The Kao Salon family of almost 2300 stylists from around the globe came together in Amsterdam to experience the Kao Salon Global Experience - two days full of extraordinary shows, an exciting competition and inspiring artist sessions. Amsterdam was the host city for this year’s Event on October 2-3, 2022. Kao South Africa Salon Division are the proud distributors of the popular Goldwell and KMS brands!
As part of this fabulous adventure, Kao Salon here in South Africa featured an exciting Lucky Draw Competition for all their supporting salons, with the prize as a an amazing sponsored trip for the winning stylist to Amsterdam to fully enjoy the Kao Salon Global Experience in person, with their Kao Sales Rep! Between October 2021 and February 2022, any Goldwell or KMS orders placed to the value of R5 000 qualified for one ticket in the lucky draw.
Our Managing Director Steve Leahy drew the lucky winner who was Celeste Farrell – stylist/salon owner with Strands Durban, KZN, accompanied by her Kao rep, Kailee Campbell. They travelled together with the South African team contestants and Craig Hopkins, National Education Manager, Kao Salon Division SA, and attended all the Kao events, with Jean Witte of Synergy Hair in Cape Town, who travelled to the event on her own.
The intrepid travellers are back now, and here are their exciting stories of such an amazing experience!
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Celeste Farrell – stylist/salon owner with Strands Durban, KZN
Winning competitions aren't something that happen often to me so of course I was totally shocked and so so happy to be handed such an amazing opportunity!
On the Sunday we got to see all the amazing artists that were competing in the show prepare their models for the event. We could walk around and soak up all the talent exuding out from the artists. There were stands that had all KOA products displayed and we could ask questions about the products and really get to know them in depth. The educational part of it all was absolutely incredible and there was such a vibe, everyone was so happy to be there and so eager to learn and share their knowledge.
It's actually hard to put into words the atmosphere of the evening. To have so many people in one room with a shared interest and love for hair and colour was something so special. Everyone was on such a high. The artists really produced some incredible work and KOA really knows how to host a party.
I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say that having this opportunity and going to Amsterdam and getting immersed into our world on an international level was a huge eye opener!
I have come back with such a renewed love for what I do and am so proud of what our country put out there in the competition.
The highlight of my trip was to connect with people of the same interests as myself. I have made some special friends out of this trip and am forever grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity!
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Kailee Campbell - Durban Sales Representative for Kao South Africa Salon Division
It was all really quite surreal!
We knew that there was a lucky draw for our clients and if the client won then their rep would accompany them but I didn’t really think it would be one of my clients and I would be the lucky sales representative! I was completely shocked and on cloud nine when Steve called out my client and myself as the winners!
Every appointment with Celeste, between April and September, there was always a discussion about visas, weather in Amsterdam, what we were packing, what we were planning to wear for all the occasions like Gala Evenings etc. We definitely kept the hype up between the two of us in KZN. We also had a WhatsApp group with Craig Hopkins, Kira (our Cape Town educator) and all the SA gold winners of the Global Creative Awards - as you can imagine, it got very busy leading up to departure.
In a nutshell, we arrived in Amsterdam on Friday 30th September, and explored the city. Saturday was prep day for all gold winners - they needed to prep their models and do various run throughs for the competition. Celeste and I had a day at leisure - exploring the city, visiting the Palace and shopping. For Saturday evening, we were invited to join the UK Teams Welcome Party at The Gallery @Art’otel - was wonderful to meet other contestants, educators and Kao employees from the United Kingdom.
Sunday – The Main Event
Sunday was what we were all waiting for - there were buses arranged to collect and drop off every 30min from the various hotels around Amsterdam. The contestants left earlier to set up and get ready for the competition. There was definitely a buzz in the air, you could feel the excitement as we’d all been waiting and anticipating this event since 2020! The coming together of like-minded, creative people who are all passionate about the same brands.
The RAI Amsterdam was where the event was held. There were various activation areas with new product launches, a stage where guest artists were demonstrating cuts and colour work and then there was the live show - all the contestants competing for Gold!
It was great to just take your time and stroll through, you could sit and watch a live show on stage, find out more about new product developments or watch the contestants in action.
That evening was the Gala Event - absolutely mind blowing!
