Wella Business Network Live

After a two-year hiatus, the atmosphere at Wella’s Business Network Live, held at The Belfry hotel in Sutton Coldfield was a brilliant reunion for the Wella family.

Podcast host, Dom Lehane, hosted the two-day conference, and he was joined by Max Amen, Wella’s general manager for the UK & Ireland, who officially opened the event. He said:

“Today we celebrate the Wella family. The salon is always at the core of what we do, and you can expect us to be there for you through good times and bad.”

The line up of guest speakers included a dynamic combination of real-life stories that could be adapted into business advice. Highlights included a session from multi-awardwinning speaker and marketer, Geoff Ramm, who challenged the audience to a 120 second creative brainstorm. The thinking behind it? We come up with our most out-there and creative ideas in limited time.

"Always try to think like the challenger in your business"

Writer and performance expert, Rasmus Ankersen, gave a fascinating insight into the links between high achieving sporting groups and raw talent. “Always try to think like the challenger in your business,” he also recommended.

Ex-footballer, Clarke Carlisle, and his wife Carrie gave an honest and emotional account of the struggles of dealing with mental health. They shared their personal turbulent journey, which included bouts of depression and suicide, and offered practical advice: “We are all one step away from someone who is experiencing adverse mental health.

Ask yourself, do I have my coping mechanisms or am I looking for them?”

Adding a fresh approach to taking a chance on new team members, adventurer, author and TV presenter, Simon Reeve shared his epic journey of becoming a TV adventure travel legend and told us to exercise our ‘confidence muscle’. He explained:

“Take small steps with which you can cope.”

Saira Khan from The Apprentice, delivered a set on team motivation and the power of self-belief, launching her session with the words: “The actions you take today will determine your future.” Whilst comedy writer Tim Reid, gave a refreshing session on creative brainstorming and the power of humour in creativity: “It’s never been more important to think differently.’

“It’s never been more important to think differently"

TV adventurer and founder of a travel company specifically for blind people, Amar Latif, shared the challenges of turning blind at the age of 18. His empowering story was immensely uplifting: “Resilience is not about being tough and unmovable, it’s about knowing where you want to go. If you dare push yourself to the limit, your world becomes bigger.”

However, it wasn’t all work and no play! In true Wella style, delegates enjoyed a ‘Winter Luxe’ inspired evening complete with ice sculptures, ski stimulators, and a 360-degree photo booth. Entertainment came courtesy of drag act The Globe Girls, and a stand-up set by comedian Tom Allen.

It was a triumphant return after a two-year hiatus. The delegates left the event feeling inspired, motivated and ready to get creative.