*** PRESS RELEASE- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Jon Petz and Stefanie Sword-Williams join the January line-up; early bird pricing closes 30 September 2026
KILLARNEY, Co. Kerry, Ireland – 1st September 2026– Phorest has named the first speakers for the Phorest Summit 2027, which runs at the Gleneagle Arena in Killarney, Ireland on Sunday, 24th, and Monday, 25th January 2027. Formerly the Salon Owner’s Summit, the event has been renamed to reflect the hair, beauty, and medi-aesthetic businesses it now serves.
The 2027 Summit is the first to be held outside Dublin, home to the previous 10 editions. Kerry’s lakes and mountains put two days between owners and the salon, spa, or clinic floor – closer to a retreat than a conference, with room to think about the next three years rather than next week’s rota.
The theme is Beyond: What The Future Holds in Our Industry. Sessions look at how salons, spas, and clinics can respond to change as it happens, and put emerging technology, including AI, to work without giving up the human relationships their businesses are built on.
Jon Petz opens the first wave of the line-up. A Hall of Fame keynote speaker, magician, and mentalist who performs as an “Amazement Artist”, Petz spent years in sales and marketing, before taking the stage full-time. His session covers performance, presence in front of a team, and the small moments that decide whether a client remembers a visit.
Stefanie Sword-Williams follows. Founder of F*ck Being Humble, a TEDx speaker, and two-time author, she is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree and one of the UK’s Top 50 Workplace Leaders. Apple, Google, and Nike have brought her in to teach teams how to talk about their own work. Owners and their staff leave with a way to state their value – and back it up.
Elfried Samba joins them. In 2012, he wrote a thesis arguing that small brands could use social media to unseat larger ones. Seven years at Gymshark settled it. As Global Head of Social Content and Community, he took the following from one million to 20 million as the brand passed a £1 billion valuation. He now runs the creative house Butterly 3ffect, and speaks on building a brand without a media budget.
“Owners spend the year solving problems for everyone else,” said Ronan Perceval, founder and CEO of Phorest. “Two days in Killarney gives them the room, and the people, to work on their own business.”
Owners leave with material they can use, and with two evenings of music, food, and entertainment done the Irish way. They also get the first hands-on look at new Phorest AI tools before general availability, alongside more than 750 owners and managers.
Attendees join more than 750 owners, managers, and industry professionals, and get the first hands-on look at new Phorest AI tools and product releases before general availability.
Further speakers will be announced over the coming months. Early bird pricing ends on 30 September 2026; tickets for both days are available now at www.phorestsummit.com.
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Keira Dulake, Phorest – keira.dulake@phorest.com
More About The Phorest Summit & Phorest:
The Phorest Summit is a flagship annual event hosted by Phorest Software, designed exclusively to inspire, educate, and connect salon, spa, and clinic owners and managers worldwide. Bringing together global industry leaders, hands-on masterclasses, and transformative business strategies, the Summit gives beauty professionals the tools, insights, and community support they need to elevate their businesses. Hosted annually in Ireland, the Phorest Summit attracts over 750 attendees worldwide, including US, Canada, Finland, Australia, Ireland, and the UK, to name a few.
With the theme of Beyond, the 2027 Phorest Summit will take a look at what the future holds for the industry, and will feature a range of inspirational and educational speakers, such as amazement artist Jon Petz, and author of F*ck Being Humble, Stefanie Sword-Williams, to name a few.
Phorest Software was born on the salon floor in Dublin, Ireland, in 2004, and today serves nearly 12,000 businesses globally, and over 160,000 beauty professionals across 11 regions. A Certified B Corporation and Deloitte Fast 50 honoree, Phorest provides all-in-one management technology, spanning booking, marketing, reporting, and payments tailored specifically to the hair, beauty, and aesthetic industry. Phorest employs nearly 500 team members globally across the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Europe, and Australia. To learn more about the event, and Phorest’s mission, visit phorestsummit.com.
