WithIt Sets New Record for Conference Attendance

July 25, 2018  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

The record number of attendees included retailers, designers, manufacturers, service providers and student scholarship recipients. The theme “Leading with Influence” was conveyed throughout the conference’s program.

“On behalf of the organization and its many volunteers, we were delighted to have set a new record for Conference attendance and to have delivered such high caliber content to the attendees,” said Amy Van Dorp, managing director of WithIt.

“We are thrilled with the results of this conference,” said Lorri Kelley, vp and conference chair for 2018. “The theme that we selected was very intentional, as we are passionate about creating women leaders who can feel confident about their capabilities and contributions in all they do each and every day. The feedback that we received from those who attended confirms that we were able to accomplish our goal of a successful and motivational conference, and we are very proud of that!”

Pre-conference workshops included an executive forum and a City of Hope workshop on women’s health and wellness.  Both initiatives are new endeavors and partnerships for WithIt and support its mission to learn, grow and lead. 

A women executives forum was held prior to conference for presidents and COO women in the industry designed to provide an opportunity for shared learning and networking at the highest level of leadership.

The women’s health workshop led by Dr. Laura Kruper, surgical oncologist and co-director of the women’s breast program at City of Hope drew many attendees to learn about a variety of women’s health topics and the work that City of Hope is doing.

“It was my pleasure to speak on one of City of Hope’s missions to advance the treatment of breast cancer as it relates to the newest therapies and most up-to-date surgical techniques with the top women in the furniture industry,” said Kruper “It is always powerful when like-minded women unite to share ideas and this conference was nothing short of incredible.”

The programming lineup was designed to educate and empower attendees from all levels and facets in our industry. Topics throughout the conference included SheQ – Leading with Emotional Intelligence by acclaimed speaker, author and business coach Jen Shirkani, Creating your Competitive Advantage with returning speaker and nationally recognized sales leader, Lynne Jensen-Nelson, Tallia Deljou, president and co-founder of Mavenly + Co, Negotiating with Influence and Elevating your Presence When Presenting and Speaking. 

John Conrad, executive director of ASFD attended and shared, “I found WithIt’s ‘Leading with Influence Conference’ provided me great networking opportunities and much food for thought- they were all great sessions!”

Breakout sessions were held on a variety of topics like Professionalism and Promoting a Positive Workplace,Crafting your Social Media Strategy, Success & Implementing Meaningful Goals, Keeping your Brand Relevant, Best Practices for Hiring & Training, and Creating the Career you Want.

According to WithIt, attendees agreed that the conference exceeded their expectations.  Alexis Anderson of Dufresne Group stated that

“This was my second year attending the WithIt conference. I came back because of the countless benefits -  from developing relationships to learning powerful business skills and tips from the talented speakers,” said Alexis Anderson of Dufresne Group. “To top it all off, it is a lot of fun. I cherish the relationships I have built with the WithIt women and am fortunate to work for a company that invests in my career.”

This year’s conference sessions will be available in video format for all WithIt members in the new learning library on WithIt’s website, www.withit.org, thanks to sponsorship from The Crypton Companies. This new membership benefit provides year round access to valuable educational content. 

WithIt’s 2019 Professional Conference date and location will be announced later this year.

The mission of WithIt, and the non-profit organization that produces the conference, is to encourage and develop leadership, mentoring, education and networking opportunities for professional women in the home and furnishings industries.