I wish zero stars were an option for a "business" that, in my experience, profits at the expense of hardworking small business owners. They talk the talk and that's it. SAVE YOUR MONEY. I paid $1,095 to participate as a vendor after being sold on expectations of 10,000+ attendees and significant exposure. The reality was completely different. Traffic was nowhere near what I expected based on what was represented, many attendees appeared primarily interested in freebies, and vendors were packing up and leaving early on early Sunday. Most importantly, DO NOT believe them if you complain about attendance and they tell you that you are the "only vendor complaining." That is 100% NOT TRUE. I personally spoke with other unhappy vendors who had the same concerns. Making vendors believe they are the only ones complaining rather than acknowledging widespread dissatisfaction is incredibly shady. They allow sellers there that sell counterfeit handbags. As the owner of an authenticated luxury resale business, being placed alongside questionable merchandise is completely unacceptable and potentially damaging to my reputation. When I raised my concerns, Erika was dismissive, and getting meaningful assistance from management went nowhere. Once they had my money, the experience was very different from what I was sold beforehand. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! Believe the negative reviews and complaints and SAVE YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY. This expo is NOT where a small business should expect to see a worthwhile return on its investment. I would NEVER participate or recommend a Women's Ultimate Expo again. Small businesses work too hard for their money to spend it on an experience like this. Take the negative reviews seriously. I wish I had. Spend your money somewhere else. read more

Product Vendors - DO NOT WASTE TIME/$. Not a shopping event. Celebs never even show. We sold 1 item to another vendor. Vendors only sold 0-5 items over 2 days and no vendor was a repeat vendor. We were all promised "14,000 women shoppers" and celebrity appearances and told to bring "significant inventory". Only 2 of the 5 celebs advertised actually showed. Wifi didn't work on Day 2. At max 1,000 people showed over 2 days but they only were there for free food/alcohol tastings, free beauty services, and free music. The artists giving free art lessons sold ZERO art. Food vendors stopped offering samples because people were just eating and not buying (people waited 30+ minutes for a free goya bean sample in a mini paper cup). We asked for a refund and the organization got extremely nasty. AVOID AVOID AVOID TOTAL SCAM of SMALL BUSiNESS VENDORS read more

VENDORS BEWARE!! This is a scam of an organization. We purchased one booth under a few things that we were sold on. Here are some bullet points: - We were promised "thousands" of guests. We saw no more than 700 (according to ticketing and counting from other vendors) - We were promised a different layout than what we received. Booth size and placement were incorrect. - Vendors were promised that there would be "over 300+ vendors," and there were MAYBE 100 - Vendors were promised that there would not be duplicate booths; they did not screen for this, and at least 4 vendors had the EXACT same items to sell because no one informed them or checked - No point person on the day of event. They ghosted us - Lighting issues - multiple times, the lights went out, and electricity went out. There is more to this list, but if you look up the 'Austin Expo Vendors' group on Facebook, you'll find it. :) Stay away from these folks. It's a total scam and they need to be shut down for these kind of practices. read more

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SCAM SCAM SCAM!!! They overpromise and criminally underdeliver! I pre-paid for a Fall 2025 event, I have a signed contract and they CHANGED THE DATE AND NEVER TOLD ME!!! I found out about the change when I attended an event last month, as a result of the date change I cannot make this event, this is an obvious breach of contract and they absolutely will not refund me, constant run around, we've called them about a dozen of times demanded a refund. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS BEWARE!!!!​ Spend your hard earned business income literally anywhere else!!! read more

As the owner of a small start up from Austin, we gathered money to be able to get a booth in the so pumped up Intimate Women's Show. We were promised 10k+ attendees, so we thought our money would be made back, to say the least. Other exhibitors at the show paid way more than we did for a booth and they are all LIVID, to say the least. It was a complete ghost town, wasted thousands of dollars for a show nobody was at. I could have set up a table at Zilker, or Lady Bird Trail and made more money and maybe have met some cool people. I am extremely disappointed and sorry for all the other vendors that, like myself, put time, effort and resources into a fiasco of an event. I will not be back, it is not worth it. read more

