On September 24–25, hundreds of beauty, wellness and fitness professionals will converge in sunny San Diego for the iconic.23 conference, the industry event of the year. We're providing two packed days of networking, events and knowledge sessions stacked with tips on how to streamline, grow & elevate your business.
That’s two amazing days of networking with leaders and learning from industry powerhouses & celebrity speakers. This is not to be missed.
Check out this comprehensive iconic.23 speaker and session lineup!
iconic.23 Speaker List
Tabitha Coffey
Tabatha Coffey is a celebrity hair stylist, TV personality, salon owner, beauty entrepreneur, author, and business coach. Tabatha will be joining us to give a keynote speech about her journey to the top, including the struggles she faced & overcame, along with the most important takeaways she learned from those lessons to help her get to where she’s at today.
Tabatha spoke at last year’s iconic.22 in San Francisco and the room was electrified—we cannot wait to see her do it again!
Jeannie Mai Jenkins
Jeannie Mai Jenkins is a celebrity makeup artist, fashion designer and Emmy-award-winning talk show host of The Real. She also hosts the Hello Hunnay web series that focuses on fashion, fitness, finances & relationships, and is frontwoman of the Listen Hunnay podcast.
Additionally, Jenkins is the Chief Brand Officer for Owl’s Brew spiked sparkling tea.
Kendra Scott
Kendra Scott is the founder, Executive Chairwoman and lead designer of the billion-dollar eponymous jewelry brand, as well as a philanthropist & best-selling author.
Her business operates over 100 stores in 36 states, and her products are sold in premier national retailers like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom & Bloomingdale’s, and 900 specialty boutiques worldwide. Scott was also named #44 on America’s Self-Made Women list by Forbes.
Fred Helou
Fred Helou is the founder and CEO of Vagaro. He emigrated from Lebanon to the U.S. in 1988 and was pickpocketed of all his money en route. During a business trip in 1999, Helou was struck by an idea for a digital booking platform when he found himself in need of a haircut.
He explored this idea further after losing his job during the Great Recession of 2008, and officially began Vagaro in 2009—in his guest bedroom closet. Today, over 20 million people use Vagaro to find local beauty, fitness & wellness professionals. Over 174,000 professionals use the Vagaro software to run their businesses.
Vagaro has since moved out of Fred’s guest bedroom closet.
Luka Hocevar
Luka Hocevar is the founder of Vigor Ground Fitness, host of Vigor Life podcast & a celebrity fitness trainer. He’s recognized as a leader in the coaching & fitness business development fields, and he's coached thousands of clients, from everyday individuals to the highest-level professionals in the NBA, NFL, UFC & MLB.
Paula Peralta
Paula Peralta is a Los Angeles-based celebrity hair stylist, business owner and artistic director at Paul Mitchell. She also hosts the Paula Talks podcast, and teaches classes on business, finances & creating a fulfilled professional & personal life.
Cameron Kepford
Cameron Kepford is a social media influencer, accomplished stylist and owner of the hair salon, Haus of Heir. Kepford received the 2016 Vidal Sassoon Professional Beauty Education scholarship and was later named in Modern Salon’s Top 100 list of 2020. He is also an ambassador for the Beauty Changes Lives Make Your Mark campaign.
Nick Romero
Nick Romero is a master barber, educator, and owner of the barbershop, Rawknykz . He owns successful shops on both coasts and heads Thank My Barber, an industry clothing & supply brand founded for barbers.
Cassie Baker
Cassie Baker is a celebrity lash & brow artist based in Los Angeles. She has worked with such clients as Zendaya and Sofia Richie, and her work has been featured on BET.com, BuzzFeed, People and Women’s Wear Daily.
Baker is also the owner of LAMYLIFT, a brand of lash & brow products made for licensed estheticians and cosmetologists.
Ashley Bias
Ashley Bias is a celebrity makeup artist whose list of clients includes Ayesha Curry, Tamera Mowry, and many others.
Bias also owns Bias Beauty, a salon in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is a social media influencer whose tutorials and inspirational videos have inspired a following of over 190k subscribers.
John Mosley
John Mosley is a celebrity barber and educator who has worked with Eminem, Rihanna, Idris Elba, Kendrick Lamar and many other high-profile clients. His work has also been featured in GQ, Rolling Stone, Ebony, Vogue & elsewhere.
Mosley is also the founder of Popular Nobody, a personal & business development service for creative professionals.
Alyssa Hare
Alyssa Hare is a color & extension specialist, business owner and beauty industry business coach. She is the co-owner of Golden State Strands, a luxury weft/extensions brand.
Dominique DiBenedetto
Dominique DiBenedetto is a stylist, wig specialist and hair color educator. She owns Aura Hair Co., a salon in Boynton Beach, Florida, as well as Wigs by Dominique, an elevated wig & topper brand.
DiBenedetto was named in Modern Salon’s Top 100 list for the United States in 2020, and has been featured in such publications as Palm Beach Illustrated, Modern Salon and Behind The Chair.
Ellis White
Ellis White is a fitness trainer, sports entrepreneur and business coach. He is the owner of the gyms, Premier Fitness and Premier Sports & Performance, and the author of the book, Elevate: How to Level Up Every Area of Your Life.
Mai Sims & Krista Davidson
Massage therapists Mai Sims & Krista Davidson are the owners of Bodyology Therapeutic Massage in Boise, Idaho. Their experiential brand of relaxation and wellbeing achieved through customized and personalized massage therapy has helped increase their spa’s revenue 114% after just 3 years in business—with more growth projected.
Cassidee Banks
Cassidee Banks is a hair stylist, colorist and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the owner of Golden State Strands salon, and co-owner of the luxury weft/extensions brand of the same name.
Sheron Devlin
Sheron Devlin is a permanent makeup artist and educator. She is the owner of Browtique, a luxury permanent makeup studio & microblading academy offering services and training in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Devlin is also a founding member of the Black Micropigmentation Association, a global non-profit organization committed to supporting Black artists in the permanent makeup industry.
Josh Boulware
Josh Boulware is a fitness trainer and founder of the gym, Body by Boulware, which specializes in personal training and private self-defense. Boulware also teaches personal trainers and incorporates a diverse background, including training through NASM and Active Release Therapy certification.
Matthew Miller
Matthew Miller is a skin guru, business owner, massage therapist, educator & the founder of Matthew Miller Cosmetics—a high-end product line that truly delivers. His clinic, Matthew Miller Skin, in Los Angeles, specializes in personalized treatments with in-depth skin analysis & education.
Jack Mead
Jack Mead is a top U.K. stylist, 2022’s British Hairdressing Awards finalist and co-owner of the salon Jack & The Wolf. He has worked behind the cameras styling hair for shows like The X Factor & The Big Blow Out where he was a semifinalist and has since had the opportunity to work with hair icons in the industry.
Kechia Taylor
Kechia Taylor is a brow artist, beauty esthetician and solopreneur. She is the founder & CEO of Brows and Company, a permanent makeup franchise. She is also a founding member of the Black Micropigmentation Association, a global non-profit organization that is committed to supporting Black artists in the PMU industry.
Damilola Adejonwo
Damilola Adejonwo is a makeup expert, blogger and YouTube sensation based in the U.K. His natural male grooming tips, everyday makeup tutorials, makeup challenges and travelogues have endeared him to thousands of followers.
Olivier de Roany
Olivier de Roany is an entrepreneur and founder, along with his wife, Dulcinea, of the Humble Bee Sugaring Studio chain. Humble Bee specializes in sugaring hair removal, facials & spray tanning, and has 16 locations (& counting!) in California, Nevada and Florida.
Dulcinea de Roany
Dulcinea de Roany is an esthetician and co-owner, along with her husband, Olivier, of the Humble Bee Sugaring Studio chain. Her skillset also includes makeup artistry and lash extensions. Humble Bee specializes in sugaring hair removal, facials and spray tanning at their 16 locations.
Ronna Green
Ronna Green is a hair stylist and the co-owner & operator of Rare Touch, a family-owned salon that has thrived across four generations and 33 years.
iconic.23 Sessions
Sunday, September 24
KEYNOTE WITH VAGARO CEO, FRED HELOU
Join Vagaro CEO, Fred Helou, for his keynote speech as he explores the improvements our software has made, how innovative developments will help business owners reach new heights, and provides an exciting sneak peek at future feature announcements & launches!
SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH KENDRA SCOTT
Join us for a conversation with Kendra Scott, CEO & founder of Kendra Scott Jewelry, to learn how she grew a $500 endeavor in her spare bedroom to the billion-dollar brand it is today.
HOW TO ACQUIRE & RETAIN TOP TALENT
Having Vagaro is a benefit to your hiring process! Strategize how to hire talent during this interactive session where you'll learn to pull from resources like cosmetology schools for hires, creating that pipeline of talent. This session also focuses on the importance of having a mix of junior & senior staff.
THE ART OF UPSELLING: IMPROVE RETAIL & ONLINE REVENUE
Features will cover add-ons, inventory, online store, and how to help you & your booth renters/employees sell more. Speaker: Renee Sison, Product Marketing Manager at Vagaro
MAKE THE MOST OF MARKETING
You’re busy being amazing at your craft and running your business, so you don't have time to waste on clichéd marketing tactics. Learn from our experts how best to implement results-driven strategies that really work.
**Speakers: Alyssa Hare & Alec Sukoski, Vagaro’s Director of Product Design **
MAXIMIZING BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TECH
Make the most of your software and implement more of the features that will help you grow your business. You don't need different software or a bunch of apps to run everything. A genuinely all-in-one solution is all you need.
Speaker: Paula Peralta
3 Cs OF SUCCESS
Luka Hocevar explores the formula to growing a successful business, no matter the industry. He'll take a deep dive into the 3 Cs of getting people in the door and building out your brand, which include: Content, Communication & Conversion.
Speaker: Luka Hocevar
ORGANIZING YOUR DIGITAL PRESENCE
Take advantage of our brand-new website builder to organize your business's online presence! Learn how to best arrange your service & class menus to increase customer convenience and clarity.
Speakers: Cassidee Banks & Emannuel Nevarez, Vagaro’s Technical Training Manager
HOW VAGARO BENEFITS MULTI-LOCATION BUSINESSES
Vagaro truly scales with your business growth. Our software is built for businesses of all sizes, from the solopreneur to enterprise ventures & everything in between. Multi-location features and options help the largest of companies run their day-to-day with ease, efficiency & accuracy. Learn how!
DINNER & ICONIC AWARDS CEREMONY
Our annual iconic awards ceremony recognizes and celebrates business owners like you: hardworking professionals who have taken their brand to new levels, using Vagaro's software to help them reach the top. This year, awardees will be crowned by none other than business guru, Tabatha Coffey!
Monday, September 25
KEYNOTE WITH TABATHA COFFEY
Tabatha Coffey, hairstylist, salon owner, author, Bravo star, and businesswoman extraordinaire will bring her experience to the table to share with independent professionals & entrepreneurs in the industry. Prepare to be inspired by her journey & the knowledge she imparts.
SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH JEANNIE MAI JENKINS
Join Emmy award-winning television host and beauty entrepreneur, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, as she explores the importance of growing your professional & personal brand, including the power of embracing change and taking risks.
INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: SALON & BARBER
The hair industry is buzzing with contemporary trends, transformations, and technology. Whether it’s innovative hair grooming techniques or best business practices, this panel of trailblazing industry professionals will touch on all things salon & barber. Walk away from this panel with actionable insights on how to grow and improve your business, and tips for how to make clients happier along the way!
Moderator: **Paula Peralta **
Panelists: Jack Mead, Nick Romero, Dominique DiBenedetto, John Mosley, Ronna Green
INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: SPA & WELLNESS
The concepts of self-care and mental wellbeing have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. With more consumers seeking services from spa & wellness centers, this conversation will explore how to harness this momentum to grow your business. Join our panel of leading spa & wellness professionals to take away actionable insights on your personal and professional growth.
**Panelists: Matthew Miller, Krista Davidson, Mai Sims, Ducinea de Roany **
INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: FITNESS
If the last few years have proven anything, it's that fitness business owners absolutely must be flexible when it comes to their business models and trends in consumer demand. Whether your business strategy includes a hyperfocus on the client experience, state-of-the-art equipment updates, in-person & virtual options, innovative marketing tactics, etc., this panel of elite fitness entrepreneurs will explore all the above & more to help guide you in the right direction!
**Moderator: Luka Hocevar **
Panelists: Ellis White, Josh Boulware, Tarik Celebi
CAMERON KEPFORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Come get all the exclusive social media marketing tips and tactics to grow your business & brand! Speaker: Cameron Kepford
Vagaro’s iconic.23 conference is set to be an incredible experience. This September 24–25, our speakers are bringing decades of combined industry knowledge and business acumen to San Diego’s Gaslamp District. If you’re a business owner in the beauty, wellness or fitness industries, all you have to bring is a good attitude and the willingness to connect. Come learn & soak in that sunny San Diego vibe! Register for iconic.23 now and reserve your spot! You're sure to come away with memories, relationships & new ideas to amplify your success—just don’t forget to share it on social media!
We’ll see you in San Diego!🌴✌️