hairandbeautyawards.co.uk Reviews 

£95 to apparently buys you a seat to watch everyone else attend the HBA.

My partner and I travelled 4.5 hours to Manchester, booked a hotel for two nights, paid for travel, black-tie outfits and everything else that comes with attending an awards ceremony. I also closed my salon for the day to be there.

We knew perfectly well that our Standard tickets didn’t include the banquet or table seating. We were absolutely fine with that. We didn’t expect dinner, a table or VIP treatment.

We did expect to feel like we were actually part of the same event.

From the moment we arrived, the difference between the experiences was impossible to ignore.

Guests with the more expensive packages had the proper glamorous entrance, red carpet, professional photographers and lighting.

Standard ticket holders were sent to a completely different area. Our “photo wall” was standing in the middle of a dull, poorly lit arena concourse. There wasn’t even a photographer there. We literally had to ask other guests to take photos of us on our phones.

The whole area around us felt empty, dirty and run-down. Grey concrete, closed and empty spaces, horrible lighting and absolutely none of the glamorous black-tie atmosphere we had dressed up and travelled 4.5 hours for. Honestly, it felt more like walking through an abandoned part of the building than arriving at a prestigious hair and beauty awards ceremony.

Knowing that other guests at the very same event were being welcomed with a proper red carpet, photographers and professional lighting made that difference even harder to ignore.

Before the awards had even started, we already felt like two completely different classes of guests.

Then we entered the arena and somehow it got worse.

Standard ticket holders were grouped together in the stands behind barriers, surrounded by huge sections of empty, dark seating. Below us were the beautifully dressed tables, lights, atmosphere and what looked like the actual HBA experience.

We genuinely felt like rats in a cage watching somebody else attend the event we had also paid to attend.

That might sound harsh, but it is genuinely how both my partner and I felt.

It felt like the people who had paid enough were there to be celebrated, while the rest of us were the “budget” crowd, the plebs in the stands who were allowed to watch.

And that is probably what disappointed me most. HBA and Sophie, its founder and CEO, talk so much about bringing the industry together, celebrating everyone and not creating divisions. What we experienced felt completely at odds with that message. The division wasn’t subtle. It was physical, visible and obvious from the moment we arrived.

I completely understand different ticket tiers. Pay more and receive more. Of course. But receiving fewer extras is very different from being made to feel like a second-class guest.

We paid £95 each. Add a 4.5-hour journey, two nights in a hotel, outfits, travel costs and a full day of lost income because I closed my salon to attend. That is a significant commitment for a small business owner.

And after all of that?

We left almost immediately after the results were announced.

We had absolutely no desire to stay for the rest of the evening. We just wanted to leave. I think that says more about our experience than anything else.

I’ve since seen HBA referring to Standard tickets as “budget tickets” when responding to disappointed guests. Being the cheaper ticket should mean fewer extras. It shouldn’t mean being made to feel cheap.

Several of my friends within the beauty industry also entered HBA this year. Thankfully, they didn’t travel to Manchester. After hearing about my experience and seeing the feedback following the event, they have also said they won’t be attending in future.

For me personally, this experience has completely changed how I feel about HBA. I will not attend again and I will not enter these awards again.

It feels like somebody became so focused on making the event bigger and more spectacular that they lost sight of the people the event was actually supposed to celebrate. Bigger does not automatically mean better, and unfortunately this simply did not work.

An awards ceremony celebrating small businesses should understand what £95 tickets, travel, hotels, outfits and losing a day of work actually mean to the people attending.

People understand paying more to receive more. What we didn’t expect was paying less to feel like we mattered less.

Sadly, that is exactly how HBA made us feel.

Hi HBA team,

I wanted to share some honest feedback following our first HBA Awards. We had genuinely been so excited to attend, which is why the experience was so disappointing.
We understood that our tickets didn’t include the sit-down meal, and we were completely fine with that. What wasn’t made clear was that we would be seated in the arena stands, separated from the main floor, beside a very steep stairwell, with no access to the floor or dancing area. This didn’t reflect how we understood the tickets to have been advertised—we had only guessed where our seats might be by looking at the venue ourselves.

