“Should I put my flower crown on now–or wait till after the branding panel?”
A young woman consults with a friend at Create & Cultivate, a one-day summit of female entrepreneurs taking place in a sprawling industrial compound in downtown Los Angeles. She’s one of approximately 1,000 attendees who lounge on pale pink fainting couches, sip kombucha mocktails, and pose in front of set-designed walls emblazoned with Instagram-ready slogans, including a glittering gold “Time’s Up!” At noon, they kick up their suede booties and dig into vegan lunch boxes, which, as it so happens, include a floral hair accessory.
“Wait, did you go to the salon here yet?” her friend interjects. “You can get a fishtail braid. That might be cuter.”
At Create & Cultivate, women in their 20s and 30s gather to network and learn businesses skills–and indulge in a little me-time. The event, which has cropped up in nearly a dozen cities from Atlanta to Seattle over the past few years, showcases celebrity speakers (Kim Kardashian West, Chrissy Teigen, Lauren Conrad) alongside CEOs and venture capitalists. At the L.A. gathering, held in February, attendees wander between finance panels, pitching tutorials, and podcasting seminars, then mosey over to a pop-up market with free styling and ear-piercing services.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
