LAS VEGAS BaByliss Pro wants consumers to know that its new hairdryer has the power and performance of a Ferrari. More specifically, the hairstyling tools brand has introduced what it bills as the first professional luxury hair dryer driven by an engine developed in collaboration with the Ferrari Challenge Team. To that end, the North American launch for the Volare dryers took to a racetrack in Las Vegas for a program that played up the associations between the high-performance vehicles and the dryer during the international beauty show Cosmoprof.

The private reception on July 17 welcomed about 150 national salon distributors, trade media, and company executives, transported from Mandalay Bay to the speedway in stretch Hummer limos. Paola Velasquez, the Stamford, Connecticut-based public relations coordinator at BaByliss parent company Conair Corporation, oversaw the event in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Blackjack room.

There, products in Lucite display cases sat atop black-clothed tables, alongside arrangements of red roses assembled by Velasquez and her team. "We choose the red roses to give a hint of color and match our product, since one of our dryers is red," she said. Lounge Appeal supplied modern-looking furniture, and Levy Restaurants at the venue provided the catering. Models dressed in speedway gear welcomed guests and received blowouts using the brand's tools. BaByliss arranged for 12 guests to take a private racing course and drive the Ferraris at the speedway. 

Prior to the Las Vegas event, BaByliss Pro Volare dryers launched globally at the Ferrari racetrack in Bologna, Italy, at the April Cosmoprof show there.