Key Takeaways
- Sephora brand founders are gathering in Las Vegas this week with employees from around the US for the Sephora Store Manager Conference.
- The three-day event is all about educating managers and getting them excited about their store’s offerings.
Since Monday, Las Vegas has been full of expertly glammed visitors who are placing bets on the next Rhode Peptide Lip Tint flavor. Sure, that’s typical Vegas behavior… but I promise right now the setting spray to tourist ratio is even higher than usual. The Sephora Store Manager Conference is on, and all your favorite beauty brand founders seemed to decide this was *the* year to show up.
Every year, Sephora puts on a conference for its U.S. Store and District Managers. While it’s a big event for those working on the ground to make quotas, it’s also the perfect see-and-be-seen moment for brands.
Ahead, discover everything there is to know about the three-day event, which even Hailey Bieber deemed important enough to drop in on.
What Is the Sephora SMC?
According to Sephora, SMC’s purpose is “to provide Store Managers with opportunities to connect with each other and brands while also celebrating and recognizing their efforts throughout the year.” They promise attendees that they’ll walk away “inspired, informed, and committed.” They’ll also be ready to drive growth and sales for the company during the upcoming holiday season.
This year, the event is taking place August 3 through 6 at the Aria Las Vegas Resort. Beauty icons and brand founders like Chris McMillan (Jennifer Aniston’s famous hairstylist, whose own haircare line is landing soon) Sofie Pavitt (Sofie Pavitt Face,) Jen Atkin (Ouai and Mane), Patrick Ta (Patrick Ta, duh), Dianna Cohen (Crown Affair), Amy Liu (Tower 28), Chriselle Lim (Phlur), Molly Sims (YSE Beauty), Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland (Summer Fridays), Mary Phillips (her new m. ph brand is going to be a Sephora darling), and Bieber (remember when the Rhode x Sephora announcement moved mountains earlier this summer?) were among the many, many industry stars who touched down in the desert.
@mollybsims/Instagram
“Brb becoming a Sephora manager so I can experience this??!!! Brilliant as always,” commented a fan on Sofie Pavitt’s Instagram post from the conference. “Watching Mary Phillips and Jen Atkin doing Hailey Bieber’s makeup and hair. How’s your work day going?” posted another attendee in an Atkin-shared story.
Not as good as that, I guess.
Why Do Brands Care?
A big part of SMC is the Multiworld Brand Experience (MBWE), which went down on Tuesday this year. This is the moment where brands set up booths for managers to explore. While making their way through the mini brand worlds, they can receive hands-on experience with products and further educate themselves on the companies their stores stock.
While this is certainly fun for Sephora employees, the brands receive the benefit of educating those who directly drive sales. If you thrill a manager with your hyaluronic acid serum and they recommend it to everyone who comes into their store… and they recommend it to their friends… you’ve got a sales bump. It’s old-school influencing 101.
“This is something that we always get really excited for. Every year, a lot of team preparation goes into this. We want it to be fun and interactive,” Ireland shared in an Instagram story. “My favorite part is that I get to meet so many store managers from all over the country, from cities that I don’t always make it to, so this is so fun for me.”
Later, she showed off her brand’s booth. Managers who came by were treated to goodies and learned some tips on applying Summer Fridays’ dewy new Blush Butter Balms. (Speaking of… on social media, attendees shared their post-conference product and swag hauls, and they were impressive to say the least.)
@laurenireland/instagram
Why Should You Care?
While it’s not super important to know the exact details of the conference unless you’re an attending manager or brand owner, it’s one of those weeks when a lot of beauty news might leak.
During her day at SMC, Bieber announced the return of some previously limited-edition Peptide lip products to go along with Rhode’s Sephora launch next month: Strawberry Glaze, Salty Tan, and Jellybean are all coming back. On her Instagram, she also shared a peek at Rhode’s branded booth. Had it have been open to the public, the sleek space definitely would’ve made Vegas visitors get out of bed before noon.
What happens in Vegas does *not* stay in Vegas these days, and Sephora is banking on that. All this intel is coming from the desert and—through newly inspired managers or social media excitement—making its way right to your face.
