09/22/2026
I really wanted to love Create & Cultivate.
I paid over $1000 Canadian for a ticket and $1500 to fly from Toronto to Los Angeles. I extended my trip an extra day and changed my plans because Cardi B was scheduled for Monday.
By the time you add flights, hotel, transportation, tickets, food and everything else, I spent close to $5,000 on this experience because I genuinely believed I was investing in myself, my business and an opportunity to learn and connect.
I’ve followed Create & Cultivate since the beginning, which is probably why this was so disappointing.
With roughly 4,000 attendees, it felt overcrowded and operationally underprepared for the number of people who showed up. I spoke with attendee after attendee who was frustrated.
People were waiting in extremely long lines, struggling to access experiences and questioning whether the event had simply been oversold.
For me, there was another layer.
I live with a neurological migraine disorder and I am still recovering from Bell’s palsy. Much of the programming and networking was outdoors in intense heat. There was very little access to quiet, cool spaces where someone could regulate, rest and then return to the event.
Because of the heat, I missed networking meetings I had planned. I missed outdoor panels I genuinely wanted to attended, I was so sick I had to leave at 2pm yesterday and didn’t even see Cardi B. These were some of the biggest reasons I travelled across the continent to be there.
When you are hosting thousands of people outside, shade, hydration, food availability, sunscreen, cooling areas and accessible quiet spaces are not extras. They are part of taking care of the people who paid to be there.
They really missed the mark with first experience and I hope more share their stories.