The website stated on every ticket type that entry or access to the HBA Festival was included. There was no mention—even within the VIP ticket information—of the festival being divided into separate or segregated areas, or that certain ticket holders would be restricted to the arena seating. If our tickets included entry to the HBA Festival, why were we not allowed to enter and join the event, and instead expected to watch it from the sidelines?
Had this been made clear before booking, we honestly wouldn’t have attended. Closing our salon for an entire day cost us thousands in lost revenue, alongside travelling for five hours, paying for a hotel and buying black-tie outfits. That is a considerable commitment to then be made to feel as though we had purchased “budget tickets,” as has been repeatedly pointed out in responses to other reviews.
We entered the awards because we loved the ethos that anyone could be in it to win it, whether attending or watching from home, with the industry brought together and celebrated equally. Unfortunately, the event felt very divided. Jake’s comment that those on the “expensive tables” needed to win only reinforced that feeling.
Although this was our first HBA event, we spoke to people who had attended previously and were told that everyone once paid a standard price and was made to feel glamorous and included, whether they won or not. That was the experience we believed we were travelling for. Even not winning but enjoying a glamorous industry event with acts that would give great entertainment.
There were also practical issues that made the evening more difficult. There was no clear communication about the delay with food, and some of us began to feel unwell after waiting so long to eat. When food was available, the only choices were a hot dog or burger, both at a very high price. Staff also wouldn’t allow us onto the festival floor area, which the website stated our tickets included access to as part of the HBA Festival. We couldn’t safely dance in the arena seating beside the steep stairs, dressed in black tie, but nearly falling everyone we needed toilet breaks or to get a drink and the two-hour wait for the second part of the event became very tiring when we were confined to our seats. We did place a few times in the top 50, which we were really chuffed about and still are. So this isn’t loser bias.

We completely understand that different ticket tiers may include different things. Our disappointment isn’t that we didn’t receive a meal or a table it’s that the seating, access and overall experience weren’t made clear before we purchased our tickets and didn’t match the impression created by the advertising.
I genuinely hope this feedback is taken on board and that the ticket descriptions and treatment of different ticket holders are reviewed for future events. Simply referring to them afterwards as “budget tickets” doesn’t address the issue; nothing states budget anywhere, if anything, it highlights why the experience felt so far removed from the inclusive ethos the awards promote.

AVOID

Hair & Beauty Awards Review

We were so excited to be part of the Hair & Beauty Awards this year, only to leave feeling extremely disappointed.

We spent a lot of time, money and petrol travelling 5 hours to attend this event. We also put a lot of thought and money into our outfits because we were genuinely excited to dress up, attend the awards and experience what should have been a special weekend.

Unfortunately, from the moment we arrived, the experience fell short of what we expected.

The venue felt dirty and very unflattering for what was supposed to be a black-tie event. It simply did not feel like a black-tie venue.

We were seated in the ‘standard’ section, and to get to our seats we had to walk down extremely steep concrete stairs in high heels. We were genuinely surprised nobody hurt themselves. We were then asked by a member of staff to move further down, despite explaining that we were part of a large group and had other people joining us. Unfortunately, our concerns were dismissed.

Once seated, some of our group went to get drinks before the awards started. When my other half returned, he brought back a huge Coca-Cola cup, which didn’t exactly fit the black-tie or glamorous atmosphere we were expecting. The price was also a shock — it felt like London prices, despite us being in Manchester.

We were also told there would be food kiosks available, but we certainly didn’t see any.

What made this even more disappointing was seeing guests on the main floor being served a three-course meal, while those of us in the standard seating felt completely excluded from that experience.

Then came the awards themselves. The event was already running around 45 minutes late, with a supposed 7:45pm start becoming closer to 9pm.

When our category, Best Salon, was announced, we were incredibly disappointed to see that our salon name wasn’t even displayed on the screen.

We also noticed winners being announced who weren’t actually present at the event. Afterwards, we heard other salons saying the same thing — that although they had been announced as Top 50 finalists, their salon names weren’t displayed on the screen either.

For an awards ceremony celebrating the hair and beauty industry, this was incredibly disappointing.

As for the host, we were surprised to discover that he wasn’t from the hair and beauty industry and was instead a former footballer. Personally, we feel that an event celebrating hair and beauty would have benefited from having someone directly involved in the industry, perhaps even the owner/organiser of the awards themselves, hosting the evening.

