The World of Girl – Girltopia

Not long after we returned from a very successful East Coast trip, our Celestron on-the-go team was once again busily preparing and staging products for the next big show. What a busy travel month October has been! This time we found ourselves back on the West Coast to attend The World of Girl - Girltopia! Hosted by the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, this daylong expo took place in the heart of downtown Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center on October 29, 2011. Girltopia encouraged thousands of girls of all ages and backgrounds to explore more, be inspired, develop leadership skills, grow and learn from a variety of interactive activities but most importantly, have fun!.  There were hundreds of exhibits, musical entertainers, speakers, workshops and diverse "Villages" with themes centered on Arts and Culture, Business Smarts, Environment and Outdoor Adventure, Wellness and Healthy Living, Science/Technology/Engineering/Math (STEM) and more. In addition, Girltopia beganthe Girl Scouts' pre-100th Anniversary celebration!

Celestron's Marketing Coordinator, Yasmine Rios and I, Marketing Communications Coordinator, Kevin Kawai, enthusiastically took on the roles as company Ambassadors. The Celestron booth was located in the (STEM) themed Discoverdale Village, along with other technology based companies and organizations. Throughout the day, wave after wave of Girl Scout Troops, their Leaders, as well as parents stopped by our booth to engage themselves with a multitude of digital microscopes, magnifying glasses and telescopes. Who knew using these optical devices could be so much fun yet educational at the same time? Everyone kept themselves quite entertained while they examined everything from currency, fabrics, feathers, glitter, insects, meteorites and even a big creepy spider! Others discovered additional ways to use our handheld microscopes as they explored each other's hands, hair and even teeth! At the side of our booth, we lined up several telescopes to view signs and objects near the main stage area. Naturally, everyone was hoping to observe real celestial objects rather than indoor objects. Perhaps next time we will be able to incorporate daytime and evening stargazing into the program? 

At the conclusion of Girltopia, we raffled off several fantastic prizes including Traveler 10x25 and 10x26 Binoculars, an Electric Zoom Spotting Scope, a Handheld Digital and Optical Microscope and a Limited Edition Anniversary FirstScope. Many of the prizes were won by Girl Scout members, so you can imagine all the big smiles on their faces! The FirstScope was won by a very grateful Scout Leader, who informed us that he was actually looking into purchasing a telescope.  Now that he won a telescope, he will be putting the scope to good use at both his Boy and Girl Scout Troop's campouts. We couldn't be more thrilled for all the kids. Girltopia was yet another colossal event which Celestron has attended in recent times, and we will continue on our quest to further strengthen ties and make a profound impact in the educational markets.  We took great satisfaction knowing our products are helping to engage and influence a new