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Intergroom 2002

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Intergroom 2002
Eurogroom 2002
Atlanta Pet Fair 2002
2002 Show
World Championships
Northern Groomers Event
Irish Championships
Groomer of the Year 2002

By Robert Murphy, Technogroom, Carluke

After the usual long trip from Glasgow via the dreaded Heathrow to New Jersey, I waited over an hour for the pre-booked State Shuttle which I had a $10 off ticket for (which the driver would not accept!). The fare came to $37. When I gave him a $50 he said "You want change?" I replied "Naa, it's OK". Well, you don't want to be labelled the mean Scotsman right off! Next time I got a Cab, which was $47, I gave a $3 tip…lesson learned.

As I was late in booking this trip, the Double Tree Hotel which was right beside the venue was already full, so I had to stay at the Holiday Inn across the road. I dumped my bags and went for a look round. Strange, no Groomers in the bar, most unusual at 10pm. So I set off the half mile over to the Double Tree. Yes, there they all were. Now my excuse at this point is if you stay up late, you sleep all night and you miss the jet lag…yes this works, but the hangover can be just as bad!

However, I was up bright and early for my only breakfast, or meal for that matter, at the Holiday Inn. One thing that turns my stomach is runny whites on the eggs – but, when I order steak and get three rashers of crispy bacon! Well, needless to say, I ate every other meal at the Double Tree Hotel.

After collecting my registration pack, I had a look at the Class already in progress. The vendors’ booths were not yet open, but I had a wander round just to see who was there. After all this was my main reason for attending the show, although I do take a big interest in the grooming. 

About every U.S. Company you can mention was represented. The major players like Andis, Oster, Wahl and Ademco had the prime locations with dozens of other companies selling everything you could ever require in a salon. Wahl and Oster constantly demonstrated techniques and styles from the podiums at their respective stands. These companies employ the Top Groomers for this purpose. Sue Zecco and Scott Wassermann were on the Wahl stand and Colin Taylor was there for Oster. The music however seemed to be more than Colin could compete with at times.

As I said before, equipment was my reason for being at Intergroom and, over the three days of the show, I had a good look at what every vendor had to offer. Scissor manufacturers were there in abundance. Apart from some very impressive scissors on almost every one of these stands, I was impressed by some specialist scissors for the carpel tunnel and nerve damage sufferers, with swivel or adjustable finger rests. This is an area which, when perfected, will benefit many Groomers. The Wahl booth was by far the most active stand with loud music, constant demonstrations and many special offers. Kim Laube worked tirelessly for the three days, giving away a ton of shampoo along with many other items to the constant crowd around this stand - most impressive.

All in all I think UK groomers can learn a lot from the US, in turn I believe they could learn a lot from the UK, especially hand stripping. The vendors can also learn from each other, but the difference is the market size. There with in excess of 30,000 Groomers in the USA alone, compared to around 3000 in the UK. Companies there tend to specialise in one product with relatively few general suppliers like here. I doubt if we will ever have the industry size in the UK to support a supply structure like this, so although the UK industry is certainly making huge advances, we have a long way to go.

I finished off the weekend with a trip into New York on the Monday night, a meal in little Italy, a midnight walk around Time Square and even a subway trip to Grand Central before leaving at 4am to catch the flight home. A well worthwhile trip and one I will definitely make again.

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Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Northern Groomers.

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Last modified: November 05, 2000