This past week has been a whirlwind for me: from traveling to Kentucky to experience The Bourbon Trail, to Tennessee for a visit to Blackberry Farm, to Highlands, North Carolina for a family visit, and finally to L.A. for a conference to end a week long vacation (work + play, right?), it was a nonstop week.
I can’t complain about adding “work” to the end of my vacay though… I was happy to end my vacation at a place to really relax – Gwyneth Paltrow’s
In Goop Health wellness conference.
Swirling in after a long flight, I picked up my cute tote, notebook, and pen and headed through the Goop Hall – the entrance to the conference. There were fun snacks to grab along the way, (my favorites:
Moon Juice and mini coconut donuts by
Erin McKenna’s Bakery – V + GF! Win.), some pretty beautiful looking displays of food and product, and finally the “chat room” (love that name!) where you could chill and listen to the speakers on stage.
My favorite chat was “Balls In The Air” as everyone can relate to these days. On the stage were some of GP’s closest friends: Cameron Diaz, Nicole Richie, Miranda Kerr, and Tory Burch. What a great group of women. They touched on the importance of balancing all aspects of your life (kids, job, health, self-care…) and also about the importance of letting go of what may not be a priority. For Cameron Diaz, that means saying no to acting jobs and focusing on what matters more to her right now: her family and her new book!
There were wellness adventures try out too: crystal readings, manicures, face massages, a radian human photo dome, and an IV doctor, just to name a few.
Here’s where my event planner eyes came in. The conference was beautifully designed, simple black and white signs, and fresh natural colors from foods for pops of excitement. They also had a large assortment of food which was able to accommodate even the pickiest of L.A. eaters. This was all great. What wasn’t great was that every wellness adventure was booked solid and there wasn’t enough to go around. Having nearly 600 attendees requires a significant amount of manpower and it seemed this conference was simply lacking in this realm. For the price tag that came with this event, I could see how many attendees would leave discouraged and disappointed. As an event planner myself, it’s hard not to think about what I would have done differently. This is not to say that it was all a waste. Personally, I loved the conference and look forward to learning more about Goop and continuing the wellness conversation.
To end on a positive note, I have to mention the swag bag. It was so big and heavy I had to convince Southwest not to charge me more for my overweight suitcase. I can’t wait to try out these products and fill you all in on my favorites.
Looking forward to attending the next In Goop Health in New York in January…
For a more in depth review of the conference,
click here.
-XOXO, Danielle.