Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit - What I Loved About It

I was so thrilled to attend the Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit this past weekend with my biz bestie Leonora of Yellow Heart Art! I've been to a lot of conferences, and if you're in the creative entrepreneur biz, you know that Create & Cultivate is the gold standard.

Their Beauty Summit was a one-day event in NYC, and since Leonora and I are only a train ride away, we decided to go. It was well worth every cent we paid, and more! Here are my favorite things about the day.

GREAT FOR EVERYONE: Neither Leonora or I are in the beauty industry, per se - but we're both girly girls who love all things hair and makeup, and this event DEFINITELY catered to that. Plus, I write and design for beauty and health/wellness brands, so I was absolutely there to network and learn more about the biz side of beauty. The Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit was perfect for both of these aims - fun AND business.
INCLUSIVITY: Women of color and women of all body types in EVERY panel, in EVERY vendor booth, and throughout the audience - GOALS. This event was so diverse and was richer for it. I'm so sick of going to events chock full of white women - and I say that as a white woman myself. Although it's changing, the beauty industry is notorious for not being very inclusive, and I LOVED that Create & Cultivate is changing the game in terms of diversity and inclusivity.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES: Yes, the swag bags are awesome. But I don't pay for events like this just for the perks -- I've got a clutch full of business cards and I'm there to network, babe. Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit had a HUGE roster of A listers in the creative industry, and I was there to meet these women - and I did. C&C didn't siphon off the A-listers into a VIP only section - they were out walking around and checking out the booths. I got to meet all of the women I was there to meet, even pitching one of them in line for the ladies room! Jaclyn Johnson, C&C's CEO, was walking around the entire day in her totes adorbs gingham pants (pant envy), and when Leonora and I got a chance to chat with her, she was so gracious and cool.
THE EXPERIENCE: Holy shit, the branding was ON POINT, and I say that as a branding queen. Whoever runs Create & Cultivate's production team is a goddamn goddess. Everything was branded and super cute - I noticed and appreciated every little detail.
GREAT VENDORS: The WORST is when you go to an event and the vendors suck - it tells me that the organizers aren't able to pull in the big names, and those big names don't see the event as that legit. This obviously was NOT the case with C&C. It featured major brands like Mary Kay, Halston, Lenscrafters, and Moroccan Oil, along with up-and-comers like Olive and June. Every booth was better than the next.
AWESOME SPEAKERS, REAL ADVICE. Another HUGE turnoff for me is events where the speakers give bullshit advice like "Follow your dreams!" or "The key to success is being YOU!" Major eye roll. I need real biz wisdom from women who've made it - and bonus points if the speakers are relatable and cool AF. I loved all of the panels at C&C - check out the images in this post for my favorite pull quotes. My faves? Sally Hershberger - I want to get a martini with her so bad. Molly Sims, who was the keynote - she was AWESOME! I didn't really know what to expect since I didn't follow her on social, but I was instantly converted into a huge fan. She was smart, funny, and totally cool.

As you can tell, I really loved this experience, and I can't wait till Create & Cultivate is back in NY!