WithIt Sets Leadership Conference Agenda

May 18, 2015  by in Industry, Special Events   

The event will be held Aug. 17-19 at the Atlanta Marriott Bulkhead Hotel & Conference Center.

The conference will feature more than 20 speakers and presenters to inspire, empower and educate more than 150 attendees for three days.

Joining the lineup of speakers are: Opening speaker, Ann Omvig Maine, editor in chief of Traditional Home magazine, and Julie S. Nugent, vice president of Catalyst Research’s Center for Corporate Practice, who will address the conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18; Dr.

Sandy Jap, professor of marketing at Emory University Goizueta Business School, who will address the conference Wednesday, August 19; and Dr. Jessica Foster, senior partner and

global practice leader in executive development, RHR International LLP, who will lead an invitation-only pre-conference executive forum Monday, August 17.

“We’re honored to again be hosting what has become the home and furnishings industries’ premier forum for developing leaders. WithIt calls for all companies who believe in leadership development to join as conference sponsors and to bring their associates to the conference,” said Johanna Soto, WithIt conference chair and vice president of support services at Cory Home Delivery, a supplier in the home and furnishings marketplace. 

“We want as many women and companies as possible to participate in the WithIt Conference and be moved and inspired by the career-making conversations that take place there,” Soto said. “With its remarkable and unparalleled ability to reach women throughout all niches, positions, and locations in the home and furnishings industries, the WithIt Conference is a natural partner for forward-thinking organizations. We are thrilled to join with some of our industries’ most successful companies to empower top female talents.”

The conference theme is “The Leading Woman.” The main conference events will be a place for the conference’s conversations and career-making moments with authentic and influential voices discussing issues that maximize the competitive worth of fully developing the leadership potential of women—a critical talent pool in the home and furnishings marketplace.

Maine will speak on “Art + Commerce: Leading in the Business of Beauty, Creativity & Design.” 

Nugent will speak on “The Landscape for Women in Leadership.”

Gap will will speak on the “21st Century Competitive Advantage: Customer Service.” A published authority in the collaboration processes in supply chain and buyer supplier relationships, Jap has written in the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, and has addressed executive and management audiences in leading marketing and management forums and institutions. One of Jap’s first jobs was as a furniture salesperson. She will organize her conversation around the question: In a wide open digital world, how a brand acts and responds to consumers, and how the home and furnishings supply chain supports that, will determine profit. Can your company afford—budget, staff, and focus—to treat your customers as you’ve promised?

One-on-one career coaching sessions are available for attendees to purchase and may be scheduled throughout the conference. 

Additional conference workshops and panels will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

Several pre-conference and post-conference workshops are available and additional information is available online. 

Frinier Atleier, Brown Jordan, and Sunbrella return as sponsors of 10 top-performing female university students from across North America. BDI, American Leather, and Haverty’s return as presenting sponsors, and FurnitureDealer.net returns as a supporting sponsor. Rooms To Go joins as a new conference supporter. Additional sponsorships are available.

Early bird discounted rates have been extended through June 1. Online registration is available.