Foil Me at Premiere Orlando 2026 — What No One Tells You About Taking Your Brand to the World’s Biggest Stage
I’ll be honest. I’ve never been as anxious as I was before this trip to the USA.
Not only because Premiere Orlando is one of the biggest hair and beauty trade shows on the planet - over 500 exhibitors, thousands of professionals, brands like Moroccan Oil, K18, Olivia Garden all on the same floor. And we had invested a lot into this trip. But also because I’m not the greatest and most adventurous traveller, I get home sick after a few days away travelling interstate. The thought of driving a behemoth American car on the wrong side of the road truly freaked me out. More on that later…
Back to the Trade Show, we’re a family-owned Australian foil brand and here we are on the other side of the world breaking into the massive American market. I kept running the numbers in my head: the flights, the freight, the booth, the space hire, the products. It was a significant investment by any measure. And the question that sat with me in the leadup was a pretty simple one - will it all be worth it?
Spoiler: Yes. But not just for the reasons I expected.
The floor
The show ran officially for 3 days, May 30 to June 1 at the Orange County Convention Centre (which by the way is the size of an entire city block - the number of times I got lost on the way to our booth was ridiculous!). The first day was reserved for education only, no exhibitors on the floor which gave us a chance to set up. Then Emily and I had two days to make our mark.
Our booth and the floor at Premiere Orlando 2026.
What struck me immediately was how genuinely curious people were. Slightly less than half already knew Foil Me existed and the other half had not heard of us. With an amazingly bright and branded booth and our most colourful foils on display, when people walked past, they stopped and admired. And then when we spoke and they heard our Aussie accent and the fact we came all the way from Australia, well that certainly helped!
We showed them what the foil is actually made of. We’d have one person hold one end and pull while watching their face light up with surprise when it didn’t give. Then we’d ask them to fold the embossed side onto itself, press both hands around it, and try to make it move. Watching someone’s eyes go wide when it holds firm - that never gets old. That’s 12 years of refinement doing the talking.
The people
We got to meet people we - and our team - have been chatting with online for years. It was like catching up with old friends despite the fact we’d never met. There’s something about finally being in the same room as someone you’ve only ever known through a screen. It was a great feeling.
Emily got to hug Lauren Herzog (@thehillbillyhairpainter) in person - someone she’d just interviewed for the podcast.
Amy Alvarez @amyalvarez / @sandhairco a salon owner and digital creator who has been a Foil Me artist for a decade.
Kimberly Loomis @kimberlyloomis educator, keynote speaker, salon owner and Beauty LaunchPad board advisor.
‹ swipe to meet the crew ›
People who have been part of the Foil Me world for years and had never met us face to face.
That feeling is genuinely hard to put into words. It’s not about sales. It’s about realising the community you’ve been building actually exists beyond your Instagram account.
We also met new faces too - people who would walk near, stop, watch what was happening, have a chat with us, take a photo and then come back later with their friends. That’s the best possible thing that can happen on a trade show floor.
What sold and what surprised us
Our Extra Wide and Long Wide foils were gone by end of day one. Completely sold out. The brushes were a talking point too - stylists kept picking them up and commenting on how light they are, how soft the bristles feel. That’s something you simply can’t communicate through a web page or Instagram post. People have to hold them. The Wildflower print was an ongoing talking point, and once I told them that Emily had hand drawn everything they saw, they were blown away.
Was it worth it?
Yes. But it’s a particular kind of worth it.
Premiere Orlando isn’t a short-term ROI play. The investment is huge - travel, logistics, booth design, space, product. And not just the time and financial aspect, the mental investment too. Planning and thinking and then physically working the booth. You don’t recoup all of that in two days on the floor. What you build is brand depth. Conversations that turn into long-term relationships. Stylists who go home, tell their friends, and become the kind of advocates no ad spend can buy.
Never again…
While I’d love to go back and do another trade show, what I wont do again is drive! Firstly, I booked a ‘medium’ sized SUV, you know, something familiar like we have here in Australia. Instead, I get something the size of a large Army vehicle designed for carrying troops. Then my first driving experience was at 2am (our flights were delayed) after travelling and not sleeping properly for about 35 hours. So,I’m in a literal truck, steering wheel on the wrong side and driving on the wrong side of the road in the middle of the night. Thankfully with some navigation by Emily and minimal distractions from the kids, we arrived safely to the hotel. What a relief. Over the coming week I was driving every day but I still wasn’t comfortable with it. I’d be veering into the other lane and almost turn into oncoming traffic at the traffic lights! Months ago, I decided that it would be fun to drive 350km from Orlando down to Miami and return the hire car in Miami. Sounds like a good experience right? Well apart from the size of the car I was driving, we were met with torrential rain on the highway, visibility was down to literally 5-10 metres. I could barely see the car in front of me. And this is on on a highway with a 120km/h speed limit.
But with my guardian angel watching over me, we actually made it. A 3 hour trip ended up being a 4 hour trip. We navigated to the car hire drop off point in downtown Miami traffic (which puts Sydney and Melbourne traffic to shame) and as I’m backing the army grade Humvee into the parking lot….BANG.
I hit a f#%king tree.
This particular tree had decided to grow a massive branch out at a 90 degree angle about roof height of a car. So I didn’t see it and the sensors didn’t pick it up either.
Once again, my guardian angel ensured there was no visible damage thankfully. I quickly threw the key at the Budget rental counter and ran. So far so good, still no invoice for damages. I think I made it.
I digress (a lot) I know! But would we ever do it again? Yes. The answer is yes - to the trade show that is, not to driving in the US. Never again!
What’s Next?
We’re already thinking about that. San Antonio Texas looks like a great place to visit, and it’s the second largest trade show that Premiere do. You can come and find us there!
We’ll bring the foils. You try to tear one!
Foil Me is an Australian, family-owned brand creating premium hair foils refined over 12 years with hairdresser feedback. Shop at foilme.com.au or find us @foilmefoils.
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