Being "crowdaphobic", I chose to visit the expo early on Sunday. There were enough people there to create atmosphere, yet it was empty enough to get information on an interesting product without queuing. According to a couple of exhibitors I spoke to, Saturday was even quieter - not great for their business. Maybe the Bokke thumping Fiji played some part in this. By the time I left it was beginning to get more crowded; good for their business and a good time for me to leave.
The hall was well laid out, with neat stalls of various sizes and enough space for people to move around easily. Visitors received a handy and accurate pocket map to help them find their way around. This also included the workshop programmes. The workshop spaces were spread out around the perimeter in such a way that the "Very good, very good ... Yaaays!" of the Laughter Workshop would not interfere too much with the blaring Pilates music, and visa versa. Probably not the best place to get a quiet massage or be introduced to gentler therapies. The few staff I interacted with in the centre were friendly and informative (i.e. security knew where the toilets were).
There was plenty of variety at the show, from make-up, to mini treatments, to health-and-fitness products/demos, to psychic reading and beautiful hand-painted mandalas. So plenty for anyone and everyone to find something of interest. I enjoyed being flipped upside down with Inversion Therapy, trying out fancy insoles, guffawing with the Laughter Coaching, and getting an "on-the-spot" massage from a friend from Angel Hands. It was also great to bump into some old friends and reconnect.
Quite a lot of the stalls were too overly commercial for my taste, selling highly priced items. There was even a Clicks stand/store. It would have been nice to have had more food and market type of stalls. The food I did see seemed healthy and of good quality. There were plenty of interesting food demonstrations; from making your own Sushi to preparing healthy daw food, such as chocolate, smoothies and pasta.
All in all, I enjoyed the expo. An interesting visit, a chance to learn some new things and play with some new toys.
