A hair show during opening night of the 51st Redken SymposiumCourtesy of RedkenRight on the Las Vegas strip, a dark hotel ballroom awash in magenta light is filled with the sound of a live electric guitar as models dressed in black strut up and down a catwalk, flaunting fabulous hair. Next up is a performance by an all-male dance troupe. It’s fair to assume this is a Vegas variety show, but it’s actually the Redken Symposium, the biggest single-brand hair show in the world. “I don’t think you can really understand the energy of the Redken Symposium until you're here, and just how big it is,” says Redken General Manager Mounia Tahiri. “The scale is phenomenal, and you feel that sense of community.”After a hiatus due to Covid, the Redken Symposium returned to Las Vegas with the theme of Igniting Your Passion: Authentic Artistry, Real Connection, Shaping Tomorrow, focusing on inspiration, education and connection. Redken is the only hair brand that hosts its own hair show at this scale, proving that its commitment to investing in education for the professional community remains a priority for them.Backstage at the Redken SymposiumCourtesy of Redken“A big part of Redken’s story is obviously the science and healthy hair,” Tahiri. “An even bigger part of our identity is bringing a community of hairdressers together to be educated, education being very core to who we are as a brand, but also to share a moment of learning from each other. There’s so much of who we are that's not just about looking up at mainstage artists. Some hairdressers are in different stages of their career, and we accompany them with all the steps to take you where you want to go. The community relies on each other.”Held over three days in June, the global 51st Redken Symposium brought thousands of top hair artists, salon owners and cultural voices together for immersive education, artistry, and industry networking for the professional hair community at all levels. This marked the first year a business-focused education component was added. There were over 25 mainstage classes taught by top global artists, the Redken Hair Color Awards and an ongoing Education Gallery to provide attendees with hands-on learning, trend forecasting and business acumen. At the Education Gallery, they can learn up-close, interact with the brand and ask questions. The mainstage classes ranged from showcasing new color and cutting techniques to watching renowned Redken Global Artistic Ambassador Sam Villa, who announced his retirement from the brand, give a model a bob haircut live. The 51st Redken Symposium was a full circle moment for Maggie Perry, a Redken Artistic Ambassador, online educator and owner of HIR Salon in Scottsdale, Arizona, who once purchased a ticket to attend the symposium and presented on the mainstage this year. Her session, "Light Lines," taught a technique inspired by how light casts shadows on hair. “I’m excited to bring more creative color to Redken,” she says. “The first time I went, I was just an attendee, and it was absolutely amazing. The biggest takeaways from the first time I attended was that Redken has a very devoted community of people; I've never seen people more passionate about a brand. The passion and commitment really drew me in.”The Redken Symposium format has evolved over the years—some symposiums have offered more a la carte classes, while this year the focus has been on mainstage sessions. Other times the sessions are more hands-on while others are look and learn. “The essence of it, the spirit of bringing the community together, always elevating our craft and always getting inspired from each other, has remained,” Tahiri says. “What we're bringing to this symposium, which is a continuation of how we're also evolving as a brand and the way we interact with our stylist community, number one is digital. It's a huge part of what we do. Sixty-five percent of stylists in the United States are independent; that's grown quite a bit over the years. More and more of their education is consumed digitally. That's why it was so important to have the replay element.”Redken Global Artistic Ambassador Sam Villa giving a model a haircut during the Redken SymposiumCourtesy of RedkenAll of the sessions were recorded and after the symposium attendees could watch everything online for about a week. This enabled attendees to not only take in the education in greater detail, but also to share with other stylists and colorists at their salons. Additionally, more of the symposium’s content has shifted to helping professionals expand their social media audience, which has a growing role in their careers. Another evolution is the creation of the business forum, a first for Redken. “Our education has always been more focused on the technique and science of hair,” Tahiri says. “The business forum was a moment for us to recognize that more salon owners are not necessarily stylists, so what would they want to get out of this moment? What they need to learn is how do they foster the culture in their salon, how do they balance the finances? That's why we created this whole separate category. It's still in the same place, but a different ballroom, with business speakers.” Attendees can buy tickets for either side of the symposium or both. The Education Gallery at the Redken SymposiumCourtesy of RedkenWhen creating the schedule, Redken executives consult their team of ambassadors of over 250 artists that they work with to see what their needs are. They also reach out to salon owners in the community and as part of the L’Oreal group, they consult their sales team that goes into salons every day. Finally, they conduct a survey after every symposium and use that feedback process to shape the next one. “You truly listen to what is being asked,” Tahiri says.As for the mainstage speakers and educators who lead presentations, those experts are carefully selected by the education team. “It takes a lot to be on the mainstage,” Tahiri says. “There's the technical skills, obviously, but also that ability to take your technical skills and train people for them to be engaged in your story and break it down in simple ways. This is a crown achievement. It's a big moment for artists to be chosen.” Redken Global Artistic Ambassador Patricia Nikole teaching her segment on Power PlacementCourtesy of RedkenCreating the curriculum is a collaborative process between Redken and the presenters over multiple development sessions and the educators write their segments themselves. “We are asking them to be authentically themselves, to really own it,” Tahiri says. “Not every artist shows up the same way, and it’s important to us that the technicality is there—but how you express it, how it comes to life, how you show your personality—that's part of what they're teaching on stage.”Hair artist and Redken Global Artistic Ambassador Patricia Nikole, who has helped pioneer modern color techniques, taught a segment on Power Placement on the mainstage this year, which combines foil placement with hair painting to create high-contract hair color. Previously a Redken Artist, she returned after an eight-year hiatus due to Covid. “It was definitely a full circle moment for me because Redken was the first brand to give me my platform as an artist, and so here I am after all these years and all this experience in the industry, coming back, being able to showcase my knowledge and my expertise and serve the community,” Nikole says. But she enjoys being backstage too. “I have been the most inspired by watching all of the artists get their models ready and see them be so passionate with their transformations, and then watching them go onstage and perform what they prepared for.”Opening night of the 2026 Redken SymposiumCourtesy of RedkenThe Redken Symposium wasn’t all strictly business—in addition to the opening night kick off, there was a Redken Bash on the final evening. “The opening show is the wow moment; you’re like, okay, I'm so excited to be here, and that's what we want them to feel,” Tahiri says. “That sets the tone, the engagement, the energy. The first night is the entertainment portion.”Ultimately, Tahiri wants the Redken Symposium to provide a time of learning and development for all attendees. “What they're walking away with that is going to be useful in real life for them is those mainstage moments,” she says. “As much as the show is great, I wanted to make sure that those two days were great. It's a full journey from entertainment of the opening show to learning that's super inspirational. People are here to learn something they've never seen before. We want to wow them. We want to make sure they leave with something really useful for them to take back to their salon, feel inspired, but something they wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. You have to be here.” Mark your calendar for the next one: July 8-10, 2028.