Reed Exhibitions, organisers of Hair Expo and the Sydney International Spa & Beauty Expo, has officially launched a combined hair and beauty trade event, Salon Melbourne, which will debut in April 2010.

Reed says the event “pushes the boundaries of industry innovation by drawing on the synergy between hair and beauty”.

Bringing together the best elements of the hair and beauty industries, this new concept, a trade-only event in Victoria, allows qualified professionals access to the latest innovations, cutting edge beauty and hair products and the opportunity to purchase and network directly with leading professionals.

Salon Melbourne Exhibition Director, Lauren Ebbeck, said “Salon Melbourne has been established as a direct result of recently conducted research which supports the demand for a combined trade-only hair and beauty event in Victoria. The passion of companies and artists we met with [also] to support the industry in Melbourne was huge.”

Ebbeck added that Salon Melbourne will have a deliberate local and national focus to support the local industry, while also hosting international keynote speakers and highlighting overseas trends. “It’s very much about supporting Victoria with a hair and beauty event,” she said. “It will have a different look and feel to anything seen in Hair Expo and Sydney Beauty Expo.”

The two-day event will include a plethora of activities from interactive workshops and live demonstrations with the brightest industry specialists, to business seminars and a focus on “hands-on” workshops.

Events and speakers confirmed so far are the Elly Lukas College beauty workshops, Rae Morris’ makeup workshops, and well-known hair industry name, Joey Scandizzo.

Salon Melbourne will be held 17 to 18 April 2010 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.