Gay Lifestyles Exhibition - Revision history

LGBT-HP at 15:28, 19 July 2026

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	By 1994 the exhibition was in its third year. Writing in ''The Independent'' in November of that year, the journalist Mark Simpson cited it as evidence that style and grooming products had been marketed to gay men well before they were marketed to heterosexual ones, noting that it featured fashion shows and a range of men's products. The article in which he did so, "Here Come the Mirror Men", was the piece in which he coined the term ''metrosexual''.<ref name="simpson">Mark Simpson, "Here Come the Mirror Men", ''The Independent'', 15 November 1994.</ref>		By 1994 the exhibition was in its third year. Writing in ''The Independent'' in November of that year, the journalist Mark Simpson cited it as evidence that style and grooming products had been marketed to gay men well before they were marketed to heterosexual ones, noting that it featured fashion shows and a range of men's products. The article in which he did so, "Here Come the Mirror Men", was the piece in which he coined the term ''metrosexual''.<ref name="simpson">Mark Simpson, "Here Come the Mirror Men", ''The Independent'', 15 November 1994.</ref>

	The 1994 exhibition, branded ''Gay Lifestyles '94'', was held at the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]] on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 1994. ~~Exhibitor packs~~ were ~~issued~~ by an organiser identified in ~~advertising~~ only as CMA, ~~with~~ a telephone and fax number in the Henley-on-Thames area.<ref name="bpg">Advertisement, ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide to Gay & Lesbian London]]'', issue 4, JWH Design, 1994.</ref>		== Gay Lifestyles '94 ==
			[[File:GayLifestyles-flyerA6.jpg\|center\|thumb\|800px\|Publicity flyer for Gay Lifestyles '94, held at Earls Court on 10 and 11 December 1994. Click to enlarge.]]
			The 1994 exhibition, branded ''Gay Lifestyles '94'', was held at the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]] on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 1994 under the slogan "Experience the sights, sounds and sensations". Publicity promised more than 250 exhibitors, and set out the range of the show: hairdressing, holidays, fitness, employment, clothing, home decoration, cookery, a disco, gay videos and Christmas shopping.<ref name="flyer">''Gay Lifestyles '94'' publicity flyer, 1994.</ref>

			Admission was £6.50 for one day in advance or £7.50 on the door, and £11.50 for both days in advance or £14 on the door, with reduced rates for parties of twenty or more. Tickets were sold by credit card on a central London number and over the counter at any branch of [[Clone Zone]], then trading in London, Manchester, Blackpool and Birmingham. The organiser, identified in publicity only as CMA, operated from a telephone and fax number in the Henley-on-Thames area and also arranged a list of hotel accommodation for visitors.<ref name="flyer"/><ref name="bpg">Advertisement, ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide to Gay & Lesbian London]]'', issue 4, JWH Design, 1994.</ref>

			Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall in both 1993 and 1994. The photographer [[Stuart Linden Rhodes]] photographed the 1994 exhibition; his images show stalls including one for an HIV and AIDS charity.<ref name="linden">Stuart Linden Rhodes, Linden Archives.</ref>

	Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall in both 1993 and 1994. The photographer Stuart Linden Rhodes photographed the 1994 exhibition; his images show stalls including one for an HIV and AIDS charity.<ref name="linden">Stuart Linden Rhodes, Linden Archives.</ref>

	== References ==		== References ==

LGBT-HP at 07:00, 19 July 2026

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	The '''Gay Lifestyles Exhibition''' was a consumer exhibition for the lesbian and gay market, held ~~at the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]]~~ in London ~~in the mid 1990s~~.		The '''Gay Lifestyles Exhibition''' was an annual consumer exhibition for the lesbian and gay market, held in London from 1992.