I think this was my favourite part (it’s hard to only pick one favourite part!) Everyone was dressed to the nines… gowns and suits - all on another level!!! There were about 2500 people there so you can just imagine! The scale of it, the setup, the technology - brilliant filming, amazing entertainment and music. The vibe was insane!
We saw one of Angelo Seminara’s and Mario Krankl’s collections and of course, the much anticipated winner announcements - both editorial and technical categories. After this, we went to a different hall and had a huge party. Photo booths, various bars, canapés and we simply danced the night away!
Again, it was all so well organised with buses and shuttles taking us all back to our hotels.
Monday – Artists’ Sessions
Monday started slightly later, as they took the inevitable hangovers into account. There was a much more relaxed feel. We returned to the RAI for the artist sessions - presenting on stage was J.7, Evolve, Stacey Ciceron, Huub Eysink, TAZ Hair Co and Angelo Seminara. In the afternoon, the internal KAO staff had access to a very exciting talk about Kerasilk. Monday evening, our last evening, we went to the farewell party which was at a different venue - Sugar City.
Candy floss stations, cocktails, drag queens, canapés and food stations, open bars, two dance floors… what more could you ask for to finish such a spectacular event? Just the cherry on top!
I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to travel with, our SA team were just fab! We all got along so well and I feel I’ve definitely made some friends for life!
The biggest thank you to KAO South Africa for allowing me the opportunity to go, to Craig for keeping an eye on us and ensuring everyone was happy, and of course to Celeste, the best travel buddy!
I was fortunate enough to stay for a few extra days with a friend who lives in Amsterdam so I got to spend a little more time in the very cosmopolitan, fun and dynamic city!
Kao Global Awards 2022 were an absolute treat, and I look forward to next year’s awards in Chicago!
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Jean Witte – Synergy Hair salon owner
My motivation to go to KSGE was twofold.
The first was to see Angelo Seminara. I have always been in envious of his innovative forward-thinking creations and have always wondered about his process of conceptualisation. He seriously didn’t disappoint: his message was clear. Write your ideas down when they come as they might not make sense at the time, but some day you can revisit it and it can blossom into something amazing. We can always draw on our history and experiences in life for inspiration.
The second was to watch the competition, as a judge of competitions and as a competitor.
I wanted to see if I could identify the winners and find out what makes them successful.
It was clear to me that these winners have learned, worked and practiced the Goldwell way until it really is second nature. This is an element of judging, and by mastering it, it makes it less stressful on the competition floor. Placement of an application is practiced for many months until it is second nature. Conceptualisation for the next future competition starts now. Although the “theme is not known”, it is easy to incorporate colour mix once it has.
The energy throughout the event was electric, it was clear that all aspects of each event was well thought out, from layout to food to education and entertainers and more. The prizegiving was out of this world! It was amazing to see the number of supporters for contestants from around the world and makes me feel it would be fantastic if South Africa could have more people in the audience to really cheer them on!
I will say that our South African team held their own on a very, very tough competition floor! If they continue to work this way, they will move to the top very easily!
One of my favourite artist on the education stage was Nicci Welsh: her work is clean neat and works well both onstage and in the salon and a must follow on instagram @nicciwelsh.
And of course, our very own Salome de Wet hold her own on the international stage. She is creative, dynamic, and watching her move through the crowds and be so very kind to those who want a moment with her. I can’t help but feel proud of this amazing woman who has many more years of wowing the industry. We all have a lot to learn from her and she is a great example to all South Africans that if you are determined and consistent there is space for us on the international stage!
The highlight of my trip? Getting my times wrong for the show event and arriving at the venue hours early! I decided to explore the venue and found myself backstage where everyone was prepping. This is where you learn the most. The stylists were very kind in sharing their knowledge with me and taking their time to answer all my questions this accidental add-on I will always be grateful for.
It was lovely to hear and see the excitement of Kao new relationship with Intercoiffure Mondial. There is nothing more powerful than two renowned organisations joining forces - I can’t wait to see the results of this collaboration roll out!
This trip was well worth the investment, we have been watching so much on line over the last 2 years, but there is nothing like being able to interact with others around the world and seeing things up close and real!
We hope to see you all September 24-25, 2023 in Chicago!