by Ethlie Ann Vare
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10/25/2024 – What do Wifi enabled meat thermometers, organic dog treats and multi-factor authentication keys have in common? They are all potential Christmas gifts and were all on display at the West Coast Living Media Event on Thursday at the Universal Sheraton. Reporters from outlets ranging from The Hollywood Times and Daily Variety to lifestyle bloggers and Amazon influencers came out to pick up some holiday shopping hints for their readers… and a few samples to take home themselves.
“These events are a fun way to meet press that you might not otherwise encounter,” says Janet Carter of Youzey, who came with a display of “affordable luxury” products including scarves, gloves and sunglasses. Next to her, the 50th anniversary edition of the venerable home improvement gadget The Stud Finder, along with a leak detector from Zircon Tools. If you are a homeowner in Los Angeles, you will want a leak detector come winter….
Nicole Vance and her team at New Product Media Events have promoted these trade shows for the past 18 years, a few of those years relegated to Zoom because of, you know, that plague thing.
“Our goal is to simply to interact brands and media,” says Vance. In New York, they get Oprah and The Today Show. In LA, they get a media gaggle as diverse as the products on display.
We chatted with Yubico, who created a multi-factor authentication key for internet security on a tiny USB dongle, and with The Heel Sling, who created a gadget to keep your feet from slipping in your stilettos. There was Bakery Bling with its elaborate decorated cookies and gingerbread house kits, and Full Moon Bakery with its natural dog treats. XReal brought a wearable heads-up video display (they didn’t say it was made for watching porn in bed, but the illustrations definitely implied that it would work great for that) and, if you will excuse the awkward verbal juxtaposition, Meater brought their smart thermometers. Your iPhone can tell you when those ribs are ready… in a widescreen display on your XReal glasses!
While we’re on the cooking tip, how about a gorgeous $49 air fryer from GOURMIA? You have Pokemon card protectors and displays from UltraPro, who also make a party game called Table Topics. There was a booth from Walgreens highlighting another winter necessity: their Fortify line of facial moisturizers.
But when it comes to winter in Los Angeles, the new products that excited me the most were not the ones aimed at stuffing a Christmas stocking. Savant and EcoFlow both displayed whole-home back-up battery systems that can keep your house powered off-grid next time the city floods out and the power goes off. They can be recharged with solar panels or, with the right integration, an electric car. This is exactly what I needed last year when the hillside flooded out.
At least I now have a Zircon leak detector to warn me when the studs (I know where they are, too) get wet. Plus, the good folks at Boiron brought along samples of homeopathic medicines, because I live on their Oscillococcinum cold and flu remedy. I’m all set for the season!
