ExCeL - what d'ya reckon?

[Loufd]

I thought the show was very good, One of the demo (I think it was Leightons) sites had a big plasma screen showing what he was doing which was great cause you could see what was going on without having to crunch your way to the front row.

I think it's a pitty that space is soo expensive for the exhibitors though, if it was cheaper id imagine that people would pay for bigger stands which would make it more pleasant, some of the smaller stands were so packed on Sunday that they were unaccessable. It took me about 15 minutes to make my way to a packet of sparkley diamontes on one stand it was so jammed!!

I'll say one thing though, if the England rugby team are ever recruiting new members they should interview some of the nail techs, wave a packet of diamontes at us from accross a room and we'll burrow our way though a crowd faster than any prop forward!!

Lou.

PS: Thanks to Jessica Marks at the EzFlow stand for the information on their training, she was very helpful and is an excellent embassador for Ezflow.

 

[Bryony]

I went Monday and it wasn't so busy you couldn't move, I managed to get NEARLY everything on my list, only one thing was sold out (The Complete Nail Tech 2e - Surprised - no!).

I liked that the nails and beauty were, on the whole, separate as that way you can easily access what you want and can ignore what you don't.

Didn't notice it was too hot but I am one of those that could freeze in an oven and I was also only wearing a vest top......

What I did miss was more suppliers of 'regular' manicure/pedicure supplies. Specifically I wanted some parrafin wax pellets and a big bottle of Almond oil. At Olympia there was a stand (Salon supplies or something I think?) and others with plenty of this but there was a distinct lack at Excel.

Easy access from Waterloo - great as I wasn't prepared to navigate around the M4and M25 on a Monday morning!!!

Thanks to Liz Omar on Creative stand for her help and advice and to GMG for my L&P nail.

B

 

[Teena_B]

Sorry about this, I've got a list!

1. I had a better experience of public transport. I came in by bus to Victoria station, then underground to Excel. Took about 1/2 to 3/4 hour underground, happy with this. I stayed at the Travellodge at East India docks Sunday, 2 stops away from Excel - 10 mins! Again happy with the room. So point 1- positive
2. HEAT - way too much! I was wheelchaired away from GMG (first of the day I'm proud to say! ) with a nearly finished nail, I nearly fainted, but managed to sit and be fanned by lovely techs in time (thanks!). By the way the first aiders, though lovely guys, could have been quicker. Good job I wasn't having a heart attack. Definitely need better air conditioning, and I didn't think it was any cooler at the other end.
3. UNDER 16's - I was very upset to see lots of toddlers there later on Monday. I have children myself, but if an event says no children, I bring - guess what - NO CHILDREN! To then see others bringing theirs in makes a mockery of those of us who went to long lengths to not bring ours (PS I have no family or friends who can childmind - it's hubby or no for me & has been for years. This makes me more upset when I know that many who brought their kids have mums/sisters/friends who can step in at the drop of a hat.)
4. SCRATCH - Put a tick on the board for me as another who wanted to see Scratch there. When I subscribed to "Warpaint" - a make-up artist mag - at a trade show I got a free gift, this is a bonus to people who were gonna subscribe anyway, went to the show anyway, but did both in one go. Makes you feel that extra bit special.
5. ANT - Another one that should have been there. I've already joined, but aside from the mag, what are the benefits? Not seen alot yet!
6. Food - I wasn't gonna let on about this, and it's not the fault of the organisers but the actual location people, but I got a bit of food poisoning on Sunday from a hot dog (don't ask me how I know it was the hotdog, I just do!:o ). I'm very wary of food from events now as this is the second time (Bon Jovi concert last time BTW!), so will be taking my own in future.
7. THEFT - I think it's terrible that the K-Sa-Ra laptop got stolen. How did they manage that with so many people around? Maybe stricter rules should be in place as to who can go? I thought trade shows were for trade only? There was no check done to make sure I am a genuine trader. I'm not saying people shouldn't bring a guest, but they should be with a genuine beauty/nail tech. Also, I originally booked my ticket under my original business name, then changed the booking giving my new business name, I got two tickets. Plus - I never got the vouchers that others got. Why?
8. CROWDS - I didn't like the vast crowds that came on Sunday, I sometimes get a bit panicky in a crowd, and WHAT A CROWD THAT WAS! Maybe there should be restrictions as to how many people are allowed in at a time? I never saw the security guards checking numbers, and I'm sure there are fire regulations about number of people per foot of free floor space? If there had been a fire, (chemicals galore BTW) I wonder how many people would have got out?

There, I've had my say. The above are niggles rather than giant raves, and all in all I enjoyed Monday( !).

 

[Scott D]

Hi,

We were as disappointed as you were not to be there at the weekend. You can't keep the best UK mag down.......

We as a magazine will continue to support all you tech's out there and thrive to provide the best the industry can offer....watch this space for G-MEX ............................................................can't wait to talk!

We hope to hear from you. !

 

[paula1973]

Well said Geeg! I love to compete, i love the atmosphere, the pressure, having my friends around me competing, but i was disappointed with the comp at Excel.

