Behind The Booths: Indie Beauty Brand Founders Talk About Trade Show And Pop-Up Experiences

In this edition of Beauty Independent’s ongoing series posing questions to beauty entrepreneurs, we ask 16 founders and executives: What has your trade show, pop-up, gift suite or farmers market experience been like, and what would you recommend to other brands based on that experience?

Valerie Giraud Founder, Antonym Cosmetics

It  really depends on the lifecycle of the brand. A completely new brand has different needs than a brand that’s been around for a few years. During the first couple of years, we did quite a few consumer events, shows, markets, pop-ups. It was a great way to introduce the brand and also generate some revenue. Plus, getting instant feedback from clients was invaluable.

The caveat for brand owners just starting out is to be conservative with expectations. Indie brand budgets are tight and a good approach is to test different venues little by little instead of committing to too many at once. Each brand will find its organic audience, so it’s important to reach out to different segments, but without stretching yourself too thin.  

We get contacted to participate in gifting suites all the time, but haven’t done them. We’ve had amazing experiences with celebrities and celebrity makeup artists, but, when it comes to sharing larger quantities of products, we always feel we’d rather donate to causes we believe in such as Lipstick Angels and Paw Works, or events that promote girl’s and women’s empowerment and education.

Dana Jackson Founder, Beneath Your Mask

I would absolutely suggest trade shows to other brands. As a new, self-funded brand without a huge marketing budget, it allows me to interface with press and buyers that I normally would not have access to or who haven’t heard of my brand. Press and buyers get inundated with unsolicited emails and samples, so being able to get in front of them and make meaningful connections has been major for my brand. If we’ve already met, they’re more likely to respond when I reach out.

Suzi Kelley Founder, Suzi's Lavender

Our brand began with a simple website and by sharing with the local community at trade shows, women's events and expos. I highly recommend taking this approach. Having attended these and other annual holiday events, we established our name, attracted loyal customers and learned from other vendors. Customers loved being able to meet the maker. They expressed their desire to buy local and enjoyed being able to ask pertinent questions. A product such as ours needs education and a story behind it. People seemed to believe in us right from the beginning. It helped boost my confidence and keep us moving forward.

Flora Leung Founder, Sélia & Co.

For new brands, it is essential to go out and interact with your customers and other makers. Aside from learning from people who have been doing this for a long time, you'll be able to learn the tips and tricks on how to showcase your brand and communicate with potential buyers and customers.

Being part of trade shows and pop-ups also helps you gain exposure and partner with media channels you might not have access to before. In the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn at Industry City, I partnered with Time Out Magazine to promote my brand.  In addition, my previous involvement with The Handmade Pop-up Holiday Online Shop led to an interview with Beauty Independent. So go out there and get involved. You never know what opportunities will come your way.

Wendi Sudhakar Founder and CEO, Kudarat

When we officially launched, we exhibited at a huge women's expo. This show was known for drawing in crowds of over 20,000, and we thought it was a great way to get exposure and make huge sales. It didn't work out quite that way at all. The show had a wide range of categories that made it really difficult to get noticed, especially since we are a brand new solutions-based gluten-free, vegan and all-natural beauty brand. The time and money we spent to get ready for this show, including making way too many products and preparing for it, is not something that we would repeat.

However, we learned a lot from this experience and realized that we have to be strategic and very deliberate with where we choose to exhibit. Since that first show, we've exhibited at smaller, more targeted shows such as a well-known gluten-free expo where we were the only beauty brand among many food vendors. That turned out to be a brilliant move. Not only did we have a very engaged audience, but we stood out. [It was a] huge win in terms of exposure, brand awareness, education, and yes, we made a lot of sales.

My advice would be to carefully select where you exhibit and make sure that the show is appropriate for you. If your target audience is not going to be there, then definitely don't go. Also, have specific goals in mind. What is it that you want to accomplish: sales, exposure, growing your following? You want to stand out and you want to be able to truly connect with your audience. You are the brand. People buy from you when there is a genuine connection. Going to shows is a great place to build that foundation. With that in mind, we can't wait to exhibit at Indie Beauty Expo in L.A.

Mary Yang Founder, MarieNatie Cosmetics

Since the launch of our brand, we have tried different trade shows, farmers markets and pop-ups. We love being able to interact with our potential customers and buyers on a personal basis.  Although shows have been our biggest marketing expense and are often hit-or-miss, we take the personal connections to heart and love hearing feedback from customers right on the spot after they try our products. I recommend trying different shows at least once. You never know who you might meet or what it might bring to your business.

Angelique Velez Founder, Breakups to Makeup

Our first official launch was actually at a trade show. It is one of the best ways that we are able to get the brand out there, not only to consumers, but to buyers. I would credit being a part of trade shows as the reason we are in some major stores as well. We just wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet certain buyers and press elsewhere.  

