Empire Education Group Gears Up for 6th Annual Future Professionals Expo

HERSHEY, Pa., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of students from one of the nation's largest beauty school systems are about to flock to Hershey, PA for Empire Education Group's Future Professionals Expo, which takes place on May 16th and 17th.  Now in its sixth year and larger than ever before, students from each of Empire's 96 schools will attend the high-octane weekend event of hard-fought competitions, hands-on educational workshops and invaluable career networking opportunities with top professionals and employers in the industry.

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Celebrity stylist Nick Arrojo will headline the event, while the competitions will be judged by an esteemed ensemble of industry professionals.  Brig Von Osten, the winner of Shear Genius 2010 and no stranger to high intensity competition, will serve as a special guest judge during Sunday's competition.  The expert judging panel will also include John O'Neill from Outlooks for Hair, Goldwell's Shannon Lamm, Odyssey Nails Trang Nguygen, and Jan Arnold from Creative Nail Design, to name a few. In addition, top editors from Teen Vogue, AOL Stylist, Modern Salon and Beauty Launchpad will also bring their expertise to the judging process.  

The students, all of whom competed at their local schools' contests for a spot in the Future Professionals national competition, are anxious to showcase their talent in the expo's high-intensity competition events, and to proudly display their creativity, cutting-edge vision and professional skills.  The competition categories include: Long Hair Design, Ladies Trend Cut and Style with Color, Make-up Storyboard, Men's Storyboard, Artistic Braid Design and Nail Art Display. In addition, awards will also honor 12 Regional Educators of the Year, 12 Students of the Year, Educator of the Year and Student of the Year.  Winners and runners up will be honored at an exciting award ceremony on Monday.  

A major highlight, esteemed celebrity stylist, Nick Arrojo will speak to the crowd about Empire's new Masters of Beauty Program – an Empire advanced training program that will allow grads to continually sharpen and update their skill-set in the cosmetology career field. Nick will also present a cutting-edge hair show during the ceremony and will be available to students and media for interviews.  

Top prizes to be presented at the award ceremony include highly sought after Masters of Beauty Classes with Nick Arrojo and Creative Nail Design New York Fashion Week backstage experience.  Educational trips to Paris, Las Vegas, Orlando and Baltimore and an assortment of prizes from Goldwell, Great Clips, Bodography Cosmetics and ISO Diamond Collection will also be awarded to students who place in the competition.

In addition to the competition, students will attend a variety of educational workshops and interactive seminars presented by renowned industry professionals, where they will learn about the latest industry news and trends.  Students will walk the Trade Show Floor, where they will have the opportunity to purchase products and speak with sponsors and professional brand exhibitors.  A few include: Arrojo Salon Group, Moroccanoil, Goldwell, Matrix, Odyssey Nails, FHI Heat, Joico, Conair, Babyliss, H2 PRO and OPI.

For the second year, renowned comedian Amy Schumer of Last Comic Standing will bring her crowd pleasing banter to the expo.  Amy will conduct humorous, interactive student interviews and explore her own styling skills at the competition, all at her own humility's expense.  Amy's presence will add the perfect dose of comedy to an exhilarating, yet, for competitors, nerve-wracking event.

Friends and family can catch all of the action in real-time thanks to Twitter and Facebook posts, live blogging updates (http://futureproexpo.tumblr.com) and even live streaming video of the competition and awards ceremony on the Future Pros YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/futureproexpo).

Perhaps most importantly however, is that all students will have the opportunity to network with potential employers at the expo's new "Network Cafe."  These students, who are the top beauty professionals of tomorrow, will meet one-on-one to explore different career and placement options with some of the expo's largest sponsors -- a great advantage of the Empire Beauty School educational program.

"Connecting students with potential employers and opening up the networking gates is a top priority for Empire and one that we value greatly," says Franklin K. Schoeneman, CEO, Empire Education Group. "Above and beyond providing a first-rate education, we place a strong emphasis on connecting students with career leads while they are still enrolled at Empire."

Empire, which has seen a 10% overall increase in student enrollment over the past year, fully understands both the needs of its students and the opportunities and challenges that exist in the field of cosmetology.  

"Empire has a longstanding track record in cosmetology education and our depth and breadth of experience and resources have helped us make a science of navigating students through the process from the time they enroll, to the time they get their license right up until they meet their ultimate goal of finding their dream job," says Schoeneman.  "Future Pro's is a unique way for us to provide them with the tools they need for the future while honoring their inspiring dedication and enthusiasm."

For more information, visit www.futureproexpo.com.

Empire Education Group

Empire Education Group provides quality in cosmetology education, offering students many of the finest training tools and facilities.  For over 75 years, Empire has grown to become one of the largest providers of beauty and cosmetology education in North America.  Empire's 96 accredited cosmetology schools in 20 states use exclusive Certified Learning in Cosmetology (CLiC) education curriculum; the company prepares students for successful careers in cosmetology (hair care, skin care, and nail care.)

Schools accredited under Empire Education Group include; Empire Beauty Schools, Concorde School of Hair Design, European Academy of Cosmetology,  The Hair Design School, and Natural Motion Institute of Hair Design.  For more information and a complete listing of all schools under the Empire Education Group name, visit: www.empire.edu.

SOURCE Empire Education Group