Event for the ladies

All ladies are invited to a vendor show and health conference that gives education sessions about important health care topics and showcases local vendors all in the same place.

MercyOne Newton Medical Center and the Newton Daily News have partnered for the second year to bring the Ladies’ Night Out Women’s Health Conference to Newton. The event will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at the DMACC Conference Center, 600 N. Second Ave. W. in Newton. The event features a lineup of educational speakers about health topics throughout the day with the final presentation beginning at 6:15 p.m.

“Women are often the health care decision makers not only for themselves but for their spouses, their children and their aging parents, so it’s important they be armed with knowledge about a variety of conditions and illnesses they may encounter,” Stephanie Alexander, MercyOne Newton’s public relations and marketing manager, said.

Because of that, the event is structured in a way to bring health care professionals to one place to educate the audience on relevant topics. However, Alexander said to avoid the serious “sit in a classroom all day” feel to the event, the health conference is paired with the vendor show.

“It ended up being a perfect match, blending facts and fun,” Alexander said.

The partnership with the NDN and MercyOne Newton was formed last year. MercyOne Newton, then known as Skiff Medical Center, hosted health conferences throughout much of the early 2000s. When interest faded in the conference, the NDN created a social event to take its place. As interests shifted once again, the two organizations merged the two ideas.

“We had a fantastic turnout our first year, with nearly 250 women in attendance, and it was important to us to get and use their feedback. We gathered email addresses from last year’s attendees and sent a follow-up survey to learn what they’d like to see this year and what we could do even better,” Alexander said.

One of the main areas of feedback that was received was a concern with the presentations happening at the same time as the vendor show. At times, the mingling voices made it difficult to get the full benefits from some of the speakers. New this year, the conference center will be divided into sections to help keep the sound levels from overlapping.

Another new feature this year is a partnership with the DMACC Culinary Arts. They will provide sack lunches for a low fee at the beginning of the event.

“People with jobs who want to come shop over their noon hour don’t have to go back to work hungry,” Alexander said.

The event wouldn’t work without the collaboration between MercyOne Newton and the NDN. MercyOne can focus on organizing the health care presentations while the NDN focuses on attracting vendors to be featured at the show.

“It takes a lot of hands on deck to be able to put together an event of this size, so being able to split up the responsibilities let us realize our vision in a manageable way,” Alexander said.

Kevin Brown, advertising director at the Newton Daily News, agreed the partnership and community support is what helps brings the event together.

“‘Community’ is the key to the success of events such as Ladies Night Out. It literally takes many hands to make such an event happen. Partnerships such as the one we have with MercyOne are critical to the success this event has enjoyed. Each brings a unique set of skills, ideas and abilities that gel into the full day of seminars, hands on learning and fun events, such as the Happy Hour,” he said.

Multiple vendors have agreed to set up at the event already. Some of those include Associated Dentists, Bun in the Oven & Boutique, Color Street, Discovery Toys, KoRganics, LulaRoe, Mary and Martha, Mary Kay Cosmetics, MercyOne Newton Gift Shop, Pampered Chef, Soaring Creations, Thirty-One, Vital Health Links, Volume 1 Lashes and Zyia Activewear with more to be announced.

“It’s a great way for a small business owner to have their products or services in front of a large audience, and the more vendors there are, the more fun it is for all of us,” Alexander said.

Brown added, “Most importantly, the vendor show allows attendees to leisurely browse from a diverse array of offerings from local businesses as well as network. Some of the vendors include Pampered Chef, Mary Kay Cosmetics, a local author, medical services and programming, Discovery Toys and review unique clothing and home/office decor items from area boutiques. Some local restaurants, floral shops and nonprofit groups will all be on hand. It is truly a great start to the holiday season.”

For the health conference portion, the first presentation of the conference will be about stroke symptoms and treatments by Dr. Matthew Ferguson. Other topics include Shingles, joint replacement, women’s cardiovascular health among many others. From 3 to 6 p.m., blood pressure checks will be provided by DMACC nursing students.

The event is set up as a come-and-go type of atmosphere. So ladies can stay for the whole day and pop in and out as they feel.

“We certainly recommend sticking around for happy hour (at 5 p.m.), though, as we’ll have complementary wine and refreshments,” Alexander said.

The event is open to all women who want to come for the educational health presentations or browse the offerings from local vendors. For more information, visit the event page on Facebook.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com