As an online brand, it is important to have a way to talk to consumers and spread the message behind the brand and explain how it started. There’s a big difference between telling your story out loud rather than having it read off of our website. Trade shows [and] pop-ups give consumers the opportunity to put a face behind the brand while giving us the pleasure of meeting them in person.

I definitely would suggest to other brands, especially startups, to participate in them. Anything that allows you to market yourself and step out of your dot-com and social media from time to time is a positive thing. In today’s market, consumers want to know about a brand, its values and message. Having the opportunity to meet with people face-to-face is invaluable and being present at trade shows and pop-ups allows us to do that.  

Tianyi Zhou Founder, Botanic Farm

Our trade show approach has been simple: stay small. I have selected curated shows that focus on building a long-term relationship with both the buyer and the exhibitor. For us, Indie Beauty Expo was exactly that. We were able to shake hands with the representatives that were assisting us through the process before we exhibited. They asked questions like, “What would you like out of this show?” and checked in during the show. Our experience with larger shows is that it is more challenging to stand out. With so many visitors at trade shows that span multiple buildings, the experience becomes overwhelming for both the visitors and exhibitors.

Pamela Viglielmo President and CEO, MENAJI

We love The Makeup Show. It's in multiple US cities as well as Cosmoprof in Las Vegas, in addition to other beauty focused B2B shows and events. Given the number of shows available, both domestically and internationally, we look to exhibit at the ones that make the most sense for us to source both new business opportunities and ​see the latest with regard to the broader landscape for the beauty sector.

You need to be selective as to the number of shows you attend as it’s very ​time consuming. We continually evaluate which will be the most most helpful to us given the ​exposure we want. We also ​are involved in pop-up, gifting suites, etc. when these approaches provide a direct link to the target audience we are looking for.  

Stacey L. Moss Founder and Creator, Moss Botanicals

I love participating in shows, and it has proven to be one of the strongest values in building my brand. These events provide an opportunity to directly connect with people, authentically communicate about Moss Botanicals and gather information. When I participate, I learn and that allows for healthier decision making and growth.

Annie Mayo Founder, Advanced Mineral Makeup

Trade shows are great exposure for your brand, but it is very important that you pick the show that will best suit your demographics to get the most out of it. Your booth is your brand. A well-presented booth will bring potential clients in and engage them to find out more about your brand. A great backdrop and literature with well-dressed professional people working the booth is a sure winner. Let clients touch and feel your product, and demonstrate with a warm friendly feel. Always make the fiftieth person feel just like the first person and make each one feel special.

Koko Hayashi Founder, Mirai Clinical l Skin Fit Gym

We have done Cosmoprof, Natural Products Expo, a gift suite in Hollywood, trade shows in other countries in addition to IBE LA and NY. It's tough to get attention from buyers because there are so many brands there, but I think it's important to keep exposing ourselves to them so the next time or third and fourth time when they see us, they recognize us and take us more seriously.

It's the same as a consumer's buying decisions. It's said that, in general, people need to see multiple times until they buy a product. The same applies to buyers, I think. Our product, Hair Brush Liner, is new in the U.S., and it takes time for people to understand what it is for, so I appreciate the opportunities to explain how to use the product to buyers directly at expos.

Sylwia Wiesenberg Founder, DOPE Naturally

Trade show and retail pop-up shops can be very expensive and labor intensive. Stick to the events that are close to you and understand that there is no one trade show or pop-up that will make your company. These events should be done with the understanding that you are growing your company, one contact at a time. I would never recommend a gift suite because it's an expensive out-of-date marketing format that lacks the integrity of a real message that consumers are looking for.  

Cassy Burnside Founder and CEO, FATCO

When we launched in April 2014, our business plan was centered around our online business. Therefore, we never really did any farmers markets or pop-ups in the beginning. But I believe that trade shows are the gateway to bigger business. If you have a desire to get into retail, you need to do trade shows. Yes, they're expensive and time consuming. But if you have a desire to meet retail buyers, and gain higher level retail accounts and press, you need to budget for trade shows. We try to balance out the number of buyer shows that we do with consumer shows as doing consumer shows where you can actually sell products to consumers will help ease the financial burden a bit.

Janet Schriever Founder, Crave Skincare

I have found that one of the biggest benefits of doing events like pop-ups and markets has been making a personal connection with people who are curious about Crave Skincare. People want to know who is behind the brand and what you stand for, and being face-to-face is often the best way to do this. Markets are a ton of work and a lot of times they do not pay off financially, so be choosy about what you give your time to and think of it as a part of your marketing plan rather than focusing on the sales.

Trade shows are way more costly, so if you are a self-funded startup like me, you will need to be super picky about the show. I chose to do IBE LA last year as a launching pad for Crave because of the focus on indie brands and natural products, and it just looked so pretty. I did not want to get lost in a sea of corporate industry players, so IBE was perfectly suited for me. The exposure and continued press coverage that I received from the show has been invaluable to my brand.

If you have a question you’d like Beauty Independent to ask beauty entrepreneurs, please send it to editor@beautyindependent.com.