Cosmoprof Partners With Alibaba, Born, Needl for Digital Edition

MILAN — Organizers of the leading beauty trade show Cosmoprof are stepping up their digital game by tapping the Alibaba, Born and Needl marketplaces as exclusive partners for the development of WeCosmoprof’s second edition, running Oct. 5 to 18.

As reported, the digital alter ego of the fair was first introduced in June to ensure a continuity of business relationships among beauty operators after that the physical edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna was canceled due to the pandemic.

The concept intended to offer companies and buyers a virtual environment to facilitate their networking and negotiations, additionally providing insightful content and discussions via a series of webinars. With these premises, the first edition of WeCosmoprof attracted more than 40,000 users from 100 countries who subscribed to the show’s web site to access information about more than 3,000 international exhibitors. Yet the reception couldn’t compare with the physical event’s usual attendance, which last year reached more than 265,000 visitors from 150 countries.

For the second iteration, organizers committed to enlarging their community — and visibility — banking on the exposure that Alibaba, Born and Needl can offer.

“The main difference between editions is that in June only exhibitors that were meant to attend Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna’s physical edition were showcased on the platform, while in October we will open the event to all operators of the beauty industry,” said Enrico Zannini, general manager of the show’s organizer, BolognaFiere Cosmoprof, part of BolognaFiere Group. “Combining our community with the ones of these platform will enable all exhibitors and operators to reach every corner of the market,” he added, introducing the partnership during a digital press conference on Tuesday.

In particular, during the digital event, companies and buyers will be able to access four virtual pavilions, choosing the most suitable for their desired product category and reference sector.

The main, Cosmoprof MyMatch pavilion will run Oct. 5 to 9 and will hinge on the matchmaking software developed by Cosmoprof that enables users to discover companies selected by an algorithm to fit their demands. In this digital space, visitors can also browse through the directory of products, connect directly with exhibitors via private messages and schedule meetings in virtual rooms for one-to-one presentations.

Simultaneously, the WeCosmoprof x Needl virtual pavilion will focus on showcasing exhibitors, buyers and distributors that specialize in mass market and large-scale distribution, white and private labels, while from Oct. 12 to 16, WeCosmoprof x Born will enable prestige and masstige brands to present their products and create connections with Born’s portfolio of 2,800 buyers specializing in design and lifestyle.

Running throughout the whole two-week event, the virtual pavilion WeCosmoprof x Alibaba.com accessible from Alibaba’s homepage will offer companies in the cosmetics industry an international showcase and access to more than 20 million buyers hailing from 190 countries.

The digital event will also have content and livestreaming demonstrations via the CosmoTalks Virtual Series of webinars hosted by industry experts and the Cosmo Virtual Stage area featuring training sessions and demonstrations addressed to professionals operating in hair salons, barber shops, beauty centers and spas. New in, the Company Virtual Pitch section will host the presentations of exhibiting companies.

“The current economic scenario confirms that in order to face the upcoming challenges imposed by the market, it is necessary to create a compact system,” said Gianpiero Calzolari, president of BolognaFiere Group. “Thanks to its reputation, built in over 50 years of history as a reference event for all beauty stakeholders, today Cosmoprof has the ability to aggregate the most innovative digital platforms on the market and to create strategic synergies for the growth of the sector. Only by combining our skills and services can we adequately respond to current market needs.”

The digital event will be supported by the Italian Trade Agency ITA, which is at the forefront of the creation of virtual exhibitions as an aid to real-life events. Among other emergency measures implemented to help firms, the agency is giving free assistance to the companies with fewer than 100 employees in the search of local distributors and partners in international markets and investing 20 million euros to reimburse Italian companies the costs of canceled trade shows abroad, while special offers will be provided to those firms that will attend international fairs it promotes until the end of 2021.

“ITA is committed to consolidating the role of Cosmoprof as the main international showcase in the sector and strengthening the support activities for our companies and our exhibitions on international markets,” said the agency’s general manager Roberto Luongo. “Repositioning our Made in Italy brand is a way to adapt to changes in consumption patterns.”

The upcoming WeCosmoprof won’t be the trade show’s last digital event of the year. The annual edition of the Hong Kong-based leg of the fair has been rescheduled for 2021 and it will be replaced by the Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week instead. Running Nov. 9 to 13, the event is expected to showcase 500 exhibiting companies and attract 10,000 buyers, mainly hailing from the Asia-Pacific area.

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