The great Irish writer William Butler Yeats once wrote, “There are no strangers here. Only friends you haven’t met yet.” This is the quote Ronan Perceval, CEO of Phorest Salon Software, opened with as he greeted the Salon Owners Summit 2024 crowd. Now celebrating its 20th business anniversary, Phorest prides itself on being more of a salon company than a tech company. The Summit is an annual opportunity for like-minded hair and beauty professionals and business owners worldwide to come together as one inspiring community.
This year, over 600 attendees from across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands gathered in Dublin’s Royal Convention Centre for two days of talks and workshops about the latest industry trends, business opportunities and technology innovations. While the Summit is Europe’s premier, growth-driven event for salon owners, that’s not the only reason many make the annual trip to Dublin. They come for the people– to immerse themselves in the culture of Phorest firsthand, to make connections and, to use the Irish expression, for the unforgettable “craic.”
Imagine the sound of over 600 drums filling the convention hall.
That’s how the morning of the Summit began. Before Ronan took the stage, attendees were surprised to find a special gift under their seats: a bodhrán, a traditional Irish drum. Before they knew it, professional bodhrán player Robbie Harris was leading a lesson. Robbie divided the crowd into sections, teaching each section their own rhythm. Then, like conducting an orchestra, he coached each section to join in, layering their percussive sounds together as his fellow musician, Éamonn, added a floating melody on the uilleann pipes (often called the Irish bagpipes) over the top. Not bad for a Sunday morning!
Irish roots with a global reach.
The surprise, musical welcome energised the room, warding off any lingering jet lag. However, it also served as a reminder of Phorest’s proud Irish roots. Since its founding on the salon floor in Dublin in 2004, Phorest Salon Software has over 10,000 clients and over 300 employees across three continents. However, no matter how much Phorest grows, Irish cultural values are woven within the company’s own culture and values—namely, the celebration of courage and the openness and eagerness for camaraderie in the industry.
In his introduction, Ronan reminds the audience of this year’s Salon Owners Summit theme, “Elevate.”
Both days were curated to help business owners and professionals reimagine their potential.
In addition to motivation, the talks and workshops offered actionable strategies to elevate one’s leadership, customer service, business acumen, and technology toolkit.
- David Meade – Growth Mindset: Changing The Way Teams Think, Act & Behave Every Day
- Sharmadean Reid – Know Your Clients: Trends & Finding The Human Story in the Data
- Geno Stampora – What 30 Years Experience Taught Him About the Fundamentals of a Successful Salon
- Kate Lynch & The Creative Society – Workshop your Social Media Strategy with The Creative Society
- Nina Tulio – Leadership: Old vs New School
- Alex Bélisle-Springer – Between Alienation & Belonging, Never Just a Haircut or Beauty Service
- Fry Taylor & Denise Baden – Greening Your Glam: The Salon Sustainability Solution Workshop
- Tom Kuhn – The Gridy Art of Getting Things Done Workshop
- Rich Cullen & Verna Wall – (More) Success Stories from the Salon Floor
- Tom Kuhn – Lightbulb Moments
- Keith Barry – Beyond Words – Harnessing the Power of Non-Verbal Communication
A core part of the Summit is also to elevate conversations.
As Ronan said, not only through fantastic talks and workshops, “but also the intimate conversations you have out there on the floor.” The Summit is a hub for networking and sharing knowledge with peers, plus plenty of opportunities to meet the Phorest team behind the software.
Throughout the jam-packed agenda, there was space to breathe and mingle, such as during Bingo Loco, the wild game that made its second appearance at the Summit, or the much-anticipated afterparty in the city centre’s NoLita. Even just strolling the convention centre halls, conversation prompts were everywhere, from the “Ask Me Anything” stands run by the Phorest team to the installation from local Irish artist Amanda Jane Graham, which celebrates the rich history behind the hairdressing profession.
Feeling the Salon Owners Summit FOMO?
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