A group of women play a game of Pictionary at the Joy Miller &  Associates booth at last year’s Women’s Lifestyle Show. In its 23rd  year, the show takes place Oct. 25 at the Peoria Civic Center. Photo Courtesy of Joy?Miller.

by Elise Zwicky

Psychotherapist Joy Miller believes women don’t take enough time for themselves, so she’s offering a full day of education, shopping and pampering at the 23rd annual Women’s Lifestyle Show on Oct. 25 at the Peoria Civic Center.

“I think the greatest gift women can give themselves is to do something like this, to make time for themselves and be with friends and other women who are celebrating. I do hope it’s a day filled with laughter and happiness and that it’s an educational experience for them,” said Miller, the show’s owner and promoter.

Joy Miller is the owner and promoter of the Women’s Lifestyle Show. Photo Courtesy of Joy?Miller.

The show, which Miller and show director Allyson Peffer plan all year, was originally started by Jay Goldberg and the Peoria Civic Center. Miller’s company, Joy Miller & Associates, became co-owner in the show’s second year and took complete ownership three years ago.

“I think the most striking part of how the show has evolved over the years is just the sheer size of the event,” Miller said, noting that the show attracts about 12,000 women each year. “We started in just Hall A, and now we’ve grown to 100,000 square feet, taking over the
entire Civic Center.”

While the show began as a trade show, Miller said it’s grown into “more of a West Coast women’s expo with the pavilions and more of a focus on interactive booths and interaction with vendors.”

The show features six pavilions, highlighting fashion and beauty; health and wellness; shopping; home and living; bridal and event; and culinary interests. Hundreds of vendors set up booths within the pavilions that offer not only information about their businesses, but often samples and giveaways. In addition, there are contests, fashion shows, food and wine tastings and a “Peoria’s Got Talent” competition. Participants can even get a mammogram and a flu shot at the show.

 A participant at last year’s Women’s Lifestyle Show smiles broadly while enjoying the vendor booths, contests, free samples, fashion shows and more that the show offers. Photo Courtesy of Joy?Miller.

Six celebrities will contribute to the show’s ongoing entertainment and demonstrations: nutritionist Manuel Villacorta, author and comedian Monica Parker, professional organizer Dorothy Breininger, author and lecturer Rokelle Lerner, motivational author and photographer Kim Weiss and Barb Schmidt, an author and speaker who focuses on finding inner peace.

“That’s been another change,” Miller said of the celebrities.

“For the first 10 or 15 years of the show, we were bringing in soap stars, and that was wonderful, but we were only hitting one segment of the population. A few years ago, we decided we wanted to make it more diverse and try to have something for everyone.”

Shelly Bastean of Pekin, who visited the show for the first time last year with her mom, Joni Gilbertson, said, “It was fun visiting all the booths. We tried products and learned about local businesses that we hadn’t heard of before.”

Miller is hoping to attract more first-time participants to this year’s show, which is built around a theme of “get happy.”

“If you’ve always thought about coming but have never been to our show, this is the year to come,” Miller said. “After the winter we had, we definitely felt the need to get happy this year.”

Two women dress up for a photograph during last year’s Women’s Lifestyle  Show. The 23rd annual show takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Peoria Civic Center.  Photo Courtesy of Joy?Miller.

The show runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Peoria Civic Center. Advance tickets are $8 at area Kroger stores and at the Peoria Civic Center box office, or $10 at the door. A limited number of $30 VIP tickets are also available this year that offer special perks, such as early arrival and free close-to-the-door parking. VIP tickets can be purchased at the WLS office at 7617 N. Villa Wood Lane in Peoria. For more information, call 309-857-6301 or visit the website www.wlspeoria.com.