We genuinely wanted to love this event. We were excited, dressed up and ready to celebrate the industry and our achievements as a team. Unfortunately, the overall experience left us feeling unincluded, disappointed and that the event didn’t live up to what we had expected for the money and effort involved in attending.

A few tips for next year:

* A smaller, more suitable venue
* Better organisation and communication
* More professional and attentive staff
* A more personal and welcoming experience
* A venue that actually reflects the black-tie nature of the event
* Ensuring all finalists’ names are correctly displayed

We really hope the feedback is taken constructively, because the idea behind the awards is fantastic. We just hope the experience can be improved for future attendees.

Absolute shit show

An event run for the whole community left us feeling like the ugly cousins because we had a standard ticket. I was actually sworn at my a steward because I was complaining about the treatment!!!

The organisation was shambolic, we arrived and were told to sit in a particular block, then someone told us to move, we were moved 4 times in the arena block where the poor people had to sit. Each time we moved we diced with death in (black tie formal wear and high heels trying to go up and down the steep concreate stairs), I'm surprised no-one hurt themselves. I you won an award and were in the stands you missed your big moment on the stage because security wouldn't let you use the best route (you had to go all the way to the top to come all the way back down). I have accessibility issue and when I asked a steward I was told I'd have to go right to the top to speak to customer services (which I couldn't do). The stewards were so rude and dismissive!!

We had to wait 3 hours for the banquet tickets to eat their food whilst only being left with disgusting pre-packaged sandwiches and anaemic looking hot dogs which run out. Bar prices were extortionate, £38.50 for a half bottle of wine!! £38.50 for a can of pre-mixed cocktail.

There was supposed to be live entertainment throughout the intermission, there wasn't it all happened at the end. The second half of the awards was a mess, rushed, wrong categories announced then the one category I was in they didn't even announce the top 50, I had to complain to the founder (who was lovely) and get it run once every one had started to move around. Totally ruined the moment for people!!!

Once the awards finished as standard ticket holders we were told we weren't allowed onto the main floor for the 'fest' part of the evening despite it being advertised that we could!! But there were ticket holders for banquet in the VIP section. My sister went to the toilet and was then told she was not allowed back with me on the floor despite me just speaking with the organiser, security guards for the 'VIP' were seen letting banquet wrist bands into the VIP section secretly but then told us as standard ticket holder we had to stay in the stands and weren't allowed on the floor. When I went to speak to a 'senior' team member of the security/stewards I was explaining the issue and how it was marketed for the 'fest' part to be allowed down on the floor I was shouted at in my face to 'F off@' Disgusting behaviour and it was witnessed be several ladies around me. I wasn't aggressive nor was I drunk as I couldn't afford to drink! I was perfectly reasonable.

All the acts happened at the end of the night, and the banqueting tickets (£250 a pop) were all squashed against a barrier that was about 25 meters away from the stage (middle of the floor section), whilst the tiny number of VIP people (around 50) were allowed up to the stage. I was only allowed on the floor section because I had to speak to the founder of the awards otherwise I was told to stay in the stands. You were only allowed nearer for the last act which was better but the night had already been ruined.

It felt classist, it felt segregated and you were discriminated against because you didn't have, as the host said 'the expensive seats'. Which a lot of small business don't have that type of disposable income!

Disgusting treatment by AO staff and production timing & organising was shoddy. A shame that an event that is supposed to unite the community divided it so badly. The standard tickets weren't even that cheap, £89 for one ticket as an early bird (reckoned it was £135 a ticket) to be sat in the heavens ignored and looked down on. tickets were later on sale for £75 so we were robbed as well as treated like dirt on someone's shoe!!

Facilities were disgusting, food vendors non existent and staff down right abusive.

The event for Standard tickets is so poorly run. 1 bar open to cater for all guests (we waited 50 minutes for a drink each time), the only food available was Hot Dogs and I believe they were £14 each. We were in Black Tie, sat in dirty seats, away from the main event with no access to the 'party' going on in front of us.

A waste of money for the standard tickets, I expected us to have the same treatment as the main floor without the Dinner, far from it. The AO Arena is dated, dirty, nothing was open and the Staff were useless.

The HBA should have been a glam event as advertised, instead it was a shambles. A 45 minute break (announced by Jake Quickenden), turned into 2 hours - we were bored! We ended up leaving early with the girls sat next to us as they were also disappointed.

We paid £95 per ticket, along with the additional cost of travel and hotel accommodation, and made the effort to get completely dressed up for what was meant to be a special evening. Unfortunately, the event was very poorly organised from the moment we arrived and fell far below what was advertised or expected.

One of the biggest issues was that the tickets didn’t clearly state that we would be seated in the stalls of an arena clearly to large for this event, completely separate from the main arena floor. We genuinely believed that a standard ticket would still include a seat within the main arena floor , just without the banquet package. Had the seating arrangements been made clearer when purchasing tickets, it’s likely many people would have reconsidered booking altogether.

The event started at 4pm, and guests had been told that food stands would be available, so many people hadn’t eaten beforehand. However, the only food options available were a hot dog or a burger, which was extremely poor for an event of this size and price point.

The atmosphere in the arena reflected this disappointment. Many people left during the event and either didn’t return or went elsewhere to find food, with several people even leaving to go to Greggs instead. This really says a lot about the standard of catering and overall experience.

There was also a clear divide between different groups of guests, which made the evening feel very segregated and uncomfortable. When the singers came on, those seated in the stalls weren’t allowed access to the main area, which completely broke any sense of atmosphere and made the event feel disjointed and exclusive in the worst way.

What was particularly upsetting was overhearing women with disabilities and pregnant women explaining that they weren’t able to sit in the main arena and was being moved around by security. Watching that situation unfold was genuinely distressing and raised serious concerns about accessibility and how some guests were treated throughout the event.

After spending £95 per ticket, as well as paying for travel, hotels, outfits and all the other costs involved in attending an awards ceremony, we expected a much higher standard of organisation, inclusivity and overall experience. Sadly, it fell well short of expectations, and based on this experience, it is not an event we would recommend or attend again.

£855 on tickets to feel like we weren’t even part of the event

We attended the HBA Awards as first-time finalists for Best Salon, and unfortunately the experience was nothing like the glamorous awards evening we believed we had booked.

Our group spent £855 on tickets. We arrived dressed for a black-tie awards ceremony, excited to celebrate being finalists and expecting to feel part of a special event.

Instead, as standard ticket holders, we felt completely separate from the event itself.

I completely understand that we hadn’t purchased banquet tickets and therefore wouldn’t receive the sit-down meal or the same package. What I didn’t expect was to feel like we weren’t really guests at the awards at all.

There were only two bars open and I queued around 40 minutes each time I wanted a drink.

Then came the interval. While banquet ticket holders sat down for their meal, standard ticket holders were left with what appeared to be one food option: £18 hot dogs.

We had been led to expect a food truck/festival-style offering. That simply wasn’t there.

We were dressed in black tie, at an event marketed as glamorous and prestigious, while the people we’d come with were effectively left standing around waiting for the banquet guests to finish their dinner.

There was nothing glamorous about it. We didn’t feel included in the event at all.

I spoke to venue staff and was told that not enough tickets had been sold to warrant opening additional bars or food facilities. If that’s true, that shouldn’t become the problem of the guests who DID buy tickets.

The interval then overran by around 45 minutes.

Eventually, rather than buy an £18 hot dog and continue waiting, we left the awards and went to a restaurant for a proper meal.

And here’s the part that really sums up our experience:

We left before our own Best Salon category had even been announced.

We had travelled five hours from Kent as finalists and were so disappointed with the evening that we didn’t even stay to find out whether we’d won.

And it wasn’t just about the £855 we spent on tickets.

We had a five-hour journey, booked hotel rooms, bought outfits and prepared for what was supposed to be a black-tie celebration. We even closed our salon for the day so our team could attend and celebrate something we’d worked incredibly hard to achieve.

The amount of effort that went into attending simply wasn’t worth the experience we received.

The biggest disappointment is that we were sold the idea of one event and experienced something completely different.

Standard ticket holders may not have paid for the banquet, but we still paid £855 collectively to attend the HBA Awards. We should still have felt welcomed, included and part of the occasion.

We didn’t.

We felt like spectators standing on the outside of somebody else’s event.

For something promoted as a glamorous celebration of the hair and beauty industry, it felt anything but. We came away feeling completely mis-sold the experience.

I’ve contacted HBA directly about our experience and have yet to receive a response.

After all the excitement, preparation, travel and disruption involved in attending, our first HBA Awards experience will also be our last.