We all wait eagerly to find out how we have all done and we might not come first, but normally we know how well we've done and how we should improve, but not this time! As a competitor i put a lot of hard work in practicing, getting all my stuff together, travel arrangements, weeks of prepping my model, sleepless nights and a whole load more, as i know all my fellow competitors do, it makes a huge difference to us if we come 4th or 24th, but only the top 3 knew where they were placed!
One of my juniors in my salon entered Excel in the novice category, she left crying, not because she hadn't won, just pure frustration from all the effort she'd put in on her first competition, to not even find out how well or badly she had actually done.
I know mistakes happen, but a mistake in who came first is rather a HUGE one!!!! Caroline might not have ever known she'd won if her and Ruth hadn't had been friends, that little moment of glory, is what we crave and is one of the reason's we compete, and as for the poor bloke who went up to receive his trophy, prize and certificate only to have to be told, oops sorry we made a mistake a few hours later, he must be gutted!!
I hope you have learned by the mistakes made at Excel, I myself am not going to be competing at G Mex, i think I've lost faith a bit and don't want to pay out for hotels and travel only to be disappointed again, so sorry fellow geeks, I'll see you all at Olympia next year
Paula x

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

I had a ball ........................
Nail heaven, ok a bit of a crowded and hot heaven but still nail heaven for me............
Well I missed Scratch too........... I am usualy found chasing Alex and Sarah with my Camera lol.............so no Geeky Foxy piccie this time.......... but I have a good one of Alex and Sarah from Birmingham, both nursing a right big hang over lol...........


Sunday was mental and manic but still fun,
Meeting up with Dawnie and Gem and Co... I am so sad that I didn't get to spend more time with my best mate........
But managed to grab at least a cuppa with you guys!!!

The Comp, yes even though it was a bit of a muddle I still had a good time, because I love competiting and thats what I did, strutted my stuff and still got a cool 3rd place......the only changes I would make there are ......... Winners should be announced with name, place and their final points........it gives the other competitiors an idea how far off they where from a winning place........and yes there should be more of a fuss made.........and get that aircon fixed...........

From a Competitiors point of view.........
We spend endless hours training, traveling to venues, arranging over night stays if need be ,trailing our kit bags all over the country if necessary, including our metal bins lol, why do we do it??? It is not an ego thing , for me it is a training day and then knowing how good my nail skill are !!!
It's feedback time and judgement day for me............we make the effort , so please do us proud !!!!!

On to Monday which was less frantic:
Oh that was the best, meeting up with Marian(MUM), chatting, boy did we chat, and yes having a Voddy and Orange with her..thanks Hun, I so much enjoyed it all.........next round is on me......She has got one heck of a sense of humour, boy did we giggle at some of the stuff we saw lol...........

Having time out with Rachel(#Chocolate) out the back and boy did we chat lol........yes and I am doing my NVQ3 with her ............so get ready babe I am on my way!!!! Will bring my Fabric# kit with me babe lol.

Meeting up with Sam, he is always inundated with lady's...........babe magnet I reckon...........

Antony well what can I say ................... he is always so busy, but did manage a good chat and giggle there too..........

Jess doing her stuff, and boy does she do it well !!!!!

Gina Wallace, caught up with her at closing time and had a good old yack.......
Denise was also so busy, but we managed to have a quick hugg and chat........

And not forgetting Simon Geegs hubby, got a hugg and a half there.........fancy thinking he looks like Scott lol..............that did make me giggle........

In short it was a great end for me to a great weekend........if Geeg and Samantha had been here it would have been a prefect weekend, I did miss you guys loads ........
So it has been fun for me..........and doing it all again next month at Gmex lol... So see ya there guys !!!!

 

[Peppercorn Nails]

I was a Sunday babe.......why not.......perfect for driving down as traffic is always a bit of a doddle, and parking.........well what can I say........loverly!! Even found some shade!!

Love the fact that Nails are separated from Beauty......it's there if I need it.

Was it packed.....well of course it was, but it was no more packed than any of the other Trade shows I've been to! In fact for the first time in 4 years I actually managed to have a demo done on myself.........and that was with our very own Jessica Marks......I was her first exhibition nail.......ahhh!!

I can agree with everyone else on the hot side.......so air con would go down well in future.

Food is always expensive at Trade shows so me and my friend bought our own.

With regard to the position status of all competitors, why can you not put up lists with competitors names, scores and final placings for them to go and check them themselves?

I'm in agreeance with others when it comes to Scratch and ANT.....definitely should have been there. This is not about competition between mags this is about us having choice! Let's face it most of us probably subscribe to Scratch and PN anyway!!

In general I love Excel and hopefully will continue to visit many more Trade shows there in the future, but you've asked for our thoughts, let's hope you take these into consideration.