	~~The~~ 1994 exhibition~~, branded~~ ''~~Gay Lifestyles '94~~'', ~~took place on Saturday 10~~ and ~~Sunday 11 December 1994~~. ~~Exhibitor packs were issued by an organiser identified~~ in ~~advertising only as CMA~~, ~~with a telephone and fax number~~ in the ~~Henley-on-Thames area~~.<ref name="~~bpg~~">~~Advertisement~~, ''~~[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide to Gay & Lesbian London]]~~'', ~~issue 4, JWH Design,~~ 1994.</ref>		By 1994 the exhibition was in its third year. Writing in ''The Independent'' in November of that year, the journalist Mark Simpson cited it as evidence that style and grooming products had been marketed to gay men well before they were marketed to heterosexual ones, noting that it featured fashion shows and a range of men's products. The article in which he did so, "Here Come the Mirror Men", was the piece in which he coined the term ''metrosexual''.<ref name="simpson">Mark Simpson, "Here Come the Mirror Men", ''The Independent'', 15 November 1994.</ref>

	Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall.		The 1994 exhibition, branded ''Gay Lifestyles '94'', was held at the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]] on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 1994. Exhibitor packs were issued by an organiser identified in advertising only as CMA, with a telephone and fax number in the Henley-on-Thames area.<ref name="bpg">Advertisement, ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide to Gay & Lesbian London]]'', issue 4, JWH Design, 1994.</ref>

			Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall in both 1993 and 1994. The photographer Stuart Linden Rhodes photographed the 1994 exhibition; his images show stalls including one for an HIV and AIDS charity.<ref name="linden">Stuart Linden Rhodes, Linden Archives.</ref>

	== References ==		== References ==

LGBT-HP at 06:45, 19 July 2026

2026-07-19T06:45:06Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:45, 19 July 2026
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	Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall.		Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London\|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall.

	~~<!--~~
	~~This article is a stub built almost entirely from a single advertisement and~~
	~~from personal recollection. No published account of the exhibition has been~~
	~~found: it appears in no reference work, and there is no surviving coverage~~
	~~online. Anything below should be treated as unverified until a contemporary~~
	~~source is located.~~

	~~STILL TO ESTABLISH~~
	* Who CMA were, and whether the exhibition ran in more than one year. The
	~~wiki previously recorded a 1993 exhibition, which may be a separate event or~~
	~~may be a misdating of this one.~~
	* Attendance, size, and the range of exhibitors.
	* Whether Take That performed, as recalled by a contributor. They are known to
	~~have played gay venues early in their career, but by December 1994 they were~~
	~~among the biggest acts in Britain, so an appearance at a consumer exhibition~~
	~~would be notable and needs confirming.~~

	~~WHERE TO LOOK~~
	~~Contemporary listings and reviews in Boyz, Gay Times, the Pink Paper and Capital~~
	~~Gay for November and December 1994; the Bishopsgate Institute and Hall-Carpenter~~
	~~Archives hold runs of these.~~
	~~-->~~

	== References ==		== References ==

LGBT-HP: Created page with "The '''Gay Lifestyles Exhibition''' was a consumer exhibition for the lesbian and gay market, held at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London in the mid 1990s. The 1994 exhibition, branded ''Gay Lifestyles '94'', took place on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 1994. Exhibitor packs were issued by an organiser identified in advertising only as CMA, with a telephone and fax number in the Henley-on-Thames area.Advertisement, ''Back Pocket Guide t..."

2026-07-19T06:43:38Z

Created page with "The '''Gay Lifestyles Exhibition''' was a consumer exhibition for the lesbian and gay market, held at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London in the mid 1990s. The 1994 exhibition, branded ''Gay Lifestyles '94'', took place on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 1994. Exhibitor packs were issued by an organiser identified in advertising only as CMA, with a telephone and fax number in the Henley-on-Thames area.<ref name="bpg">Advertisement, ''Back Pocket Guide t..."

New page

The '''Gay Lifestyles Exhibition''' was a consumer exhibition for the lesbian and gay market, held at the [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre]] in London in the mid 1990s.

The 1994 exhibition, branded ''Gay Lifestyles '94'', took place on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December 1994. Exhibitor packs were issued by an organiser identified in advertising only as CMA, with a telephone and fax number in the Henley-on-Thames area.<ref name="bpg">Advertisement, ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London|Back Pocket Guide to Gay & Lesbian London]]'', issue 4, JWH Design, 1994.</ref>

Exhibitors included the ''[[Back Pocket Guide to London|Back Pocket Guide]]'', the free gay street map of London, which took a stall.



== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:London]]
[[Category:Earls Court]]