2026 SESSIONS

Check-in and collect your badge to attend the sessions and visit the Sponsor tables.

Location: TBD

Get ready and fueled up for a full day of sessions!

Sponsor: Meevo

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)

Where will your next growth spurt come from? Forward-thinking owners share the services and products they’ve added to their businesses that have produced a healthy ROI.

Moderator: Stacey Soble, SALON TODAY and BARBERING TODAY

Panel:
Jack Panico, Panico Lifestyle Building
Christina Kirkey, Pinup Studio
Desiree Escobedo, Lavish Hair Lounge

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)

The Partner & Solutions Pavilion is open from 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM. Stop by throughout the day to connect with industry partners, explore tools and services designed for salon success, and discover solutions to support your business and team.

Location: Rio Grande (lower level)

Session Sponsor: Phorest Software

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)

This energetic session will show you how to plug smart technology into your client experience so guests buy more and stay longer. We will explore AI-driven tools that help clients discover their perfect service and product match on their own, guiding them toward higher ticket and retail purchases without feeling “sold.” Then, we will map out a client journey that uses automated check ins, reminders, and education at key moments in the lifecycle to increase rebooking and loyalty. You will leave with a clear blueprint you can implement right away, even if you are not a tech expert. 

Speaker: Billy Davison, Occipital Salon Marketing

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)

Explore innovative products, services, and solutions while engaging with key representatives to learn how they can benefit your business. This is also the perfect opportunity to network with fellow professionals and expand your connections!

B12 Energy Boost Shots Sponsor: Bionassey

Location: Rio Grande (lower level)

Get a first look at the fastest-growing consumer group in beauty and what it means for your marketing and guest experiences. Industry marketing and salon operations expert, Danielle Anderson, will share the key data points that show how Gen Alpha’s digital habits, expectations, and spending influence their parents’ choices today and shape long-term loyalty tomorrow. This session helps salons position themselves ahead of the curve and win the next generation before competitors even realize the shift is happening. 

Speaker: Danielle Anderson, mya

Location: San Antonio

Sponsor: Harper Ellis Hair Co

Location: Trinity A (lower level)

This presentation identifies the most frequent IRS compliance mistakes made by salon owners, including worker misclassification, cash transaction reporting issues, and record-keeping practices that serve as common audit triggers. As a tax attorney with extensive IRS representation experience, the presenter will explain how to resolve existing IRS liabilities through negotiation strategies that CPAs generally do not provide due to their focus on tax preparation rather than representation before the IRS.

Speaker: Tina Arzavand, Esq. LL.M, Arzavand Tax Law

Location: Sabine (lower level)

Location: San Marcos (lower level)

Make your way to the lunch buffet and take advantage of this final opportunity to visit our sponsors and network with fellow attendees. Our sponsors will be packing up at 1:30 PM, so be sure to stop by before they head out!

Location: Rio Grande (lower level)

This interactive workshop builds directly on Ameet's mainstage session and turns strategy into action. Attendees will map their own salon’s end-to-end client journey, from discovery to rebooking, and identify where AI can create immediate leverage, where a hybrid approach works best, and where human connection should be intentionally elevated. You’ll leave with a personalized, prioritized action plan for improving your client experience using both AI and people.

Session Sponsor: Glammatic

Speaker:Ameet Kallarackal, Glammatic

Location: Trinity A (lower level)

Client retention doesn’t happen by luck—it happens by training your clients through consistent communication and frictionless rewards. In this session, we’ll break down how to build a powerful loyalty program and a monthly newsletter strategy that drives rebooking, product sales, and long-term community connection. Attendees will learn how newsletters and rewards systems also boost recruitment by showcasing stylist wins, cultivating culture, and creating a client base that feels invested in the salon’s success.

Speaker: Lucy Randall, Spark Pro Global

Location: San Antonio (lower level)

In this session, I’ll share how I built a recognizable, award-winning brand by creating content that people genuinely connect with. Instead of guessing what works, I use simple data points to guide our marketing decisions and keep our message clear, consistent, and effective. Attendees will learn how to blend creativity with metrics to create marketing that feels authentic and actually drives results.

Speaker: Chelle Neff, Urban Betty

Location: San Marcos (lower level)

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)

In this engaging and data-packed session, Erin Kuhn Bhansali of Qnity, Inc. shares fresh insights from Qnity's groundbreaking research, including their most recent P&L Study, paired with actionable stories from salon owners across the country who are bringing this data to life and putting money back into their businesses and their teams.

Speaker: Erin Kuhn Bhansali, Qnity

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)

Based on our popular running series on salontoday.com, we’ll meet some of the managers behind successful salons across the country, uncover the characteristics that make them perfect for their roles, the responsibilities they shoulder in their businesses and how they are held accountable and compensated.  

Moderators:
Stacey Soble, SALON TODAY SALON TODAY and BARBERING TODAY

Location: Grand Ballroom (lobby level)