Beware of The Ultimate Women's Expo in Houston. My recent experience at the Women's Expo left me feeling taken advantage of. Despite being promised a high-end female demographic eager to invest in services, products, and experiences for themselves or their loved ones - I was met with underwhelming attendance figures considering our city's position as 4th largest in the US; this ultimately translated into minuscule sales numbers throughout my entire two day there. I may have seen 200 people walk by, not thousands as promised. This event was very much misrepresented and was NOT marketed. It wasn't even listed as an event on the George R Brown's calendar! We were all told that this event was not only a shopping event but a day of amazing speakers and activities. I walked by the presenter's stage on day one and there was a monk speaking to 4 people that were sitting in the audience. Some of which were not even paying attention. I think they were resting. Don't be fooled by this event! Hundreds of vendors lost thousands of dollars and the company is refusing to issue refunds. Check out the empty isles at mid day. #uwexpo #ultimatewomensexpo #womensexpo read more

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SCAM! VENDORS BEWARE!!! Please do not sign up for this event. You will not make up the price of your booth!! Attendees did not buy anything and there are a lot of attendees that are actually business trying to sell their services to avoid paying booth prices. The staff are told to tell vendors to report them but we are there to sell and not babysit a problem that is out of the expo's control and a problem they don't care to fix. We are not there to take care of your issues. We paid good money for our booths to be doing the event's job. The majority of the attendance are only there for free giveaways and free food samples. They will NOT buy anything!!! Trust me!!!!We were not the only booth with this problem and almost all vendors were having the same problem. The event also uses false advertisement, see photo... They make it seem like it's an upscale event by showing fancy booth setups that do not exist in the show. when you go in, the setups they advertise on their social media are not even there!!. For the love of all good above, please do not sign up for this event!!!!! #ultimatewomensexposcam read more

Ultimate Women's Expo - Utlimate Women's Expo SCAM!!! - Local Flavor Near Me - San Mateo, California

VENDORS!!! Please take your money elsewhere. Don't be impressed by the "big" names. Total waste of time, money, and energy. Did not even make half my booth fee. They attract the cheapies and freebies so you won't sell much. I'm so upset that I believed their promos. I should have done my research. read more

Found out the hard way that this is actually a scam for vendors. They are preying on new and small businesses. Please look at all their other reviews on here and on the BBB before you decide to become a vendor. I actually only heard about this expo because I was specifically looking for expos to attend as a new business. I know I would not have known about it otherwise. They did not do any advertising or publicity, and there were very few attendees. There are way better shows and expos to do business with. read more

Not worth it to be a Vendor. People basically come for the free stuff. Not nearly the amount of attendees promised

Totally misrepresented!!!!! Stay away! Austin the booth does not support the traffic for the event. They said there would be 20 to 50,000 people attending, would be lucky to have 1000. They said there would be 300+ vendors, there were 110 and several booths were empty due to the lack of the vendor showing up. The speakers that participated had 1 to 6 guests watching their presentation. I have pictures of everything if you need them. The isles were essentially bowling alleys at any given time during the day whether it was Saturday or Sunday. I work hard for my money I work hard to make my product and I was excited about the show thinking this was the ultimate women's show for me and it was the worst thing I've ever experienced. Stay away stay away stay away total scam!!! read more

this year's installment of the all female afternoon party paled in comparison to the one i attended in san francisco in 2010. space-wise, i'd say san mateo events center and concourse exhibition center are about par, but the offerings in san mateo were not quite as good. let's start with parking. in sf, i'd just hunt around for a space on the street, and on a sunday it's free, for saturday, it's a couple bucks at a metered space. at the events center in san mateo, parking is a flat $10 for every vehicle, regardless of the day of the week or the amount of time spent there. re tickets, i was fortunate to be offered a complimentary ticket some time ago, which i very much appreciated. however, if you did not have a complimentary ticket, or purchase a buy-one-get-one-free ticket online (2 for $10), you had to pay the door price of $10 per person. this really didn't make much sense to me since you really don't get anything for being a ticket holder, except the ability to walk around the expo hall and browse the offerings and merchandise for sale. some of the things i did enjoy were the long, red carpet that ran from the edge of the parking lot to the main entrance, the multitude of cocktail, beer, and wine samples, the variety of speakers/demonstrations to choose from (gardening, cooking, making cocktails), and the spiced dip stand (where the nice lady gave you a handful of pretzel rods so that you could try her homemade dips). there weren't as many freebies or samples handed out at this year's event, and the lines for makeovers, hair styling, and massages were exceptionally long, especially the massages....i guess we ladies like getting kneaded out! as far as food was concerned, there were a few vendors on-site that sold sandwiches and other light fare. there was another room with a dedicated ultimate women's expo vendor that offered healthy sandwiches, salads, and soups. of course, in every corner of the expo hall, there was a vendor selling alcohol. price-wise, i'd say they were a little on the high side. if you're a gal who is willing to wait a long time to have someone paint your face, style your hair, and knead out your tight spots, then this might be the event for you. otherwise, i would advise skipping this event. read more

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Sadly I ended up going by myself and purchased a Groupon for 4 people. However, I did end up having a fun time. You are given a card that has the listings of all the free alcohol booths, you get stamped when you go visit them. Woot! I had a fun time walking around with a slight buzz. Took my time looking at the various booths. Tried some of the samples and watched the ladies giggle all around me. Didn't partake in any of the makeup and hair booths. They had long lines and heck, I rode my bike in. My hair would just get blown out on my ride back. I wanted to pick up one of the bamboo pillows for $25 each, but just was too scared if they wouldn't be worth the money? I ended up buying this spray called, "Touch of Purple." It cleans a lot of stuff, but I bought if for my glasses and engagement ring. The guy won me over with his demonstration on my glasses and ring. I don't know if I'd go back next year? Maybe if I had a friend to go with me next time. read more

Its my first time going to a womens expo an I must say I had an excellent time. Women really know how to have fun . There were tons of wine and other alcoholic sampling. Wheres your girl at? SHes at the expo and I don't blame her. THey also had tons of food samples. I got some free massages and I learned alot about relationships and life from the speaker wendy WIlliams. They even had arts and crafts areas where you can make some really cool stuff to be proud of. MMM......The menopause ice cream is really good too. Theres alot of great networking areas and opportunies all around. YO the dj had some slaps too, WOrd! read more

This was my first time here and I only came to hear NeNe Leakes speak. After that I walked around to check out the various vendors and wasn't excited by much. I felt like I was at a flea market but indoors. Most of the booths were of the same products but by a different brand. For every isle it was the same exact thing. The jewelry looked cheap and from a beauty supply warehouse. The most exciting part was the hands on experiences a few booths had, like the hands on frame painting, the makeup/makeover stage and free food & wine samples. If it wasn't for the positive parts I posted I would have given this event 2 stars, 1 for effort the other for woman empowerment. This event should have been free, however I heard last year was better. Maybe I just came at the wrong time. read more

I think the expo is worth it to just check out (esp since groupon deal was $2/ticket) but I'd advise parking on the street or somewhere other than where the building is since parking is $10....trust me, $10 parking is not worth it. Be prepared for poor ventilation in the expo esp since it's packed with people. I would say people there weren't rude but just....there was a lot of people and it can get hard to get around. The stands were kind of interesting, got to try some new products (lite yakult, flavored water, nail polish, etc) but it was a little ridiculous how many psychic stands, Rodan & Fields, and police recruitment stands there were....there should've been either a consolidation of these stands or just a rule that if one brand or group is there others should either choose to combine or not be allowed there. The lines weren't too too bad, maybe approx 15mins or so for each thing but nothing too interesting or unique. read more

Ultimate Women's Expo - Local Flavor Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Vendors beware! I have vended so many shows, and I feel duped with this one. I paid twice as much as I normally do, and I should have done my research, but I didn't. I contracted with the understanding that a high-end clientele would be attending at this expo, however that was not the case as it was combined with The Great Food Expo (also owned by the same company) and that drew in a lot of people looking only for free samples. My friend and I both had people coming up to our tables demanding free items, saying $20 was too much money to spend as they spent all their money on food already, and we got haggled as if we were at a yard sale. On top of that they were hawkers throughout the isles, trying to get people to come to their table, which really lowered the quality of the event. we complained to security/staff who did nothing. We made maybe a third of what we spent on the booth. If I had known, as it was not stated in our contract, that this was combined with a great food expo, I would never have signed up. Food tents were literally behind our booth, not in a separate area. I'm just letting others know in case I can help someone else out; this is not an event for everyone, and unless you're selling really cheap items which I would consider under $20, do not expect sales. My experience is specific to the Edison, New Jersey expo center. read more

VENDORS DEFINITELY BEWARE AND READ THESE REVIEWS...THERE IS A REASON THEY ARE NOT LISTED ON GOOGLE, BECAUSE THE REVIEWS WOULD SHOW AT THE TOP I would never do business with this organization and only wish I had seen these reviews before spending $2000 on a booth. We were unable to attend the Expo in Atlanta, and found out months in advance. We called and asked them to resell our booth. They continued to sell booth space to other vendors and never tried to sell our booth. When the weekend of the Expo arrived, they put another vendor in our space, (we have a video of our space that a friend took for us that attended the Expo) after they had told us if it didn't sell it would sit empty. They were rude on the phone, and they lied and in our last email exchange, Shiliah Washington, basically told us to read our contract which says "they have the right to reassign booth space in the best interest of those attending and exhibiting" This was definitely not our best interest, but in theirs. Our friend told us the exhibits were uninteresting, and basically all small businesses, much like a cheap flea market. Vendors we recommend saving your marketing dollars and not supporting this event. You definitely will not get the return on your investment that they promise. read more

This business is such a joke, they don't care about your business they will promise you more attendees that they would get and tell you you can sell whatever you want when you can't! As long as you give them your money. I spoke with Tami Perry (who is very shady by the way) and she said I was going to the able to sell certain make up brand at the event in San Antonio, TX I asked several times since there was other vendors she even promised to give me the best spot to sell It, the day of the event they didn't let me sell It, I called her back and she yelled at me, called me a liar and I wasn't even able to speak with a Manager! Make yourself a favor and stay away from It, most of the attendees expect "free stuff ". Worst business and an expensive lesson learned. P.S. If they promise something ask for an email or something written. read more

I am posting this as a vendor and NOT a person attending the show. For a vendor wanting to sell products to compensate the vendor fee, it is a loss for most. The attendees are not in a purchasing point of mind. They are in a grab free samples and services point of mind. If you are a vendor that has money to spend to promote your brand--maybe a good venue. If you are a vendor who wants to sell products to justify your $1,200 booth cost--don't do it! This company exaggerates the attendance, and the purchase ability of its attendees. They state a 70% vendor return, when after talking to many disappointed first time vendors, I realized my vendor and me were misled. If I were reviewing as an attendee, I might be more enthusiastic. read more

Im so utterly disappointed, not to mention the fact that I spent over $2000 to exhibit at this show to sell only ONE piece of jewelry. This is in part my fault for not doing my due diligence and researching this venue before I comminted. Giving it one star, is one star to many, first of all being that Im in direct sale with a newely launched jewelry company of course I had extremely high expectations. They advertised that there would be 25K in attendence...NOT the case, maybe 3-5K at best, The demographics were no where near what they advertised either, most of the women that were there, were there only to take advantage of the freebies. Secondly, the show was 75 percent independent jewelry vendors with retail price points between $5-$20 there was no way I was able to compete with any of them, Also, they said it was the "San Francisco" Ultimate Womens Expo, Its in San Mateo people! About 30 minutes South of S.F. We traveled 6 hours from Los Angeles to attend this (only because LA was sold out) and for the money we spent, and the size of the show (there were only 10 rows of vendors, that you could easily walk the entire show in about 10-15 minutes max) you would think that show management would stop by and see how things were going. Actully now that I think about it, they were smart not to do it, because everyone around me (other direct sales jewelry vendors) were all complaining about the same thing. Ariana's suggestion...stay as far away from this event as possible. Not worth even $100 to exhibit. I should have known that something was not right when they refused to give me an exhibitor list or even tell me who I was next to (no surprise here, another discount jewelry vendor). To recap my 2013 experience...Ultimate Womens Expo San Francisco...save your money people, this event is useless! read more

