with his whole entourage, selling his amazing line of nail products at the connection center while educating throughout the two days. Having over 700,000 followers alone, this experience was quite the treat for attendees.

Together, all these social media beauty professionals have a following bigger than some countries! With their professionalism and skill, their time on and off stage made this whole event feel like a genuine time to connect.

Take a look at the gallery below to see some of the amazing moments that took place this weekend, and be sure to plan your vacation around this educational weekend for next year on October 19-21 2019