When you think of a ladies expo what do you think of? Candles, eyelash extensions, makeup, spices, art, photography, chocolate, yoga, massage, purses etc.? I do. Personally, churches, insurance, and gutter guards don't come top of mind.
Recently, I went to the highly anticpated "Women's Expo" in Ottawa with a friend of mind. Perhaps having helped organize and book such an event years ago in another city I had an idea of what and event like this should look like. Although I appreciate the efforts of everyone involved - and there were some truly AWESOME booths and vendors, it gave me the feeling that someone wanted to get the spaces filled regardless of who was filling them.
One booth like this was Mapeleaf meats. Yup. They were handing out samples of spicy hotdogs. Another was selling windows and doors. Do women use, like and buy these? Yes, we do. But that is something you would expect to see at a home show - not a fun expo geared towards women. It was strange. They even had the police and fire departments. Odd although I guess it would show young women they can pursue those careers - but this wasn't a career fair... again, it left me confused.
Then there was the booth promoting their congragation (church). They were giving out trinkets (one per person please!). It was down the way from the day-drinking section and not far from the adult toys. Perhaps it was strategically placed.
Like art, events are meant to make you feel something; a vibe, an energy, a sense of something. My senses were rather confused. There was no ryhme or reason to what was going on. The free goody-bag was a nice touch giving us something to use to put our free pens and business cards in. In it, were some gummy laxatives, snacks (still not sure what they are exactly), and throat medication - along with several dozen coupons and brochures. Nothing in it that personally interested me, but maybe I'm just fussy.
Was I disappointed? Slightly. About half of the booths were massive corporations promoting their business - they of course, have the money to spend. I was hoping to see and support more independent sellers - women who wanted to share their handmade pieces, or family recipes with us. Sadly, these women for the most part cannot afford several thousand to sell at a show this size.
There was one booth in particular that sold food, mostly made in Italy, and the prices were really good- as were their products. I think they were from Quebec. Either way, the staff was fun, and they clearly wanted to be there (unlike the investment guy who was so immersed in his phone he didn't care to notice anything or anyone around him).
Getting to the venue was a nice drive despite the amount of traffic. Over twently minutes just to get into the parking lot! I reminded myself that I was there to spend time with my friend - not to necessarily buy a bunch of unneeded and unwanted items.
Which brings me to the point of this blog; it's not always where you are, it's who you're with. I was with a nice friend, who makes wherever we are enjoyable. She generously treated me to the ticket and a lovely day that might have otherwise been spent lifting logs. It gave me a chance to people-watch. Think. See new things. Listen to a great podcast on my drive.
And while I didn't try the spicy hotdogs, I did have a chance to meet some nice ladies in the day-drinking section, network, and get some gummies that will keep me regular. For free.
-Julie
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