LOS ANGELES — Kelly Helfman, a 20-year events industry veteran and former president of MAGIC, COTERIE, PROJECT and SOURCING at Informa Markets, is launching a new one-day event focused on women’s wellness and wellbeing.
Girls Day LA will debut on May 2, and aims to provide a place for women to invest in their personal development through keynote speakers, workshops and a curated marketplace. The event also has an entertainment element and will feature singer-songwriter Josh Sadowski to close out the summit.
Programming for the event includes keynotes from Matt Gottesman, podcaster and writer; Jess Kiely-Vogelphol, Founder of Consciously Unbecoming; Andrea Quinn, author, motivational speaker and certified life and business coach; and a panel featuring Malena Higuera, CEO of NOYZ Fragrances, and Roxanne Kaiser, Founder and CEO of Proxy Wellness. The panel will be moderated by Edwina Kulego, Vice President of Global Business Development & Growth at Informa Markets and a 2023 Woman to Watch.
The marketplace has already secured 30 brands across the wellness, beauty, fashion and lifestyle space. Participating brands include Noyz Fragrances, Cleanlogic, Threads 4 Thought, Bio.Me and more, and activations within the marketplace will include permanent jewelry, healthy beverage and treat stations, astrology readings, a charm bar and flash tattoos.
Trade Show Executive caught up with Kelly Helfman to learn more about the launch, how it aligns with her personal journey, the lessons she’s brought from running global B2B events and what success looks like in year one for a new event.
MADDY: Girls Day LA is centered on women’s wellness and personal development. What personal experiences or moments in your own life led you to create this event now, and what gap did you feel wasn’t being adequately served by existing wellness or networking events?
KELLY: Girls Day LA really came from both my own personal journey and what I’ve witnessed in so many women around me. For years, I was operating at a very high level in my career, as a mom of two, leading large-scale businesses and achieving what, on paper, looked like success. But at the same time, I started to realize how easy it is to lose yourself in the process of achieving.
Many high-achieving (in their personal and professional lives) women have moments in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, where they step back and ask, “Is this actually aligned with who I am now?” They build incredible careers, relationships and lives, and then hit a point where they realize they’ve outgrown old beliefs, expectations or even versions of themselves that no longer fit who they are today. There’s this quiet disconnect that happens, where everything looks right on the outside, but internally something feels off.
What I felt was missing in the market was a space that actually meets women in that moment. A lot of events are either purely inspirational or purely transactional networking, but they don’t give women real tools or create an environment where it’s safe to be honest about where you are and what you need next. A space where women can have real, unfiltered conversations, gain practical tools they can actually apply to their lives, and feel supported in evolving into their next chapter. Girls Day LA is about helping women reconnect with themselves, not just be inspired for a moment, but leave with clarity, direction and tangible ways to move forward.
MADDY: You spent two decades leading some of the largest and most influential fashion events at Informa Markets. What lessons from running global B2B platforms most directly shaped how you’re designing Girls Day LA — and what consciously feels different this time?
KELLY: My time leading the fashion group for Informa Markets taught me so much about building meaningful experiences at scale, understanding audience behavior, matching the right buyers with brands and creating environments where real business happens. I loved every minute of my role and am beyond proud of the work our team and I did.
Although the fashion events were B2B, Girls Day LA was shaped with the same intentionality around the audience but applied in a much more personal way. What feels different this time is the level of intimacy and intention behind it. Instead of focusing on scale, I’m focused on depth. Every element, from the speakers to the programming to the overall experience, is designed to support women on a personal level, not just professionally. This event reflects my own evolution and what I believe women need right now, which is a space to reconnect with themselves and be part of a community that supports where they are and where they’re going.
MADDY: The event will blend content, experiences, entertainment and a marketplace. From a strategic standpoint, how did you determine the right mix between education, commerce and community — and how does that reflect how women want to engage with live events today in the wellness space?
KELLY: What I always valued in building events like MAGIC and COTERIE was creating more than just a transactional experience. It was about delivering a fully immersive environment where people could learn, connect and enjoy themselves while still achieving their goals. That philosophy directly shaped how I approached Girls Day LA. I’ve always believed that real value comes from a thoughtful mix of content, experience and discovery.
While the core focus is on meaningful speaker content and giving women practical tools they can apply to their lives, it was equally important to create an environment that feels enjoyable, energizing and supportive. Women today want more from live events. Girls Day LA blends education with interactive activations, a curated marketplace, and moments of fun and entertainment. I intentionally named it Girls Day LA because I wanted it to feel like the ultimate day to invest in yourself.
MADDY: The wellness space has also matured rapidly, with countless events, brands and platforms entering the market. Why was wellness the right industry for you to step into as a founder, and what do you think live events can uniquely offer this sector that digital platforms cannot?
KELLY: Wellness felt like a natural space for me to step into, but for me it’s not just about wellness; this event is more about overall wellbeing. That includes mental, emotional and physical health, as well as how we show up in our careers, relationships and daily lives. It’s a more holistic view of what it really means to feel aligned and supported. As burn out culture and finding balance has been an ongoing topic, through my own journey and what I’ve seen in so many women, there’s a growing awareness that success alone isn’t enough. Women are looking for ways to feel better, live with more intention and create balance across all areas of their lives.
While there are so many incredible digital platforms, live events offer something that simply can’t be replicated online. There’s an energy, a connection and a sense of community that happens when you’re physically in a room with like-minded people. You’re able to have real conversations, feel seen and experience things in a more authentic way. Girls Day LA is about bringing that to life in a way that feels both meaningful and experiential. It’s not just about consuming content; it’s about feeling it, connecting through it, and leaving with a sense of clarity, support and real momentum moving forward.
MADDY: For a first-year event, success can mean many things. How will you personally measure whether Girls Day LA achieved its mission, and how do you envision this platform evolving over the next few years — both in scale and impact?
KELLY: Launching a new event always comes with a level of risk and courage, and I’m incredibly proud to bring this inaugural event to life. There’s already been so much learning in the process, which I know will be invaluable as I think about the future of this platform. Of course, attendance is one measure of success, but for me, it goes much deeper than that. Success is about the value each woman feels she received from the experience. That’s how I’ll truly measure impact.
This first event is about proving the concept and understanding what resonates most. It gives me the opportunity to refine the format, the programming and the overall experience in a thoughtful way. Looking ahead, I do see this evolving into a series that expands into other cities, but in a very intentional way. I want to keep it intimate, focused on depth over scale, with hundreds of women rather than thousands. It’s a different model from what I’ve done in the past, and I’m embracing that shift as I continue to learn, refine and grow the brand.
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