The very first Gentlemen’s Expo debuted at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from Nov 22-24th - a unique event catered to the ‘modern urban man’. Guys (and their gals) got to enjoy a show dedicated to a man’s sophistication, lifestyle, fashion and career. I think there’s definitely an untapped market when it comes to this demographic. Cultured cities like Toronto need more events like this. Crack smoking mayor aside, we’re actually a pretty chic town!

For a first-year run, the event was small but did admirably well for itself – securing some well known vendors and heavy-hitting guest speakers.

Vendor Highlights

We had fun perusing the different shops available. The first thing that caught my eye was the ‘Bullet Proof’ suit made by Garrison Bespoke, an upscale tailor shop in Toronto. Pretty badass – would never want to test it out though! We also enjoyed the big pop-up shop by Gotstyle and the tech stations by Newegg.ca. Cars, clothes, gizmos & collectibles – what every guy wants!

A good bulk of the expo was made up of food & drink. Personally, we spent a lot of our time sipping on a nice selection of Macallan Scotch. Stella however had the most popular setup as they were giving out a nice Stella Chalice for guests to keep with their beer sample.

Cooking Stage Was a Nice Touch!

For the gentlemen who enjoys the elevated palate – this was a really nice addition to the show. I know so many guys who enjoy cooking and I’m glad it’s being recognized here. Favourite highlights were Chuck Hughes making an appearance and President’s Choice Black Label teaching us how to make easy creations for entertaining.

Entertaining speakers

Probably my biggest high from the event was getting to hear from Bruce Croxon (Dragon’s Den) and Jon Jones (Light Heavyweight Champion – UFC). Todd Shapiro (formerly from 102.1 The Edge’s Dean Blundell Show) hosted and provided colour commentary for the event.

All for a Good Cause <3

Building on the Movember trend, the organizers of The Gentlemen’s Expo attempted to break the World Record for “The Largest Gathering of Men with a Moustache”. Anyone sporting a ‘Mo’ on the Sunday got free admission to the event. Unfortunately the record wasn’t broken this time around. Kudos to the show though. They made it a point to show their support in other ways like donating portions of each ticket sold to the charity.

I think this event definitely has something going for it. Let’s hope they keep the momentum and pile on the attractions for next year!

For more info on The Gentlemen’s Expo – visit gentlemensexpo.com

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