A couple of weeks ago, we took a trip to Las Vegas for the 2012 Olympia Expo to meet industry leaders and to learn about upcoming nutritional supplements and other fitness products.
Before the Expo:
This was our first time to Vegas, so we had a busy couple days touring the strip and trying to fit in as much as we could.
We were a bit intimidated at first by all the chaos in the casinos and the constant parade of tourists on the strip, but we had a blast!
We're not experienced gamblers, so we didn't spend too much time in the casinos, but we spent some time at the tables trying to hit it big so we could cover the cost of our trip...
yeah, that didn't work
(Whitney did win $84 playing a Monopoly slot machine)! As for eating, we did a lot of research prior to our trip to find some healthy restaurants and there are plenty of options at all price points. We will be posting about healthy Vegas restaurants soon!
Update: You can read about our picks for healthy Vegas restaurants
!
At the Expo:
The Expo was at t
he Las Vegas Convention Center, about a mile from the northern side of the Strip. W
e were first in line for tickets and first in line to enter the expo (after the VIPs). Once the doors opened we immediately went to see Jamie Eason (Middleton).
We were able to talk to Jamie's husband, Michael Middleton, while waiting in line - such a great guy!
Scott also got to meet Forrest Griffin, a UFC championship fighter.
It was finally our turn to meet Jamie and
she recognized us!
Jamie made a HUGE impact on
life and she is a terrific role model. Jamie has always been very well-known for being such a great person and she's even friendlier and
more beautiful in person
.
If you do not already follow Jamie on
, you should!
The pic below is the message she wrote to us and it's very flattering to have such a kind message come from such a big name in the fitness industry.
We also got to see Amanda Adams, Greg Plitt, and Ashley Horner!
One of the best parts of the expo was all the free samples and items that were being handed out at each booth...we definitely had enough protein shakes and bars to last us for a while...it was like a nutritional supplement buffet and much of what was given out was anything but nutritional. We also received several shaker bottles and t
-
shirts...
we came away with a carry-on suitcase full of samples!
All in all, it was a great trip. We got to meet some of our friends from
,
,
, and
(discount code: EATCLEAN), but we also built some new relationships with
,
, and
(among others). Unfortunately, we weren't able to stick around for the Olympia competitions, but we'll be back in the future.
Our next stop is the 2013 Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio in March.
Update: You can read about our picks for healthy Vegas restaurants
!
-
Scott & Whitney