About
Why the BETTER LIVING HOME, GARDEN & LIFESTYLE SHOW?
As the idea of sustainability and healthy living grows, shows have tried to highlight it with mixed results. Typically you have large events that put a Green Pavilion in an otherwise non-green show or you have green events that continually pull the same crowd. In other words they are principally preaching to "the choir." Both types of festivals should be applauded for helping to get the sustainable message out. The Better Living Show brings together the best of these two types of shows - a large event that is walking the walk. A festival that is not just targeted at the early adopters of a sustainable lifestyle, but one that targets the mainstream consumer as well who are looking for everything green. A show that encourages everyone, no matter where they lie in the spectrum of sustainable living, to take one more step towards a healthier lifestyle. And celebrates each and every one of those steps. Quite frankly…we want to help make a bigger choir!
What is Blue Ocean Events?
Our business model is a response to a changing consumer show landscape - declining attendance and non-relavant scope. It leverages what companies are doing right and the power of ‘green’ brands to ignite the power of emotion to drive responsible purchasing. Blue Ocean Events doesn’t pull back marketing just because budgets are getting tight. In fact the opposite: We have a long-term strategic plan, and now more than ever in these transformational times, Portland's Better Living Home and Garden Show is poised to make large social changes.
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Michael O'Loughlin has been a part of the consumer show business for 40 years. Son of Thomas O'Loughlin, founder of the National Association of Consumer Shows and co-founder of O'Loughlin Trade Shows, Michael had a broom in his hand on the show floor as soon as he could walk!
For the past 25 years Michael has specialized in large feature builds and reinventing consumer shows to increase attendance. His influence and vision built O'Loughlin Trade Shows' events, including the Portland Boat Show, Portland Fall RV & Van Show, Portland Home & Garden Show and several others, into some of the largest on the West Coast.
Michael is the past Vice President of the Pacific NW Chapter of the National Association of Exposition Management (now IAEM) and has served twice on the board of the Home & Garden Show Executives International. He was the youngest President of that organization.
O’Loughlin was awarded the 2008 Horticulture Award by the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs, the 2009
Tree Steward Award from the City of Tigard, and was named Volunteer of the Year in 2010 by the City of Tigard. |
Michael has been a judge for the Miss Earth Pageant and was recently nominated for the VOIS Alliance Champions of Change Sustainability Leadership Award. Michael is a certified Wildlife Steward and spends his spare time building school gardens like Woodward Gardens and coaching soccer. more
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Stephanie Frisch began her event career 18 years ago with the Seattle SuperSonics. She was the first woman hired in the team’s Game Operations department. As a member of Game Ops Frisch produced the Sonics home games, special events, was the liaison with the City of Seattle for KeyArena facility needs and coordinated with NBC/TNT for national television broadcasts. Frisch moved from intern to director of the department in just four years, becoming one of the youngest operations directors in the NBA.
While in Seattle, Stephanie also worked on the NCAA basketball tourney with Seattle Center staff, produced The Gary Payton Foundation’s all-star player party and benefit game, consulted with Alaska Airlines on a large-scale employee event in KeyArena and produced a star-studded tennis event featuring Agassi, Navratilova and Sampras for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
A move to the Portland area brought Frisch’s production skills to the Street of Dreams and Street of New Beginnings. During this time Stephanie and Michael became acquainted and worked together on the Portland Home & Garden Show. In 2005 Frisch helped open the Clark County Event Center and provided new branding for both the facility and the county’s largest event, the Clark County Fair. |
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Frisch and O’Loughlin jointly founded Blue Ocean Events in 2007 to create a large-scale green consumer show in the Portland market and provide a platform for sustainable businesses to reach mainstream consumers. The
Better Living Show launched in 2008 at the Portland Expo Center and was the most successful show debut in Portland’s history. It's known as the Portland home and living show for green people.
Keeping the show free to attend is integral to their desire to ensure that sustainability education and the tools for social change are widely accessible. Blue Ocean Events also provides complimentary booth space to non-profits to help further another one of the show’s key missions—fostering community engagement.
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In 2010 Clark Public Utilities asked us to manage their 20 year old event - the Home & Garden Idea Fair. It is a free community event with energy conservation and environmental messages, so it is a perfect fit. It is Clark County's only home and garden show. more |
Proud members of:
producer of Portland's Better Living Home and Garden Show
Portland Expo Center
