The event was very popular as you can see by the photo of the crowded floor of the San Diego convention Center.
There were several interesting products and inspirational speakers like Mariel Hemingway. She spoke about suicides in the Hemingway family, her search for ways to improve herself and make sure she enjoys living and about her meeting in India with the Dalai Lama. He put his hand on her hand and said “you are OK”. Those words made her feel much more self confident and those words were actually also the message to her audience.
Women enjoyed complementary massages, hair makeovers, nail polish treatments, and complementary eyelash extensions. There was also a painting class and other workshops.
One could buy clothes, jewelry, phone chargers, steamers, order 3D printed shoes, inquire about house remodeling, get solar panel consultation, and get psychic reading. I think you get it, it was quite a big and varied expo.
There were some products more interesting than others, one of which was magnetic jewelry.
It consists of a nicely designed steel base to which one can magnetically connect colorful round pieces to match your outfit or mood. I was curious if this idea has been patented, did the search on patents.google.com and guess what: It was. The patent I found, US4912944A, by inventors Dana B. Crosley and Jessica L. Cohn titled “Magnetic Jewelry” describes exactly the products being now sold by the Magnetude Jewelry. Do any of the patent owners own the store, or did they license it to the store owner? I have no idea and actually it does not matter. The patent was issued in 1990 and was valid for 20 years, so it expired in 2010. So now the idea is in a public domain and anyone who wishes to can use it for their own benefit.
Another interesting product was 3D printed shoes, by Feetz, website feetz.com. This company makes shoes to exactly fit your feet. If the right one is slightly different than the left they will make them that way. The process starts with you downloading an app, taking 3 pictures of each foot and SizeMe ID. The next step is to select a style. Then robots 3D print your shoes and you get them in about 2 weeks.
I don't know if Feetz shoes are patented, however in general there are several patents for various types of shoes. There are laminated uppers patented in 1972, studs or cleats in 1970, interchangeable sole and upper for shoes from 1965, several athletic and golf shoes, shoes with built in sensors in 2013, foldable shoes in 2013. Nike and Reebok are assignees of several shoe patents.
Overall the Women Expo was interesting with a surprising number of businesses and several novel interesting products.