Okay (I take a breath). I am reconsidering what it means to attend an
auto show as a woman consumer... it means I actually have time to
attend the vehicle reveals and listen to the information presented, it
means I actually have time to look at and touch the vehicles. It means
I finally have time to experience the show itself.
After
years of kamikaze auto show production, I am at last attending the show
with the mindset of a female consumer. At the end of each day, I will
be much better educated about the vehicles, and in turn, so will the
female consumer audience at Ask Patty. In my heart, I feel this is a
classic case of quality winning over quantity. So here I am, at the end
of the first day, trying to figure out how much of this quantity of
information fits for a quality first-day posting. I've decided to start
with chronological basics, and will post updates later that lend
additional insight to specific product information. I hope this works
for you, too.
Tuesday was a travel day. I had a 6am flight
from Los Angeles to New York, which means I was at the airport before
the early birds were even dreaming about their breakfast worms. As I
was standing curbside waiting to check my bag, I was reminded that -
even at the ungodly hour of 5am -- arriving an hour before the flight
is not enough time to ensure a stress-free departure. I didn't even
have time to put my shoes back on after the security check, and had to
run through the airport, tennies in hand, to board my plane.
Interestingly,
the three seats behind me on the plane were occupied by Audi booth
models, also on their way to the event. These lovely young women had
much to share about their experiences on the auto show circuit. None of
them were exactly "car chicks" but they told me that, while having the
specs memorized is not exactly part of their job desciption, they do
take an interest in knowing about the cars. It makes their four-hour
shifts standing alongside the car 'that' much more entertaining.
I arrived at LaGuardia airport in the late afternoon, and from there
was whisked off by a GM driver to forge rush-hour traffic en route to
the W Hotel I
will call my home for the next few nights. Before I forget, I want to
comment that the hotel is a lovely and relaxing oasis in the middle of
a hectic city, offering subdued lighting and sensual aromatherapy (even
in the elevators). Also, of great importance to the animal owners among
our staff and audience, is their Pet Menu which offers a 10-ounce
filet, iams kibble burger, bone cookie dog treats, as well as iams
gourmet dog and cat food. It appears they have something for everyone here. I have discovered that I am especially fond of their lemon & sage "Bliss" body butter.
In the evening, General Motors hosted a dinner for bloggers at Metrazur
restaurant in Grand Central Terminal. There, bloggers mingled with
about a dozen GM representatives so we could all share about our
audiences and their products. They had an assortment of people who
educated us on everything from the environment and energy, to Hummers,
Saabs, and Pontiacs. We were a group of bloggers who covered every
subject and url from Ecorazzi.com and GroovyGreen.com to Gizmodo.com
and askpatty.com.
After dinner, we enjoyed the New York night
air and walked the seven blocks back to our hotel. I ironed my blouse,
set out my show materials, plugged in my camera and computer, requested
two wakeup calls, programmed three alarm clock and cell phone alarms,
and went to bed praying that I would not oversleep.
Next post - "At the auto show"
by Brandy Schaffels "woman consumer"
