After deliberating it over in my mind, I decided I needed a few additional days before sharing my journey through the streets of New Orleans.
Have no fear, though! The party is just getting started…right at the beginning, too! (Isn’t that the best place to start?)
I give you….the Rock n Roll New Orleans Expo!
On Saturday morning, we woke up before the sun to begin our 3+ hour drive to New Orleans. I was attempting to make it to the Expo in time to attend the Tweetup, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
When Jason and I arrived in downtown New Orleans, we first stopped to pick up one of my BRF’s (Kelli) before making our way to the Expo. The Rock n Roll New Orleans Expo was held at the Ernest N Morial Convention Center in downtown New Orleans. Thankfully, my husband is a wonderful guy and agreed to drop Kelli and I off at the front door before parking the car in the lot across the street.
We made it!
We passed through the red carpet area and into Check-In.
This was Rock n Roll New Orleans 5th year and for this special anniversary, they decided to do a few special things for their 5 year runners.
We had our own bib pick up station which wasn’t crowded at all (yay)! I walked right up with no wait…score! :0)
After nabbing my bib, Kelli and I made a bee-line for the stage (which happened to be in the very back corner of the room). I knew I missed the Tweetup, but I still wanted to say hi to a few fellow blogger friends!
The first person I saw was Mindy – we met at last year’s Rock n Roll New Orleans Expo and it was really nice to see her again! :0) I was also able to chat with Abby for a few minutes – it was great meeting her for the first time!
These guys also graciously invited me to be a part of their photo, even though I didn’t get to attend the official event. It was great to see everyone!
After saying our goodbyes, we continued to meander through the Expo. I ran into a few more familiar faces…
Nicole (we made plans to run the full together)…
…and Abby, a fellow Dumbo runner (we were never able to meet-up in Disneyland, so it was nice to finally meet her in NOLA!). We connected at the Expo via Fred & Twitter…yay social media! :D
Ready to Rock n Roll!!
We had to re-create our silly photo from last year’s Louisiana Marathon Expo…what can I say? We love to goof off!
The Brooks area received a spiffy update this year in the form of a Tropical theme!
As participants entered the “Island”, they were asked to fill out information on an iPad and a personal passport was printed. The passport could be used for various events inside the Island – Gait Analysis, a “Wild Shoe” ride, and a few carnival type games. If participants completed all of the events and had their passports scanned at each event, they were eligible for a thermal tote. We decided to skip the extra events because the line for the gait analysis was LONG. Instead, we took our passport to the “freebies” booth and we each received a tshirt!
We loved our shirts!!
Walking through the vendors area, we taste tested a few Power Bar samples (Vanilla/Peanut Butter Chocolate bars, several flavors of energy blasts, and a few flavors of Performance Blends).
I liked the energy chews myself! The Peanut Butter Chocolate Power Bar was pretty good as well!
We couldn’t resist a silly “Got Chocolate Milk” photo!
I also stopped by and purchased a Sweaty Band (I do at every Expo – gotta match my outfits), and I tried on a Flip Belt. I was just about to purchase one when I was told their shipment didn’t arrive because of the crazy Louisiana storm. I was offered a discount code, though…pretty sure I’m going to take them up on that offer!
Finally, we were able to taste test three sample flavors of GU – Apple Cinnamon, Salted Watermelon, and Caramel Macchiato. My favorite was Caramel but then again, if caramel is involved it will always be my favorite!
Before continuing on our way, we stopped by the Wall of Fame for a quick 5 year photo…
…and I picked up a few 5 year runner gifts from the Rock n Roll Booth. Each 5 year participant received a t-shirt of their choice size (which was nice) and a 5 year key chain.
Overall, it was a nice Expo and I enjoyed wandering through, checking out all of the vendors. It was fun to see so many familiar (and new) faces. I just love the atmosphere at an Expo – everyone's excited and nervous about their upcoming race…there’s nothing quite like it!
What’s your favorite part of an Expo?
