SupplySide Attendee Not Aware He's Talking to Prostitute

Calling it “the best conversation of the whole show,” SupplySide attendee and ashwagandha sales executive Gary Pellingham spent three hours at a hotel bar Wednesday night pitching his ingredient to a woman who, sources confirmed, was a sex worker who had told him so four separate times.

“She was really engaged. Lots of questions about whether I was in town alone,” said Pellingham, 54, VP of Business Development for a mid-sized botanical extract supplier. “That’s a buyer who’s trying to understand the decision-making structure.”

According to witnesses, the woman, who gave her name as Destiny, made several attempts to clarify the nature of the conversation, including quoting an hourly rate, which Pellingham took as her target price per kilo.

“I told her we could work with that if she committed to a pallet,” said Pellingham. “She said she didn’t need a pallet, just a room number. I said, great, so you’ve already got warehouse space. That’s a sophisticated buyer.”

Bartender Luis Arredondo, who has worked the hotel during the show for nine years, said the scene was not unusual. “Every year, at least one guy pitches a certificate of analysis to a woman who is clearly at work,” he said. “She was patient. Honestly, she was more professional than half the booth staff.”

By the end of the evening, Destiny had left to meet a client, and Pellingham had entered her into his CRM as a “warm lead, very flexible on terms.”

At press time, Pellingham had sent a follow-up email to her personal number that read, “Great connecting! Circling back on samples.”