In what is now BtoB Events’ second exhibition in Lagos, this year, journalists across different platforms witnessed the global presence of exhibitors, and key players of the Beauty and Cosmetics industry in the world at the Beauty West Africa (BWA) exhibition.
Following the successful hosting of the Food And Beverage West Africa Exhibition in September, Jamie Hill, BtoB’s Managing Director, presented another impactful show.
Speaking to pressmen, he said: “We have brought together all of the key players from the cosmetics, perfumes, personal care market here to Nigeria, West Africa and we connecting them not just with the partners, but we are helping exporters to meet importers, retailers meeting with distributors and so on.
“We want to connect the whole market together. So this year we have 120 exhibitors. The majority come from Africa, the Middle East, Europe. We have exhibitors coming from Dubai, Egypt, the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey. The list goes on.
“So what we are doing is bringing the global world of beauty down right here in Nigeria, Lagos. So it’s been difficult for people to go out there and source new products and meet new people. We are bringing the market here. So that Nigerians can meet and see new trends, new products, new technologies, and move forward with them”.
The event, which took place between November 17th-19th at the Landmark Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos, had over 120 exhibitors from four continents but still placed some great focus on promoting Nigerian beauty and cosmetics products.
Onochie-emodi Benedicta, a business consultant, was at the event with entrepreneurs from Niger state. She said, “Niger State is the home of Shea butter. And 90 percent of the product here today has Shea Butter as its basic material used for Cosmetics. And 90 percent of that Shear Butter gotten in Nigeria comes from Niger State. That’s what we are here to showcase. We have raw shea available for export and sales”.
Some of the entrepreneurs from Niger State, Shea Tradition and Princess were on the ground to showcase a range of beauty and cosmetics products.
The event’s Gold Sponsor, Lush Hair spoke to pressmen about their expectations through Folasade Oluwafemi, the Head of Partnerships at Lush Hair.
She said: “We are particularly ecstatic to get on this platform. We consider this partnership strategic, an opportunity to introduce/showcase Lush Hair numerous products to exhibitors, other companies that are equally making waves in the haircare and beauty industry; most importantly, we believe it will create additional opportunities with potential investors/ stakeholders coming from across the globe”.
A key aspect of the exhibition was the five different panels that were featured during the event: Beauty Franchise and Distribution; Beauty Brands and Influencer Marketing; Beauty Retail Channels in Nigeria; The Rise of A—Beauty; Seeking Professional Advice.
These panels and a keynote address about skills acquisition and access to funding for beauty business owners are some of the highlights of the 2021 edition of BWA.
