The 3rd annual Hub City Tattoo Expo opened Friday at the Moncton Coliseum.

Event organizer Melissa Dawe got her first tattoo 19 years ago. She says public perception of body art has changed a great deal since then.

“Back in the day, we would go into a restaurant and they'd take us and put us in the back corner and people would look at us and stare at us and things like that. Now, you walk down the street, bankers have them, mothers have them, soccer moms, hockey moms, Older ladies, grandmothers have them,” says Dawe.

Those attending the expo can get inked from a choice of 68 different artists.

Tattoo artist Joel LeBlanc has been helping people from all walks of life with body art for six years.

“I tattoo dentists, doctors, policemen, all types of people,” says LeBlanc. “People just started to kind of like the fact that you can decorate yourself and it doesn't mean you are a criminal, doesn't mean you are a bad person.”

Emily Marcil attended the expo to get her 3rd tattoo. Her first two are on her back, so getting ink on her arm is a new experience. She chose to get a tattoo of a flower found on her favourite album cover.

Marcil says her new ink is all about renewal.

“I've actually been going through a really rough time lately, so I thought I'd (give) a treat to myself I guess. I thought I'd get a tattoo,” says Marcil.

The expo is more than tattoos – there are also 11 vendors this year, including Josh Hogan who is with a Halifax-based beard oil company.

“There is a lot of fantastic beards here,” says Hogan. “I do have a few tattoos and figured it would be a great spot to set up shop and just talk about men’s health and beard care.”

The Hub City Tattoo Expo runs through Sunday.

With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell