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 Beautyworld India
Oct 3-6, 2008, Mumbai, India |
First Beautyworld India in 2008
Messe Frankfurt India unites the Beauty & Cosmetic Industry in India with Club Elite
International Trade Fair for Perfumery, Toiletries, Cosmetics, Hairdressers and Healthcare / Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (East), Mumbai, 3 - 6 October 2008
 The country's first ever think tank for the Beauty & Cosmetic industry got off to a flying start at the Beautyworld India's Club Elite meeting held in Mumbai yesterday. In keeping with its high profile image, the meeting was held at the city's swish private club The Chambers at the Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, and saw the who's who of the cosmetic and wellness industry sharing ideas and thoughts on the current scenario in their respective categories of the industry as they relished color coordinated Beautyworld India cocktails.
"As a fair organiser, one would think that our business begins and ends with providing a fair for the industry, who then take it on from there", said Shammi Nagpal, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt India. "While that may be so in Europe and the developed world, our function in India has always taken on a role of a catalyst, a mediator and a guide, where we have always felt it necessary to step in and work with the industry to prepare and present a trade fair with the highest professional standards, attending to the needs of both international and domestic players. That implies guiding smaller domestic players on how to take part in a fair, how to present products with the right packaging, besides of course offering a platform for the bigger Indian players to showcase their best products and on the other hand assisting international manufacturers on how to take their first steps into India."
As import duties continue the downward trend, and with the advent of scores of television channels into the interior of the country, fashion, glamour and an awareness of the body beautiful are fast becoming the order of the day in the smallest of towns all across India. Beauty salons, fitness studios and medi spas are making their appearance all across the country. However the industry is still scattered and there is a grave need for trained professionals across all sectors be they hairdressers, fitness instructors or sales staff selling brands. This seemed to be the unanimous opinion of all present at the fora.
The Beauty and cosmetic industry in India is currently going through a metamorphosis. International luxury brands have a foothold in the market but have an uphill task being limited to a certain class; most of whom purchase cosmetics abroad. Nevertheless, it is clear that they want to be part of the great Indian story.
Speaking candidly at the meeting, Rohan Vaziralli Country Manager India of Estee Lauder Companies, applauded Messe Frankfurt India for taking the bold step towards initiating such a meeting, and said that the market is ready for an international fair with high standards. Beautyworld India, if organised well and focusing both on the trade as well as the consumer, could become the annual meeting point in India. "We could consider supporting this event if certain parameters are met" he said.
Mr. Alexis Szabo, COO of the Cosmos Group who also operates in the luxury sphere with Franck Provost spas, an other retail ventures, agreed that there is need for quality education amongst consumers "I feel that the retailers and consumers need to be educated on the use of cosmetics and how beneficial they can be, We did a survey of the Indian market, and were surprised to see that in a city like Bangalore which we think is young and modern, not many people favoured using make up. In fact they were even reluctant to try out the cosmetics. Contrary to that, consumers in Mumbai and Delhi were not hesitant to using cosmetics. Hence we can see that international brands will have to understand the huge disparity and mind set of this vast market."
Honouring the event with his presence was Mr.Govind D. Kelkar, President of The Indian Society of Cosmetic Chemists, a great perfumer, entrepreneur and educationist who has created the first diploma in Perfumery and Cosmetics Management at his KET Vaze College - marrying the technical aspect in perfumery and cosmetic creation with management skills. He is also a recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Award. Lovingly addressed as 'Bhausaheb' in local parlance, he endorsed Messe Frankfurt's idea of a truly professional industry fair and suggested that "The fair should feature interesting seminars and workshops where people from across the country get a chance to learn more about this industry."
Most of the attendees being regular visitors to international cosmetic fairs around the world, expressed the need for India to have a professional trade fair in Mumbai, the fashion and business capital of the country. Commented Mr. Ravi Mullick, CEO & Director, Goldfield Fragrances said, "I am really happy that Messe Frankfurt has taken the initiative to kick start a meeting of 'like-minds' and work with the industry to provide a quality fair. We definitely feel that the time has arrived to bring the industry together and work as one. Beautyworld India will provide us with the ideal platform for networking and business, if I am to judge it by its brand shows in Dubai and Japan. We would be more than willing to support this fair. There should be a serious focus on quality exhibitors and visitors."
Also from the ingredient side of the business, Mr Ravi Kamat, Managing Director of Aero Pharma Pvt.Ltd, a contract manufacturer that supplies to the best in the industry, said "It's an excellent idea to provide such a fair that will bridge the gap between ingredient manufacturers and manufacturers of cosmetics. I am quite excited that Beautyworld India will encourage young people to join this industry and take it up seriously as a profession."
Representing the consumer brands in India were Procter and Gamble and Beiersdorf, both of who expressed delight at being part of this club. Ms. Shweta Shukla of P & G said that "such a fair will bring the entire industry together whether big or small. P & G with its global brands like Wella should definitely be a part of this fair". Added Nivea's Nivedita Rastogi "Messe Frankfurt is definitely a world player and going about the preparations in a very serious manner. So we are most confident that this fair will be an excellent meeting point for both the industry as well as the modern Indian consumer".
