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Vol.08  Issue 10/03, 15.10.2008

The MCB Thinks Big this Year

Gerard Kuchno, Laurent Delafoy

2008 - Everything is on a larger scale this year
Think big: 40000 sq. metres of exhibition space in the hall alone
26-metre high glass roof ceiling ... and the availability of the Palais des Sports.
The exhibitors liked the way the space was organised into sectors this year.

Indeed this new spatial organisation meant maximum efficiency in terms of visitor circulation around the hall and they could easily stop at any moment to watch the shows happening on the podiums. The result was fluid movement and no problems getting to the many interesting stands and exhibition zones:
For example there was the Shopping Gallery for the curious, showcasing this year's essential new products, Entrepreneur Avenue for business and international affairs, and Hair Capital with its permanent show.

This year we can definitely say that the show was more comfortable for all, with a pleasant temperature and better management of the decibel level! Yet again, the signposting was excellent and helped everyone to find what they were looking for quickly and easily. Basically the MCB was laid out like a town, respecting its structure in the greatest detail; the avenues separated the different aspects of the profession, the stands enjoyed excellent visibility, and the smaller shows, i.e. those not on the podiums, nevertheless benefited from the grandiose setting of the Palais des Sports. A first for a hairdressing profession that has finally reached the point where it can confidently envisage a future of visionary posterity ...

The highly professional nature of this year's show is a real step forward. Some might worry that we are moving towards a degree of elitism. In fact the idea today is to head straight to what matters. We prefer to see it as a real fusion between the main players within the profession, which attracts a wide public of professionals, business people and artists.

FNC : VOX

Let's come back to this idea of 'visionary posterity' and focus on the artistic side of the MCB! 14 shows lasting 30 minutes, i.e. seven hours of non-stop shows, 2000 seats filled, 50 technicians (sound and lighting, etc.) working tirelessly, and 650 people in the wings (artistic teams, hairdressers, artistic directors, models, make up artists, etc.). The themes of these shows were poetic, literary, scenes straight out of detective novels or representing the eternal mystery of the femme fatale, of women in general (and men!), and the profound luxury of imagery, always seeking to present a positive version of our often harsh everyday world.

Let's also mention the success of the Tribu-te show that MCB partnered. We are pleased to say that the 'La Cigale' theatre was packed that evening! The public was able to appreciate the performances of Tim Hartley, Angelo Seminara, Mark Hayes and Christophe Gaillet, and we should also highlight the presence of Trevor Sorbie and Charlie Miller.

Key figures: A steady turn-out
Visitor numbers:
45,000 tickets booked for 35606 actual entries in 2008 versus 36,686 last year.

Worth noting :
- An increase in the number of salon managers at the show, accounting for 53% of all the visitors!
- Hairdressing schools represented 12% of visitors. This figure is slightly down on previous years due to the earlier date of the show, which clashed with the start of the autumn term.
- Many of the exhibitors in the shopping gallery and entrepreneur avenue declared that the business climate this year was very positive.

Irina Baranova

Exhibitor numbers:
210 exhibitors in 2008 compared to 231 in 2007, with a 14% increase in the overall stand surface area - an obvious and immediate advantage for all. Better decoration, a VIP space for the stands and also for the visitors, a better showcase, and the public really had the room to appreciate the sheer scale of the event. All in all, 8754 sq. m of stands were available this year, all this under a very lofty ceiling, and everybody shared the general impression that the MCB has reached new heights this year.

The sector of hair products and equipment took up 54% of the total surface area of the MCB. But here's a scoop... the wonderful artifice that is hair extensions appears to be falling out of favour.
There was also an increase in the surface area allocated to the following sectors: furniture, business organisation and services, and beauty.

International exhibitors:
34% of exhibitors, i.e. 71 stands, were devoted to promoting our Italian, Spanish, Belgian, Russian, Japanese colleagues, etc. For some it was their first time at the show, for 49 of them to be exact.

Indeed, the most important thing today is cooperation, and this is true in all fields, given the repercussions of the economic climate. This year we noted the spread of this phenomenon. The MCB was a clear example and our goal, apart from adapting the state of the world economy, was to preserve the popular aspect of the Show, albeit channelled and split into sectors, as in 'shopping avenue' and other targeted sectors. But above all we have seen that the special spirit that characterises hairdressing professionals has, against all odds, managed to maintain the positivism of this event and to pass on its unconditional enthusiasm and faith in a 'visionary' future…Yes, we come back to this emblematic word which will define the MCB Show in 2009!

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