From crazy nail designs to textured curls and wrinkle erasers, the spirit of style and rejuvenation was in the air at Cosmoprof North America, the annual trade show and conference for beauty professionals held July 14 -16 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Sporting a new look and feel in partnership with Global Experience Specialists, the show boasted an increase in numbers across the board, compared with 2012.

Attendance was up 8 percent at about 26,000, space was up 5 percent at 209,358 net square feet and the number of exhibitors also increased 5 percent to 892. In addition, three new country pavilions were added to the existing five.

"Overall the beauty industry is up," said Daniela Ciocan, marketing director of SoGeCos Americas, which organizes the show. "But we're dealing with a shrinking distributor market and constantly looking for ways to help our exhibitors with distribution."

The show brings several hosted buyers representing top distributors and also aggressively pursues emerging distribution channels, such as the growing segment of independent beauty stores looking to differentiate themselves with new brands and unique offerings.

This year, Cosmoprof North America (CPNA)launched several initiatives on the showfloor aimed at maximizing exhibitors' exposure and boosting their chances of landing distribution contracts.

At the new sampling bar - The Beautique – attendees received a customized box and could fill it with seven samples from 20 exhibitors, scanning their badge for each sample.

They also were encouraged to make a $10 donation to the City of Hope, a leading research, treatment and education center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Participating exhibitors received lead information from scanned badges and could follow up with attendees on the products sampled.

In addition, some brands got their five minutes of fame at the TV auditions by QVC, HSN and The Shopping Channel (Canada) that were looking for their next hit beauty product and on-air talent spokesperson. Ciocan noted that at least four participants were to going to receive follow-up calls.

Emerging brands were on the spotlight at Discover Beauty, a curated area dedicated to small manufacturers and open exclusively to first-time exhibitors.

Beaut-E Zone offered an opportunity for brands to get their products in the hands of online beauty editors filing daily reports from the show. Editors were available for several hours daily, and their stories were also spread through CPNA's social media channels.

Exhibitor Melanie Gonzales with Evolution Manufacturing said she was pleased with the increasing brand recognition of their three-year-old company and the new opportunities it brought. "This year, we're more known and we've had a couple of meetings with large distributors," she added. "We're also launching two new hair care products at the show. The market is strong for these kinds of products right now."

For attendee Flavio Lopes with SNC, the trip from Brazil was worth it. "I came to find strategic partnerships for outsourcing and adding new products hair care lines," he said. "We've got to move beyond keratin treatments." The next consumer trend? According to Lopes, more professional products available at affordable rates at a retailer near you.

CPNA is ranked No. 112 on the 2012 TSNN Top 250 U.S. Trade Shows and was named one of TSNN’s Fastest-growing shows for attendance at the 2012 TSN Awards in Louisville, Ky.  

Ciocan noted that the show is running out of space at the lower level of Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino and could potentially expand upstairs. The next CPNA North America is scheduled for July 13 – 15.

The show is organized by North American Beauty Events, a joint venture between BolognaFiere Group, an Italian-based organizer of international trade shows such as Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, and the Professional Beauty Association, North America’s largest trade association representing all sectors of the professional beauty industry.