THE STORY OF
A few years ago, I was sitting in the pub with my ever-supportive husband. It was the Sunday of one of the big trade show weekends, and my social feeds were full of nail tech friends posting from the event.
But something felt off.
The techs - the ones who are “just” nail techs - were quietly saying it hadn’t felt worth it. In previous years they’d spend days preparing: fresh nails, outfits planned, hotel booked, dinner reservations made, road trips arranged with friends travelling from all over the country.
This time? They felt overlooked.
There were fewer stalls aimed at us - the working nail professionals. More big beauty equipment. Bigger spends. Less relevance.
Over dinner I was explaining why I hadn’t attended for years. I didn’t need expensive beauty machinery, and I didn’t have thousands to spend. It just didn’t feel like it was built for techs like me.
That’s when my husband casually said:
“Why don’t you just run your own trade show?”
I laughed.
This is the same woman who once forgot an entire table of guests on her wedding seating plan — resulting in a giant round table being wheeled across the courtyard mid-reception. (I can laugh about it now… mostly.)
Event planning was not exactly my strength.
But a couple of glasses of wine later, we were sat with napkins, pens and Google, looking at venues and small brands that specifically served nail technicians.
the very
First
nailtopia.
I called in every favour I had. Every tech friend. Every small brand connection. And, just as I’d hoped, this incredible industry showed up.
We booked a small venue close to home and crossed our fingers.
On Sunday 17th November at The Old Rectory in Sheffield, the very first Nailtopia was born.
A handful of small brands with big dreams stood beside us. Hundreds of techs turned up. Products sold. Connections were made. We had classes from Kerry Wright, Sonia Williams and Rachel Wilders. There was a bar on site. It felt like more than a trade show — it felt like our industry again.
So naturally… I planned the second one.
We secured a bigger venue.
And then — COVID.
We rescheduled three times, wondering if Nailtopia would ever happen again. But in November 2021, the second show finally went ahead. We called it the “Covid Comeback”, and it was another huge success.
the
Original
nail tech
Trade
show
the real
Reality
The future was looking bright. Brands were reaching out. Plans were forming for events across the country.
And then life happened.
2023 was incredibly tough.
I had a severe flare-up of my autoimmune condition and was hospitalised for five weeks. I was so unwell I genuinely didn’t think I’d ever recover properly.
Nearly three years later, I’m still not back to my old normal. I’ve had to accept that this might simply be my new normal. But one thing I couldn’t do was close the door on Nailtopia.
It was built for this industry - and this industry showed up for it.
will you join us
This Year?