By Denise Ortuno Neil
Diana Marlo, marketing and public relations extraordinaire, recently pulled off another successful event- The Desert Woman’s Show. As the creator of the event she has brought together women and businesses for dynamic days of shopping, entertainment, information and empowerment.
And in the week prior to that event she pulled double duty by putting together the fabulous “Back to the Desert” party for Desert European Motorcars, Indigo Auto Group. This year was the largest yet, entertaining over 1800 guests with an exciting live production throughout the ten acre campus.
Diana Marlo is no stranger to the Coachella Valley. Originally from Ontario, Canada, Marlo was a snowbird before making the desert her permanent home 10 years ago. She was going through a period of transition in her life when she moved to the desert, and after taking some time to reflect, she took her expansive experience in marketing and public relations over to BMW of Palm Springs and started to work in that capacity for them.
Marlo has had a successful career in marketing and public relations for decades, working for IBM as a corporate trainer across Canada. She currently is the Marketing Director at Desert European Motorcars in Rancho Mirage.
She started doing Women’s Shows back in Canada 25 years ago. She was living in a small town and noticed that there wasn’t an event just geared towards women where they could socialize, expand their knowledge and have fun all under one roof. So she decided to do something about it and started one. The shows became successful, bringing together women and businesses for a time of shopping, learning and inspiration.
Marlo brought her Woman’s Show concept to the desert 6 years ago. This year Marlo Productions held the 6th annual Desert Woman’s Show and Business Conference on November 17th and 18th at the Aqua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage. The event had over 75 vendors, Fashion Shows and an exciting array of exhibits, seminars, food and wine, shopping and speakers including healthy living and age defying celebrity Suzanne Somers and Nutrition and Fitness Expert Author, JJ Virgin among others. The event also had entertainment, the Eagles Tribute Band, Desperado, which benefitted Loving All Animals, a local animal rescue charity.
Marlo’s production is quite a feat to put together and takes many talented individuals to do so, including her daughter Carissa who started assisting her mother in producing the show as an intern while she was attending Arizona State University and continues to manage the show today. “She still works the show while having a full time job, we all do,” says Marlo.
Marlo has three children; her daughter Carissa, 25, and her two sons, Nigel, 33, and Marek, 28, who both live in Vancouver. During her down time, when she finds some, she enjoys spending time with her pets which include horses and dogs, but mainly revels in helping the community and working with charities, “It’s a passion of mine, I’m not a TV watcher or a sit around,” she said. “I see this sort of contribution as my hobby.”
Marlo’s future goals include watching her Desert Woman Show expand. “If I could I would just do the show fulltime, that’s how much I love doing it.” she said. For Marlo it’s about getting to know her community and the outstanding women in it. “My most treasured female relationships have come out of participating in this event,” she said. She learns about her shows by the feedback that she gets back from the community, delighting in the fact that so many women enjoy it and how they are able to cultivate new and existing relationships with likeminded women. “The show is really about the valley,” states Marlo.
With her dedication to promoting the Coachella Valley with a focus on inspiring women, Marlo is a true benefit to our desert. She sees the desert as an all-encompassing area, providing all of us, men and women alike with a plethora of services ranging from business networking to entertainment and education. As Marlo said, “The message is really that everything you need is available in this valley, it’s all here!”
For more information about the Desert Woman’s Show visit www.desertwomansshow.com
