Headfirst

Venue. Check!

Venue. Check!

When we told you plans were well underway for Salon Smart 2012, we weren’t messing around. This week saw us head off for a much-anticipated visit to our fabulous four-star venue, otherwise known as the Park Plaza Riverbank hotel on London’s Albert Embankment – with gorgeous views overlooking the Houses of Parliament no less, to get the ball rolling on next April’s flagship event.

Rest assured we’ll be putting a fresh spin on your favourite business networking event, while still providing you with those vital elements you know and love. Make sure you don’t miss out on all the action – head over to head1st.net/salonsmart or check out the current issue of Creative HEAD for all the details, and call 01434 610944 to book your tickets today!

Salon Smart – it�

Salon Smart – it’s SO next year!

It may only be November, and we may still be waiting for the first frost, but it’s April 2012 that’s occupying our minds. Why, you ask? Salon Smart, of course! Preparations are well under way for Creative HEAD’s sixth annual flagship business networking event, taking place in London on 29 and 30 April. You can expect all the usual ingredients: stellar seminars from top industry professionals, in-depth exclusive interviews, practical workshops, two exciting and brand new sessions you really won’t want to miss – and more! And did we mention we’ve had a makeover? A new logo for a new year, plus new lower price ticket rates. New, new, new, new, new, new, NEW! Check out all the details at www.head1st.net/salonsmart.
See you there!

Michael Van Clarke, Errol Douglas and nails inc. founder Thea Green MBE will all be speaking at Salon Smart 2012.

Stars, bubbly, and b

Stars, bubbly, and bacon butties…

A special breakfast in honour of our Most Wanted and It List winners was enjoyed at London private members club, Shoreditch House, earlier this week. And wow, what a feast for our eyes and ears! Not only did we manage to gather almost all of our 2011 stars for a celebratory nosh, but with 2012 round the corner Creative HEAD editors Sarah Manley and Amanda Nottage – revealing exclusive hot topics for the year ahead – called on our elite team for their opinions, observations and exciting future plans, resulting in a illuminating 60 minutes. It’s fair to say we all left full of inspiration and bursting with pride; our 2011 trophy-holders are second to none.

Here’s to you all – again! x

The celebrations nev

The celebrations never stop!

The 2011 Most Wanted and It List winners are very busy people, off being the talented stylists and business heroes that they are, but here at Creative HEAD we know how important it is to continue to celebrate their success. Right now, the special projects team is getting ready for this year’s winners breakfast. From the perfect venue, to the tasty menu and just-so table settings, no detail is left out, no stone left unturned; we want to congratulate our winners in style. Our trophy-holders will come together to catch up, talk shop and generally bask in their fabulousness – all over a delicious spread. What better way to spend a Monday morning?

A moment of reflecti

A moment of reflection

It’s been just over a week now, and we’ve (almost) recovered from the festivities of the Most Wanted and It List Awards. After a crazy week of organising post-event PR and coverage, planning for London Fashion Week, helping to get the October issue off to print, and (breathe) preparing for Creative HEAD’s next big event, there’s been no time for R&R. But in those few quiet moments, it’s always good to reflect, and this time-lapse video is the perfect way to do it, reminding us just how much work went into our biggest awards night yet! S+V, we salute you! With the kettle on, and some tasty chocolate-dipped fruit to tuck into, courtesy of It List two-time winner Leigh Keates (thank you, Leigh!), we’re ready to watch!

And, relax…

And, relax…

Last night the stars of the 2011 Most Wanted and It List Awards were announced – and what a night it was! The cocktails and canapés during the sparkling reception preceded an amazing dinner, which was followed by the awards themselves – and they ROCKED with a bigger-than-ever stage set – and, of course, dozens of inspirational names in lights. Celebrating winners past and present, it was an overwhelming feeling to have so much hairdressing talent all in one room. And with guests like Henry Holland, who was looking sharp in powder blue tweed, it was a night full of famous faces. Our host with the most, Mr Keith Lemon, did not disappoint! Escorted to the stage by five beautiful blondes styled by the incredible ghd creative board, Keith kept us all laughing well into the night. With winners announced, plates cleared and cocktail glasses drained, the taxis were called and it was time for bed. We hope all our fabulous guests had a wonderful time, and here’s to our stars of 2011!

When life gives you

When life gives you Lemon…

Planning for the Most Wanted and It List Awards continues, but the prep work this week has included one of the most exciting bits so far. Never in our lives did we think “call Keith Lemon” would be on our to-do list, but on Tuesday it was. We gave our 2011 host a buzz while he was chilling pre-Celebrity Juice filming, and let’s just say if that phone call is anything to go by our guests will be falling off their chairs with laughter! Eleven days and counting…

No rest for the part

No rest for the party people!

It’s fair to say we’ve hit the ground running with preparations for September’s Most Wanted and The It List Awards. What with model castings, artwork sign-offs, trophy deliveries, table plans, briefings, rehearsals, and more, we’ve certainly got our work cut out! Not to mention a little thing called the Creative HEAD October issue to put together while we’re at it! With questions like: “Is this black the same as that black?” there’s no doubt we’re a stickler for the (very important) fine details, but we’re loving seeing all our planning taking shape, and it’ll be worth every redesign, every late night, and every single tiny tweak if we can create a spectacular night for our 80 exceptional finalists and our bumper guest list. Now, excuse us while we grab a Gordon’s and lay down in a dark room, just for a few minutes…

It’s not what you

It’s not what you know
but WHO you know!

Fans of The Coterie will know that Monday 25 July was a busy day at CH headquarters, as its coveted members club played host to its third event of 2011. One Alfred Place was filled with the buzz of stylists, beauty editors and industry movers and shakers, and it was such a success we just had to blog about it! With amazing, inspirational talks from Beverley Streeter, founder of Streeters, and Jo Fairley, co-founder of Green&Blacks and co-author of The Beauty Bible – an unforgettable bestseller. So many inspirational people – so much to take in, but we were sponges for the night and are all the better for it! After ushering out the last few, team CH collapsed in the comfort that once again another Coterie event was a resounding success. It’s fair to say that Tuesday morning was a struggle… Here’s to the next one!

Entries, Glorious En

Entries, Glorious Entries!

Now the judging is over, finalists have been notified, Mr Keith Lemon has been booked and the menu has been chosen, the countdown to the Most Wanted and It List Grand Finals is officially on! But, while this brings buckets of excitement, our workload has just stepped up a gear too!

Our design and production teams now have the important task of profiling our finalists in the programme and on the big screen, so we’re busy trawling through all 80 entries, learning more about our impressive finalists along the way, and picking out perfect quotes from the judges. Thanks largely to this year’s sky-rocketing standards, our steadfast committee of experts had a lot to say and we’ve been spoilt for choice selecting from their heartening comments.

Each year, we’re always so proud to see just how awestruck our judges are, and how much effort has been put into the entries. With our very own Charlotte neck-deep in books, boxes and brochures, it’s plain to see exactly how much time and effort goes into putting together an entry. With a pop-up book, glossy portfolios and lots of cut-and-stick, this year’s finalists went to town, proving just how much they deserve to be on this year’s shortlist, and we can’t wait to showcase each and every one of you on the big night. Now, we must get back to work…