The Power Of Mommy Meetings

Photo By Michael Bezjian | Panelists at UniCon Samantha Gutstadt, Nikki Lund, Tiffany Jenkins, Veena Crownhold, Meredith Masony, Christine Lakin share laughs during the "Moms in a Digital World" Panel — Photo By Michael Bezjian | Panelists at UniCon Samantha Gutstadt, Nikki Lund, Tiffany Jenkins, Veena Crownhold, Meredith Masony, Christine Lakin share laughs during the “Moms in a Digital World” Panel

Mommy Conferences for the win!

The Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills hosted over 300 ‘bad moms’ on Saturday during LA’s first UniCon– a conference with keynote speeches, panels and shopping experiences aimed at providing a non-judgmental and supportive environment for moms.

The event was hosted by Unicorn Moms, an organization whose national mom following on Facebook is currently among the largest in the country.

While many mom attendees were from Southern California, several flew in from as far as Florida and New York, leaving the kids behind to immerse themselves in a setting where they would be able to speak their minds, learn from one another and walk away feeling motivated to continue balancing motherhood and their individuality.

Photo By Michael Bezjian | TV Personality Diana Madison (L) and Unicorn Moms Founder Maria Hunt at UniCon at the Sofitel Hotel on Sept. 23, 2017

“It’s exhausting and hard most of the time to be a mom these days. We are doing a lot more than our mothers did with us,” said Unicorn Moms Founder Maria Hunt. “That is why I decided to create UniCon. I wanted to give them this amazing experience that they deserve. Make them feel accepted, beautiful, confident, and happy.”

Some moms sipped on cocktails wearing flower crowns, many shopped for heels and liquid cannabis while others enjoyed taking pictures with celebrity moms as well as ‘hunky’ Santas promoting A Bad Moms Christmas scheduled for this Fall.

“This is why I feel my group attracts so many moms. They can be themselves, get the support they need and laugh along the way,” explained Hunt who described the event’s success as only the beginning.

“When we come together it’s magical and UniCon was fucking magical!”

MomWarrior

Across town, in Santa Monica, Tet Salva, founder of Bento Girl, held her first MomWarrior Los Angeles event at the Annenberg Community Beach House. Several dozen local moms registered and took part in the day-long seminar where they got to hear from mompreneurs as well as moms with corporate jobs and moms who have succeeded in their line of work while balancing motherhood & household obligations.

The goal of the day-long MomWarrior event was more serious in nature but shared similarities to that of UniCon– to give moms an opportunity to inspire, motivate and empower one another.

“Women left re-energized and empowered. What struck me was the fact that regardless of what path you’ve chosen – whether it is to continue on your career path or focus solely on your family – we’re still in this together,” said Salva, who traveled from her hometown in Northern California for the MomWarrior Los Angeles seminar.

Over at the Los Angeles Convention Center, tickets are on sale for the Los Angeles Ultimate Women’s Expo, whose speaker line-up includes various celebrity moms. The expo scheduled for the second weekend in October promises women the opportunity to “explore your own personal style, renew your soul and uncover your passions.”

Thousands are expected to attend.

Photo By MomWarrior | Panel at MomWarrior Los Angeles

The Promising Future of Mom Conferences

While speeches at many of these mom-themed events tend to focus on similar messaging, one thing is clear: Los Angeles moms are buying every opportunity to take a break from home and dive into a personal experience where they’ll walk out with a sense of confidence and even new mom friends.

A recent study conducted by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events found that despite social media’s virtual hangout offerings like Twitter parties and Facebook Live sessions, the future of Face-to-Face interactions is strong, with nine in ten moms likely to attend conventions.

Photo By MomWarrior | Attendees at the MomWarrior Seminar

And seventy-five percent of respondents surveyed for the study said they attend conventions to make connections.

Local moms with an entrepreneurial spirit like Hunt and Salva understand that. They’ve realized that inviting moms to gather in one place where they’re given support and feel good experiences, is key.

“LA was so good to us, and all the speakers were incredible,” says Salva. “We are defintely coming back to LA. Plans of hosting MomWarrior Salons (smaller, more intimate events) are coming in the Fall of this year. My aspiration for MomWarrior is that it becomes a global organization that affects social change.”

For her part, Hunt is also preparing to expand her brand.

“I want to have two smaller, local and more intimate Unicorn Moms sessions a year,” she says. “I plan to take UniCon across the country in the future and give these moms an experience they all deserve.”