Adele

 

[emmad]

I went on Sunday. The train service was appauling but 2 1/2 hrs later I got as far as Waterloo from Wokingham! Anyway when I got there I was soooooo excited and made my way around. This was my first show experience and was so surprised to see nail personalities I'd only seen so far in Scratch or on the web. I watched Anthony Buckley for a while after I'd bought a pro starter set (something I'd planned to buy whilst there). Couldnt resist and came back to EZ Flow before leaving to see what was going on and watched Anthony do some fab L&P using boogie nights and a lovely pink flower in relief. This stand was definately my highlight.
Dissapointments included the Bio Sculpture stand which had very limited offer of a package to include training which I wasnt interested in. That means I'll be sticking to IBD for now and was dissapointed to see that they were not present. Having been put out by the Bio Sculpture thing I'd of spent quite a bit on IBD coloured gels and was already looking to buy one of their big UV lamps.
It was far too hot, and although I was pleased to be 'let loose' for the day it was annoying to see other peoples children there having been told I couldnt take either/both of mine.
I invested in a spa manicure set (which im not sure I can replenish without forking out for more training but hey ho!)and a couple of polishes from creative but their stand was absolutely heaving and not nearly big enough for the amount of interest it had generated.
I was annoyed to see so many natural nail beds being drilled within an inch of their lives.
Thought the airbrush companies could have put on more of a show. Essential Nails was the only one which grabbed my attention.
I spotted Ruth but I'm a bit shy so I didnt speak and also spotted a few badges with names on I recognised.
I really wanted to see what was going on with the competition because I really want to do this sometime. When I got there it looked like it was all over with a few people all standing in a line and some others writing something. It all looked very confusing and I didnt get to see anything much.
Most laughable comment came from a demo on the Calgel stand which was "you cant blend a tip on the natural nail because you will ruin the nail bed"!!
Anyway, I enjoyed it, spent a few bob and now I'm sure that I dont just want to be a Nail Tech, I was to be one of the best Nail techs!!
I went on holiday on Monday and have only just got back, chances are my nail trainer will get a bashing this coming week.

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Oh babe, you should have just shouted "Oi Ruth", then we could have had a geeky chat lol............... Promise you will do it next time lol...........
The bit you saw at the Competition was the judging of the models........... and the score taking and adding up...............

 

[Bryony]

UNDER 16's - I was very upset to see lots of toddlers there later on Monday. I have children myself, but if an event says no children, I bring - guess what - NO CHILDREN! To then see others bringing theirs in makes a mockery of those of us who went to long lengths to not bring ours (PS I have no family or friends who can childmind - it's hubby or no for me & has been for years. This makes me more upset when I know that many who brought their kids have mums/sisters/friends who can step in at the drop of a hat.)

I second, third, fourth and fifth this!!!!! A friend who LOVES nails was going to come with me but her childminder let her down Sunday night. She would have bought her little one (9 months) but I said she wouldn't be let in as strictly no under 16's - AS STATED ON THE REGISTRATION FORM!!!! If I now tell her she would have got in she will be even more Pi**ed than sshe is about missing it!

B

 

[smiler13334]

Well, like the last two years running my mate and l had been excited for the 11 months prior to the show -it is our Christmas. Easy to get to by tube and an absolutely fantastic place.

Couldnt get there sunday so went Monday not so many people but alot of the things we needed were sold out.

got to see a famous singer (sort of) Mark shaw from 'Then Jerico' big area very good song.

The very nice man from Caci again.

And most importantly learnt oodles more - Thank you Antony for the clear tips lesson, and your autograph, look forward to g-mex or next year to get my purdy nail done.x

Sam as always brill -l could actually get to see him this time as there was room, thanks for your autograph as well. (why laugh when asked for one, you all did - don't you all realise your'e famous)

The only problems l found - didn't have enough money, not enough time.

So next year my buddie Diana and l are going to book into a B&B, so the first day for products needed, and the second day look at all the things we didn't get to see the first.

Oh and really peeved that l didn't get my subscription for professional beauty and nails and all the other things that went with it (ran out of pennies) :o
looking forward to the next one, xx

 

[perfect pinkies]

Hi to all,
I thought it was great, i keep my eye out for anything that the fabulous antony buckley does and of course our master the GMG!!! I dragged my other half around with me and he thoroughly enjoyed it too! I said to him in a very squeely excited manner that "oh my god there is Antony buckly!!!!!!!" he said why dont you say something to him i replied with "uh what do you say to a god?" also did this after i almost fainted when i saw the grand master himself, lee just laughed at me! did anyone else have this reaction or was it just little ol me?

big hugs and luv to all geeks
x

 

[Teena_B]

i almost fainted when i saw the grand master himself, lee just laughed at me! did anyone else have this reaction or was it just little ol me?

big hugs and luv to all geeks
x

Erm, yes, but he was holding my hand at the time!!!!! (And we were on camera!)

 

[jaxatessentials]

Thought the airbrush companies could have put on more of a show. Essential Nails was the only one which grabbed my attention.
I'm sure that I dont just want to be a Nail Tech, I was to be one of the best Nail techs!!
I went on holiday on Monday and have only just got back, chances are my nail trainer will get a bashing this coming week.

Thanks - the stand is fun and just a bit different. Glad you enjoyed the show.
Go practice like mad on your nail trainer