What Drives Her Luncheon at the Chicago Auto Show

Hi there!

You guys! It's been MONTHS since I posted here! I've just been so busy - and kind of unmotivated when it comes to this blog. I just have given myself so many hobbies, I can't even keep up with myself LOL!

But last week I attended a fun, women-centric event that I want to share with you.

Last year I joined A Girls Guide To Cars for a tour around the auto show learning about how steel was used in the automotive industry. This year, A Girls Guide... invited me to sit in on their What Drives Her Luncheon and Panel Discussion. Let me tell you: it was enlightening.

Panlists during the Work/Life Balance portion of the discussion

I have bought a few cars on my own in my life. Shopped for them myself, did the negotiating, signed my own financing papers. Never have I really given any thought to the marketing behind what led me to my purchases. And what I learned at this luncheon is that usually, the automotive industry doesn't take women in to account when they market to us or deal with us in person. 

During the #SeeHer : How Women Are Seen In Media portion of the luncheon, women feel misunderstood and underrepresented in automobile marketing, even though many of us are the main decisions makers in car-related decisions.

A portion of the presentation that really stuck with me was when a few executives from Turtle Wax and Cars.com were discussing work-life balance. Lauren Brandt from Facebook said she truly doesn't believe there is a work-life balance - that some weeks will just be work heavy. Kerri Wise of TrueCar said that you have to remember the world WILL revolve without you - don't think that a job won't get don't just because you aren't the one to do it. So, take care of your family first - your job can wait. Kathy Gilbert of CDK said she used to immerse herself in work because she didn't have a husband or children like her coworkers. But she realized that that was not working for her and she found herself some hobbies to stay busy outside of work hours. I think that work/life balance is something that all working women struggle with, so it was nice to hear from some women in leadership positions on how they deal with this issue.

Besides these women inspiring other women to look for work in a field that women might feel isn't meant for them, A Girls' Guide treated us to a lovely lunch during the panel, wine and dessert at the Hyundai showroom and even held a raffle for prizes sponsored by the brands the panelists represented.

Thanks for the treats Hyundai!

After the luncheon was over, fellow blogger LaToya (www.thefatgirloffashion.com) used our passes to explore the site of the giant showroom we already had access to. We had fun roaming around looking at the cars and taking silly photos. My favorite car on the floor was this Chevy truck made entirely of LEGOS!!! How cool is this!!!

Here are a few more photos from our Auto Show adventure:

Look at these ladies! Check them out on Instagram!

L-R: @mamafresh, @flosfavorites, @thefatgirloffashion

I just loved the matte ombre paint job of this Nissan truck!

This truck was difficult to get into! Props to our Marines!!!

The news anchor that was sitting here was nice enough to let us do a mini shoot here<3 

If you'd be interested in attending The 4th Annual What Drives Her Luncheon next year, follow A Girls' Guide To Cars and lookout for their post announcing the event and how to qualify to attend.

Until next time,

xoxo

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