Thursday, January 19, 2017

My Top 5 Moments at the 2017 New England Auto Show

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with SheBuysCars and Toyota Boston; all opinions expressed are my own.


2016 was a year of firsts for me and one of my favorites was getting a new car. For my 36th birthday Mr. Lovebird surprised me with a new Mazda CX9 and while I had an inkling we'd be in the market for a new car when I went to the New England Auto Show for the first time last year, I didn't realize how soon it would happen!

When I joined SheBuysCars at the press preview day last week I was excited to be once again in the company of such a fab group of local bloggers as we explored the auto show getting the chance to learn about upcoming trends and ask questions that represented our concerns as women and mothers. It was a full day but I've picked out my top 5 favorite moments to share with you:

via Playing All The Way

5) The camaraderie - Each year I've attended I've broadened my blogging community and have found support from fellow bloggers as we navigate the tricky world of car ownership. The day is fun, but with a purpose. I almost wish that each time I go back to the dealership I could have an army of SheBuysCars bloggers with me!

 
4) The empowerment - According to NPR women influence 85% of auto sales, but coming from a background in advertising where my first client was an auto company, I know that women are underrepresented when it comes to actual staff. I appreciated that SheBuysCars gave us the chance during lunch to hear directly from Amanda Grappone Osmer, 4th generation owner of Grappone Toyota in Bow, NH. She shared the importance of carrying on her family legacy as well as making sure her dealership stands out because of its large number of female staff.



3) The food - SheBuysCars and Toyota really spoiled us over lunch! We had endless amounts of comfort food including the most delicious little lobster rolls on toasted buns - I'm not a mayonnaise fan and these had just the right ratio! As the fellow mamas as my table agreed, it was nice to enjoy a tasty lunch uninterrupted by little ones. I savored every minute!

Thank you SanTara for the pic!

2) The answers - I love how approachable the SheBuysCars team is and it was great to be able to have candid conversations about what my own car buying experience was like as well as discuss what we're looking forward to purchasing in the future. Additionally, the staff on hand at the auto show is always helpful allowing attendees to get in and out of the cars and asking questions to their hearts content. It can be easy to get overwhelmed, but the auto show experience makes getting car education a fun experience!  




1) The cars - Speaking of fun, this is always my top moment of attending an auto show. Mama likes to dream and there were plenty of options on hand to consider for that glorious sad time down the line when I downsize to my sports car. Debuting next spring for around $90K, the Lexus LC500, pictured above, was my favorite and while it's definitely a dream car, the Toyota team was fantastic about bringing me back down to reality and sharing the latest tech trends especially the emphasis on safety packages which are becoming standard on more vehicles. I was really impressed at how far technology has come when I got my Mazda CX9 last year (it has auto-breaking sensors and projects approaching vehicle warnings in the windshield), and I was thrilled to learn how car companies are continuing making family safety a priority including technology to alert you if your child is left in the car.

I made this recap video to highlight the day - check it out!:



Check out my Instagram and Twitter (hashtag #ToyotaBoston) for loads of pictures and news from this year's auto show!

Have you ever been to an auto show? What's your dream car?