WASTE.OF.TIME. I've had a much better experience when I went to the Ultimate Women's Expo in previous years in SF. Here are my list of grievances: - First of all, don't call it the SF Ultimate Women's Expo if it's not in SF! That's almost as bad as telling people you live in SF when you actually live in Fremont. - I found it ironic that there were billboards in SF for this event and it was all over the radio...and yet, when you get to the actual venue, there is absolutely no signage whatsoever for the event. Whoever did the marketing for this event failed to put up a sign for the event, because it just so happened to be in the same place as same as the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (wow, a part of me just died as I typed that last part in...) - $10 for parking?!?! Are you freaking kidding me? I actually regretted paying parking. I should have parked on the street, which was plentiful. Between the drive from SF (on premium gas) and the $10 parking, I had already entered the Expo a little peeved. - There were THRONGS of women lining up to spin a stupid wheel at the San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology booth. These are your possible prizes: a nail file, mints, plastic sunglasses with no sun protection, or a small Paul Mitchell sample. I can't believe I was actually one of the morons who actually stood on line for 20 minutes to spin to win a small pack of mints. (I had trouble looking at myself in the mirror the next day because of this.) - A lot of the food exhibitors were promoting items that pretty much revolved around the same theme: all natural, non-GMO, good-for-you. And on the far side, the food vendors were selling nachos, BBQ, fries, and other foods that were high in sodium and cholesterol. Talk about sending mixed messages...do you want me to live a long, healthy life or get heart disease?!?! - I don't like aggressive salespeople walking up to me to tell me about how I need to get my back readjusted, that I need to make sure my ovaries or healthy, or that I need to plan for retirement. - If I wanted to fill my home with knick-knacks that costs under $2, I'd go to Daiso or Chinatown. There were quite a number of vendors selling cheap jewelry that can only be labeled as one-hit-wonders as they'd eventually turn your fingers, wrist, ears, or neck green. - If I wanted a free makeover, I can easily stop by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom or Sephora, And I'm sure I wouldn't have to wait so damn long. (Take note ladies: if you wanted free samples, you'll probably get more out of the counters of department stores than at the Expo.) - If I wanted free bite-sized samples of food, I can do that at Costco or the food court at the mall. The list goes on, but I'm sure by now you get the gist. I'm just glad I was one of the lucky gals who found the ticket online for free! read more

I really enjoy coming to these type of events! It's where you'll find some rare accessories or even piece of clothing that you wouldn't other places. I heard the Women's Expo the year before this was better! All I gotta say to that is I sure hope so! I'm not too thrill the way the vendors handed out their samples, I mean come on, Costco don't even have the one per person limit. I'm not too fond of the boring vendors for old people, I mean really, they needed more vendors selling scarves and better quality accessories! Things that attract women and will have them buy it on the spot! The food vendors deserves a negative star. The selection was horrible and dull. I wanted a BBQ, some nachos, a burger, better looking salads! Anyway, I'm happy that I walked away with some beautiful scarves and a ring! And I had a good time. But honestly, all that raffle crap, I don't think anybody really won anything. read more

We went to the Expo Saturday Oct 5th, 2013. Calling it the 'ultimate' expo is a bit of an overstatement. The San Mateo event center is not exactly a state of the art venue. Parking was $10 which did not surprise me but was not stated on their website. I arrived before 10 on Saturday, huge line waiting to get in. They opened doors late, and there was a bottleneck at the entrance as people were signing up to win their $5000 shopping spree...yeah right. The main event (Saturday's keynote speaker) was Joan Rivers, she wowed the crowd, posed for photos, signed autographs and her keynote speech was great (if you are not offended by Joan's style of humor which is meant to offend). The whole purpose of this event is to attract women with credit cards (prone to impulse buying) who will purchase, makeup, jewelry, linens, weight loss products, knives, pillows and countless other Tchotchkes. The advertised cost was $10 at the door, I purchased two tickets for $10 online, others got 4 for $10 through groupons, but as they were not even scanning the tickets, I just gave mine to friend who arrived late. Joan was SRO but other speakers did not draw much of a crowd, Also the food vendors had long lines, you would think offering pre-made sandwiches would be a no-brainer BOTTOM LINE. Without Joan, this would be a 2 star rating (at best). read more

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE SCAM ARTISTS! I gave them the benefit of the doubt after 5 or 6 years since I stopped doing this event as a vendor, and I decided to give them another chance to see if they had changed management or their advertising strategy, etc... I very much regret participating as a vendor/exhibitor again. They steal the money of so many small business vendors by promising thousands of attendees. It's so sad to see the way they con humble, honest, hardworking and (sometimes) struggling entrepreneurs. If you are a vendor looking for a profitable show, do yourself a favor and stay away from this company. I wish I could rate them "0" stars! read more

This was the first, and LAST, time I will attend. I was expecting at least ONE booth with info on women's rights/health/issues. Where were the local women's shelter reps? Local candidates/mayor with info on women's initiatives? And who vetted Wendy Williams as a motivational speaker? She was horrible. She actually encouraged women to skip a formal education/college and either "work their way up through the ranks or go to beauty school". How dare she think that's appropriate! Women don't even make the same salaries as men even with advanced degrees. Yes, she got a lucky break, but that's one in a million odds. And the vendors; this was a combination of a home show and an art & wine festival for which we paid an entry fee. And not even one water station or drinking fountain. All-in-all I was completely underwhelmed. read more

I rented a retail space at their Anaheim Expo and paid $1295 for a retail spot and they refused to turn the lights on above my booth! The lights were on during set-up so I wasn't concerned and spent 5 hours putting up my displays, but then day of show they turned the lights off and would not turn them back on. I sat in the dark for two days while every other vendor had lights. I had customers asking if they could bring me a lamp from their homes but since I was not provided electricity, I couldn't bring my own light. As soon as the show started I panicked about the lights and ran to find someone to help. They came to me and told me they would not be turning on the lights above my booth. At that time they asked me if I wanted to move booth spaces. I explained to them that my booth takes 5 hours to set up I declined stating I would lose the entire day of selling since it was now 11am and I wouldn't be re-set up until maybe 3:30pm and the event closed at 5pm. (the show started at 10am). I asked them to see if they had clip on lights or ANYTHING that I could use that day for light but I never saw them again. No one came by to tell me they didn't have lights, no one came by later to ask if I wanted to move my spot after hours. I would have been happy to move my space after hours so Sunday I would have light. They just left me there in the dark paying for a premium corner spot. They never offered me an apology, a refund, not even a discount if I signed up for one of their other events. Just that I should have moved when they asked me. I thought moving during the expo and giving up an entire day of selling bc I was moving my booth was a bad business decision. I had already spent $1295 and I needed to make as many sales as I could to make that up. They should not have rented out a space that wasn't illuminated, especially when the vendors cant bring their own lights bc electricity was not provided. Nothing about this is empowering to women. I am a women owed small business that was treating so poorly by this group. read more

Fraud! Fraud! Fraud!....they didn't even have the actual listed speakers at the Chicago event. Don't waste your time and money.

After speaking with Expo sales reps about participating in an Ultimate Women's Expo in San Mateo recently, and after examining their website, I was convinced that a $1,000 booth was worth the gamble. It was not. I got stung. My sales rep told me that "...30-35,000 pre-qualified buyers, professional women with disposable incomes...." would be in attendance. This demographic emphatically did not show up. Women looking for free samples did, and if it were not for vendor purchases, I wouldn't have had a single sale. Below is verbage from their vendor page on www.ultimatewomensexpo.com: "TARGET THIS QUALIFIED AND SAVVY CONSUMER responsible for making purchasing decisions for the entire household. Count on The Ultimate Women's Expo to deliver the high end female demographic in a one weekend event. Women represent 85% of consumer spending and that translates into a $5 trillion market. The Ultimate Women's Expo provides you with unprecedented opportunity to meet with thousands of women with a high degree of disposable income to spend on services and products for themselves and their loved ones." I've spoken to several vendors who did the show a few years back in another venue in San Francisco and recently in Los Angeles, and they all confirmed that they were lied to about the shows and that they were mislead by over-zealous and commission-driven sales reps. The same non-spending demographic has been attending for years. The booth reps flat out lied about the numbers and the attendee demographic. The impressive list of headlining motivational speakers lure vendors into a false sense of potential success. True, there may a marketing opportunity for big companies, but not sales opportunities for small companies selling products...very few buy. Women attend for freebies and to hear the speakers and show management knows it. Vendors we spoke with in San Mateo were disgusted with the show, and all agreed that they were deceived by show management and the website. I'm certain that the promoters would like their "upscale" demographic to attend, but they do not, and most likely will not in the future. The vendor turn-over rate must be staggering. So back to work to lure a new round of retail vendors into paying outrageous booth fees for the next show. Their formula works for them, but not for small companies trying to make a living. read more

My Goodness. I reeeeeeally wish I read the reviews of last year's reviews of the event before deciding to purchase tickets to the event. What can I say? I was lured in with the LivingSocial deal. You get 4 tickets for the price of 1 with an eco bag. I really thought I scored a deal! However when I got in line... I found out everyone around me had "complimentary" tickets! I totally felt like I had the word "loser" written on my forehead. The eco bag was super flimsy and empty. I'm not greedy... but come on! At least have your sponsors put something in there. I arrived at 930, and was blown away by the long line already to get in. But by the way the website sold "free massages, makeovers, demos, etc", I wasn't shocked. However upon getting into the venue, I was surprised at the supposedly "550" vendors. There were multiples, even triple of some booths scattered around. Vendors were being suuuuuuuper cheap and strict on samples. We had not received a brochure pamphlet that supposedly we needed to obtain samples from some booths. In particular, we went to the "adult milk" vendor. We were pleasantly interested and curious about the product. We asked the vendor more info about what it was, and he looked like he had no idea what the product was he was even advertising. When we asked for a sample, he said he needed our paper. Confused, we asked what paper, and he just kept saying "I can't give you sample without paper". We genuinely had no idea what he was referring to and we wanted a sample to satisfy our curiosity, but after dealing with a vendor who had no desire to sell his product or even let us try without receiving a stamp, we decided to walk away. The "so called demos" and "craft" booths were jokes. It didn't seem like vendors cared to assist those interested in their product. The booths with free massages, makeovers, hair styling, had lines up the wazoo. We were lucky enough to get in line for a massage from Massage Evvy early the second we walked in. However, I should have KNOWN from the start to be iffy if I was placing my face straight onto the massage chair. There was no barrier to separate my face from the chair everyone and their mama's face was also on. However, I was reassured by my massage therapist, it's ok because they sanitize it between use. Yet it was only a 10 minute massage, midway, I felt my face sticking to the chair. Low and behold.. when I got up, I felt bacteria galore crawling my face! I dashed to the women's restroom and washed my face in hopes to avoid pimples. However, 2 days ago, I woke up breaking out right where the massage chair was. Coincidence? So why the 2 stars you ask? They had a vendor there, actually, they had 2 booths themselves (see what I mean when they advertised 550 vendors?), who advertised an all natural jewelry cleaner. My friend and I got our rings cleaned free. That itself deserved a star. We walked in with a pretty but dirty ring... and walked out bling blinging blinding those who passed by. Will I be back next year? No. I'd rather just go to the yearly fairs. It's basically the same thing except you have a whole bunch more food vendors, rides, entertainment AND the expo. read more

Wow, sorta bad this year. It cannot be an Ultimate Women's expo without chocolate, and there was not one chocolate booth. there were tons of wine booths, at least two of them could have been replaced with chocolate. Not as good quality vendors this year as last year. Also, three or four booths were that wrap thing. You could have put chocolate vendors in there as well, people. Sorry I went this year, hope next year is better. Yes, I will still go, last year (2013) was AMAZING! read more

I've gone 2 years in a row and have had a blast. I always take other girlfriends and we get our make-up done, our backs massaged, our free drink on! Whoo-hoo, see girl stuff, buy girl stuff, hear great women speakers. I get the complimentary tickets, walk over so I don't pay for parking, and plan to blow at least a few hours there. read more

Attended this weekend in San Mateo and have to say was somewhat disappointed. This is my fourth year and this year was, by far, the smallest and least glamorously inviting than its predecessors. There were no food trucks either -- why? The food that WAS there reminded me of gas-station fare (no thank you). Many of the vendors were flea-market-types, not what I'd expect to find at a Women's Expo. There WERE many appropriate vendors, don't get me wrong -- and I did come both days, but on Day 2 knew better and brought my own food and drink with me. Overall, this year's event appeared more like an indoor flea market with some scattered legitimate vendors addressing women-specific issues/desires/likes, than it did an "Ultimate Women's Expo". It most certainly was not worth the $10 it cost me to get in on Day 1 or the $20 it cost me to get in on Day 2 ($10 for parking, and $10 for 4 Groupon tickets). AFTER buying the Groupon tickets, I received an invitation for free tickets which is the only reason I went both days. Had the event been better, the sticker shock of parking alone wouldn't sting as badly. I sure hope next year's is better because if it isn't, I doubt I'll come after that. read more

Went again this year. So fun. Met Nene Leakes, got a free haircut, bought a beautiful pair of earrings and a handmade quilt. Lots of wine tasting and some fun food sampkes. Bought flavored salt and got a free makeover. My friend got her book signed by Melissa Gilbert from Little House. Watched a cooking demo, and learned a quick way to make homemade pasta. Coolio. Fun afternoon. Hoping to go again in October. read more

I had a booth this past weekend at the SF Womens Expo. It was very well advertised and the buyers showed up in droves. I did really well, and just signed up for the LA one too. Easy load in, made my money back in the first hour and made some really good connections. Great show for the money. read more

I was an exhibitor at the Women's Ultimate Expo. They promised the exhibitors 24,000 people would show up but only 5,000 came. No wonder because this was not really a "women's" exhibit. It was a scam rip off of the exhibitors and the public too. They set it up as a flea market with $5 clothes, what looked like used shoes and all sorts of products that were not geared to women, business women or any women's activities. All of the exhibitors felt ripped off since it was misrepresented. Mainly people came for elder services at one booth, free give aways, or the police had three booths. Yes there were beauty products but beauty and self defense is not all that women are about. This organization is a scam group that offers you one thing and then gives you a cheap flea market-------if you are an exhibitor I would strongly suggest you avoid this event----they soak you for the booth with high additional fees for electricity and wifi and give you nothing in return. read more

Awful! No need to buy tickets. I'm sure you can look online and find some complimentary tickets. Even then, it's a waste of time. And you will pay for event parking. While there are some well known cosmetic brands there, don't expect any samples or deals. You're better off going to the department stores or Sephora. Go if you have nothing better to do and just enjoy getting a walk. read more

Sigh...I had high hopes. Networking and meeting women whom run small businesses, perhaps getting some good financial information, nice art or unique gifts. Total waste. Crappy jewelry except for maybe 3 or 4 vendors. Too many weight loss products and hair care products. Maybe I was expecting more professional business women, etc., but this event was one step up from the carny vendors at the local fair. Do not waste your day. Joan Rivers was her usual self if you like meanness and off color. read more

This was billed as follows: . . . "Hundreds of Shopping Pavilions, perfect for unique holiday gift Ideas for every member of your family - and that all important "You". Indulge yourself with the very best San Francisco has to offer in shopping, fashion, food, entertainment, cosmetics and travel. Spend a relaxing day being pampered with spa treatments, massages and retail therapy." San Francisco would be embarrassed by this as most of the "shopping Pavillions" aka 10x10 booths were an small assortment of MLM marketers with multiples of women's defense products, sex toys, Janberry nails and a smattering of incredibly cheap jewelry. Macy's cosmetic department has a big presence and were doing makeovers and there were several hair booths; all were peddling their equipment and products. I felt particularly sorry for the legitimate quality exhibitors as this was clearly the wrong venue for them. I can't imagine that any of the exhibitors came even close to a return on investment in their booth fee let alone travel, hotels, meals, sample costs and other expenses. The organizer should be run out of town on a rail. Hopefully the S.M Cty Fairgrounds will refuse to provide space for this sham! read more

Nice to see Wendy Williams! They had a cardboard figure of her to take a picture with near the front entrance. Wanted to make a hand sewn pumpkin from home and furniture but all lessons were full, boo! All other lines were long too but if you don't mind the wait it's fun. Waited in line for Macy's makeup for forty minutes cause you get to do a face mask which is about 15-20 minutes and then make up lesson after which is another 15-20 minutes. I can always trust Macy's. Because of their nice service I bought a couple of Shiseido SPF 50+ face and body lotion for $39 with $10 off, good deal! Benefits makeup required $35 purchase for a free eyebrow wax, so I skipped that. There was a booth that sold Swarovski jewelry 3 for $10 for show case items, spent $70 there! DON'T go to Hair Professional 702, there was a staff member, the tanner guy, he was so rude! We waited 10-15 minutes for him to finish a lady's hair in front of us, and he told us to wait while he finishes the lady's hair, we didn't mind. When it was my sister's turn, he curled her hair twice and then he stopped and said he will not finish her hair unless she purchased the curler!!! We were like Uh? What? Why would you leave it unfinished, will look ridiculous right? He showed my sister how to use the curler and curled twice and then he took it away again and said I'm not going to let you finish if you are not going to purchase. Really?? We just saw you finish curling the other lady's entire hair and she didn't even purchase at all. Well, we walked away cause we didn't wanna be confrontational. We later went to Academy of Salon Professionals for hair and makeup and the people there were much nicer! I know most didn't want to be there cause it is a long day, but if you are nice we will purchase your item!! Overall, my sister and I had fun cause we like to look at small boutique shop items. I wish they allocated more time for arts and craft cause that's always fun. P.S. It's $10 for parking for the entire day. read more