By Chelsea Laskowski

PHOTOS: Trade show focuses on women’s health, interests and entrepreneurs

Mar 16, 2014 | 4:20 PM

Trade shows are great for shopping, but the Focus on Women trade show also provides information for women.

The Canadian Cancer Society, Ovarian Cancer Society, and CMHA Gambling Awareness Program set up booths at the Exhibition Centre from Saturday to Sunday.

“This started out as information for women, that people like to know, and all the products women like to sell,” said Linda Grimard with the Prince Albert Exhibition Association.

They’ve seen a few new vendors pop up as well.“Custom Blinds for instance, or some of these health products, these people have never been here before,” she said

With spring weather starting to peek out, with temperatures hitting above 0 C on Sunday, there were some fitting displays. One of them featured a girl in a bikini getting an organic airbrush tan right out in the open.

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Celina Epp-Neufeld, owner of the Healing Garden Spa, has been using the display for a few years now.“It kind of takes the mystery away from what it looks like. People always think it’s orange or it takes a long time, or that there are people who can and can’t do it… it’s nice for people to actually see it,” she said.

Epp-Neufeld attends about three trade shows a year, and said they are great for bringing in new customers.

“I’ve got lots of people coming to me as clients, simply because they saw me at a trade show. So maybe it wasn’t in their thought process before,” she explained.

She gravitates towards shows like the Focus on Women because there are other likeminded women entrepreneurs to network with.

“I do like to support other women entrepreneurs,” she said, while sharing she has another motive. Epp-Neufeld’s new Central Avenue location has open spaces for small businesses to take up shop.

On top of that, the trade show helps her network with likeminded people, who have eco-friendly booths, while getting out the word about the products.

“It’s always nice to be able to have somebody else local that I can send some of my clients to… I can send people to different hair salons and other places as long as I know who they are and I’ve made a bond with them I can actually bring people to those businesses as well,” Epp-Neufeld said.

A couple at the show, owners of Riverstone Studios Eco-Body Care, share that focus on all natural and organic products. Kelly and Audrey Taylor-Faye live in Craik’s Eco-village, not only creating their own body care line but also living off the grid.

Grimard said attendance on Saturday exceeded most years, and that at least 1,000 people walked through the doors all weekend.

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk