From: Christine Turner – ABA Nail Competition Director
To: All Fellow Nail Professionals
I may have written to you in the recent past expressing your need to make your voice heard regarding our Canadian nail competitions. The Allied Beauty Association cancelled all 8 nail competitions across Canada in mid 2008, citing a lack of interest and low registration numbers as the reason. At that time, they conveyed the message that if there was in increase in interest expressed to them that they would consider reinstating them again in 2010.
It has come to light that the ABA board is strongly considering leaving the competitions out of the ABA shows indefinitely as they have not had enough responses to warrant their return and the expense they represent. If you have not already written a letter to the ABA expressing an opinion on this, you must not wait any longer. Even if you do not think that you will compete in the near future, please consider the travesty of losing the option to do so for all Canadian nail professionals. The ABA has numerous hair and makeup competitions but only one nail competition at each show. There has not even been enough interest to expand our competitions to include nail art which many of you would like to enter in – but the ABA’s way of thinking is that if you won’t even compete in the one they offer, they will not offer more. Considering that many nail techs don’t feel that the beauty industry takes our professional seriously, this is just proof to them that we don’t take our own careers serious enough to compete or showcase our skills.
On the flip side of that – if nail professionals do make a point of attending the ABA shows, entering the competitions (or even at least coming to watch to show that there is some interest!), and there is good attendance at the free nail seminar that I offer, then the ABA would consider bringing in more guest speakers and offer more educational classes on nails that would make the show that much more beneficial for you to attend. The more nail techs attending the show, the more nail manufacturers will come to exhibit their products. The step forward has to come from us first though. It is very cost effective for us to attend the show but extremely costly for exhibitors to risk the expense of coming if they don’t see enough interest or sales. Make your voice heard on the show floor – if you want to see more nail products or educational classes or competitions, you have to say something because the word at the ABA board meetings is that nail techs are lazy. They think we don’t care about education, don’t take our careers seriously, and can’t even be bothered to attend the show let alone compete.
I’m going to make this letter situation much easier for you by attaching a form letter that you can simply attach your name to but feel free to use the letter as a basis to expand on your opinions or write one yourself. And to make things even easier, you can just forward the completed document to me and I will forward it on to the ABA director in your appropriate province.
Please don’t fail to take a stand on this matter, if not for yourself, then for other nail professionals who do see the many benefits of competing and for our future nail professionals. If you would like more information on the benefits of competing, please be sure to contact me. Competing remains the best way to improve your salon skills and speed and the most inexpensive and exciting way to educate yourself.
I have your contact information either because you have contacted me in the past or you have competed or expressed interest in doing so. If you would like me to remove you from my contact list, please reply with “remove” in the subject line.
Thank you for your time and I hope that you will take the time to complete the attached letter and forward it to me so that we can help to rebuild our nail industry in Canada. Please be sure to attend your local ABA show this upcoming fall or spring whether you support competitions or not. For more on upcoming show dates, go to www.abacanada.com .
Sincerely,
Christine Turner
ABA Nail Competition Director
Award Winning Nail Competitor
Freelance Educator & Writer
Nail Technician of the Year & Salon of the Year
(Nail’s Magazine’s Artists & Visionaries Awards)
(c) 778-242-Diva
(h) 604-556-2556
info@naildiva.ca
www.naildiva.ca