From ingredients to finished products to the services sector, all were well represented and evinced great interest in the show.
Mr. Rohit Sood, Director Sales & Marketing, Brushman India Ltd, who flew in especially from Delhi, was extremely enthusiastic about Beautyworld India. "We are really fed up of poorly organised events and public crowds at so called exhibitions being held in India. What we need is a 'trade- only' event. The industry has been going through its birthing pains, but we think we are ready for an international fair. I feel there is a definite need to bring the industry together under one platform, as at the moment the various associations are all scattered. Beautyworld India could serve the purpose of bringing everyone together". Representing several leading international brands like Toni & Guy, Keune, Denman brushes, Valera among others, Sood felt that a classy platform with informative workshops and seminars would boost the industry image considerably. "There is great need to educate the industry and if Messe Frankfurt can provide an event of international standards, with high quality workshops and programmes, we are more than willing to back it with our support", he added.
Also representing the hair dressing world was Ms. Nayana Karunaratne, Asian Representative of the World Federation of Hairdressers (ICD), who flew in all the way from Sri Lanka, was extremely positive about the arrival of Beautyworld India. "India is such a huge market with so few professional hairdressers; I find it impossible to believe. In Srilanka which has 19 million people we have 250 A class hairdressers and the profession is finally recognised as a serious industry. I think there is a huge potential for Indians to develop this profession to address the boom in the economy, she said. "Beautyworld India should become the "Mecca" for hairdressers in this region. I am associated with the World Championships and am all set to bring the World Hairdressing Championships to Indian by 2012 partnering if possible, with Messe Frankfurt-India" expressed Ms. Karunaratne
Voicing her heartfelt concern for the hairdressing industry was Asha Hariharan founding member of HIP ( Hair India people ) and Director of the well known Beyond the Fringe Academy "we are really concerned about the extreme lack of hairdressing professionals in the country. What has so far been a home run business and hobby taken up by ladies, our business is not even recognised as an industry." "While hairdressers in the west have celebrity status, in India they are struggling to make a name for themselves or be recognised. That is because we lack schools and training institutes and we would be very glad to see the development of these facilities in India. The fair must have serious seminars on educating professionals and end consumers".
Ms. Siew Kheng Kang, Regional Director of Singapore Tourism Board for Asia Pacific was very interested to see the Indian cosmetic industry come togther. Singapore is very well known for its high quality spas and medical treatments. "I am really happy to note that Singaporean companies will be participating at Beautyworld India" she said.
Joel Fernandes, Deputy Commercial Attache of the Consulate General of France and Trade Commission, expressed great delight at Messe Frankfurt India's initiative. "We have seen the excellent fairs of Messe Frankfurt in Mumbai and we have no fear about their organisational skills. There is great interest in France from cosmetic and healthcare companies to start business in India and Beautyworld India is perfectly timed, and well positioned to address the needs of French manufacturers. It will be able to provide the perfect high quality platform in the country. I think the fair should be India focussed yet provide an international flair. There should also be a focus on cosmetics and supplements in the men's care sector ".
The well-known Cosmetologist, Dr. Rekha Sheth, President of the Cosmetological Society of India (CSI) made it a point to be at the meeting and expressed her enthusiasm about such an event being launched in India.
Ms. Dinaz Jehani, Brand Manager Shiseido (Baccarose) said that "there must be a balance of trade professionals and consumers at the fair because such an event will be a great learning platform for both sectors. Beautyworld India will set the right impluses for our industry".
Earlier, Mr.Werner Robert, Managing Director of Wella India, was extremely positive to learn of the launch of Beautyworld India. "German trade fairs are probably the most professional events for business in the world. As one of the premium exhibitors at the parent show in Germany, we will be more than happy to support the Indian show ".
Pooja Vijakkant, Manager Fragrances of Givaudan India "said that the fair should be an experience that people feel reluctant to leave. The seminars and workshops should cover all aspects of the beauty business".
Beautyworld India is going great guns, with the interest of international exhibitors growing everyday. Already countries like Argentina, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hongkong, Italy, India, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, USA, UK, Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, UAE are represented at the fair. A host of well planned workshops addressing most topics of interest and fine tuned for the Indian market will take place everyday at the fair. Of special interest will be the Spa & Wellness area that will highlight exclusive presentations of the latest developments in the spa industry be it architecture, treatments or accessories. Interestingly, the French Trade commission had conducted a survey in India last year on the popularity of spas in India and found out that the ratio of men and women using spas in India is 50%. This gives impetus to Messe Frankfurt India to also develop this sector in the fair.
"The fair will be an experience for anyone who steps in. Informative and inspiring.. that is what we want it to be, just like our other events in India. Many more companies will be part of Club Elite as the preparations go forward for Beautyworld India, said Shammi Nagpal.
Beautyworld India Club Elite will continue to meet on a regular basis to work towards the success of the fair from 3 - 6 October in Mumbai. With the right product and consumer mix, it is more than clear that Messe Frankfurt India has calculated the launch of Beautyworld India at the right moment.
Beautyworld India
www.messefrankfurtindia.in |
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