Waste of money, time and effort!
Just to mention that I have won 2 awards “one highly recommended stylist of the year and one of which was in the first 50” - so not writing this as a bitter looser. I am a WINNER but this is my honest opinion. That’s all.
As Hairdressers, Nails or Beauty technicians a £85, £95 for the evening award+ £18.50 for filling the forms and entering the competition also paid £20 for connect morning tickets too as I wasn’t informed it was working the origional price I paid along side the certificate be to be sent with a frame for further £18.50 each , travel, hotel stay, outfits, closing the salon for a day and food too was a lot for some, “considering a lot especially for young or newly practitioners in the field.
If you paid £295 per person or £500”per ticket then you felt that you are part of it and celebrated . We certainly didn’t. ALOT of us sitting up in the arena didn’t.
The event this year was in AO Manchester arena, if you not paid the more “expensive” tickets at either £295 or £500 - then you where alienated up in the arena were walking down would of been so many steps and stairs .. it felt far to even to go to the toilets and as you where watching a shaw and not part of the awards event at all. The organisation was really bad - during the connect morning event there was not many stalls and the place felt empty .. during the evening we where separated in to two categories (one to walk in to the arena from the main doors) and one to walk through the red carpet ( depending on how much you paid) which is ridicules - there where queues for the professional photos as there was only 2 photographers - the doors finally opened and we sat where we where told to do so, then we where asked to move .. then again .. we have been moved several times to gather together so the arena looked full for photographing and marketing purposes, they have emailed us prior the event and advised that there will be lots of food options in food courts so none us ate anything since lunch - the awards started at 4 pm - the only food available was hot dogs “which not everyone can have”, people went to outside the arena fetching for food (ALL in glamorous out fits and black ties) queueing in Greggs as there were not much else to eat near by!An email we received prior to advice us of dress code and trainers was not an option ( we have been advised that it was a black tie event) short dresses and trainers where definitely not permitted - that was absolutely unnecessary as people felt Isolated especially that NO one saw what those who paid £95 + all the extra’s was wearing! I have overheard someone saying ( they should of gave us or sold some flip flops here as she walked pass me holding her high heels in her hand and walking bare foot) as Jake Quickenden the presenter said / you would have done 10.000 steps by the time you came on to the stage! We all paid for a standard ticket - we all felt isolated and not part of it ..( like pack of animals) being caged from the rest! Will NEVER enter or attend again.
You keep replying back mentioning that this was your first time at the A O Arena - it actually isn’t our fault that your organisational team or skills are actually bad! And you keep mentioning the tickets we purchased was “budget tickets” can you please get that right - we purchased standard tickets. Not budget - I have that on your receipt email.
The only good thing about this event was the hotel that I booked in which was Radisson Sass Net Zero - it was 2 minutes walk from the AO Arena.

I am so grateful to the UK Hair & Beauty Awards. I came across this company early on in my beauty career & thought I'll see what it's about. It's one of the best decisions I ever made!
I've attended the 2 previous years events nights which have been absolutely AMAZING & they truly go all out to provide a wonderful experience for all involved. From the red carpet, to gorgeous meals , celebrity guests and entertainment and the awards itself , the atmosphere is fab and it is so lovely to be a part of an event supporting the talent in this industry.

As for the awards - it is judged by independent judges who look at quality and skill (not how many followers one might have) which I believe is so important & gives recognition to people who truly deserve it.
I recently was just awarded HBA Choice of the Year, which was such a shock but I am so grateful to the hair and beauty awards for choosing me.

I couldn't recommend this company enough, there are a few similar companies out there trying to replicate the HBA, but I firmly believe nothing will ever reach the standards HBA sets & the thousands who are involved every year will confirm that to!
Fabulous event with fabulous opportunities!

I had the best experience with HBA both in 2023 and 2024. Last year I won the national rising star award and won this despite NOT being in attendance at the ceremony (silly me!) which shows you how legit it is, when they knew full well I hadn’t paid to purchase a ticket! It’s not a popularity contest either as no public voting, goes to a legit panel of independent judges and I am relatively unknown in the industry as a newcomer in the last couple of years, so it’s not like I had friends on the panel. Everything points to being really professional and above board which is what I always look for when applying for awards. The application process was thorough also.
Looked a fantastic event all round, gutted I missed it but hey, I won so can’t get better than that! Thanks HBA x