2015 Agenda

Expert Exchange sessions provide attendees with the opportunity to gather with peers in a smaller setting to learn from experts. These sessions are discussions focused on sharing best practices and lessons learned around career or personal development topics. In addition to valuable knowledge sharing, they provide a great peer networking opportunity. Expert exchange sessions are designed to be intimate; therefore, capacity will not exceed 250 participants. Seating is first-come, first-served, and doors will close once we reach capacity.

The Objective Leader: How to Leverage the Power of Seeing Things As They Are

We are all subjective—it’s human nature. We overreact to situations; we judge people too quickly and unfairly; we take something personally when it was not really meant that way. As a result, we lose relationships, reputation, money, and peace of mind. And in our ever-more-complex world, leaders must make decisions faster and with more conflicting information; widespread insecurity makes people territorial and risk-averse; and the consequences of every action are played out on a disproportionately large stage.  To succeed, we must consciously seek to increase our objectivity—seeing and accepting things as they are without projecting our mental models, fears, background, and personal experiences onto them In this session, Elizabeth Thornton will share her research and offer proven strategies for identifying limiting and unproductive ways of thinking and creating powerful new mental models that ensure continued success.

Speaker: Elizabeth Thornton, author, The Objective Leader

Millennials: How to Mentor and Communicate with Your Newest Employees

As digital natives, Millennials have grown up with instant feedback and access to information. As employees, they are ambitious and hungry for success and open communication is key to this success.  Whether you are a Millennial looking to succeed in the workforce or a manager determined to hold onto these exceptional employees, this session will help you learn the expectations of each other, communication styles and how regular feedback plays a role in the success of these working relationships.

Speaker: Anna Carroll, author, The Feedback Imperative

Maximizing Your Career in a Virtual Environment

Mobility has changed the way we interact and grow especially in the workplace.  In a world where everyone is always connected, how do you leverage technology to maximize your career?  How do you build out your online community?  How do you maintain work/life balance?  In this Expert Exchange, attendees will learn how to gain exposure, visibility, and succeed in a virtual workplace.  Speakers will share their experiences as they have watched the workplace evolve and the tools they used to transition to the global online work environment.

Moderator: Dianne Hirsch, director of product marketing, Cisco

Panelists:
Mike Flannagan, VP, data and analytics, Cisco
Faisal Hanafi, VP, services, Cisco Chris Hurst, VP, global strategy and planning, Cisco
Gayle Morris, VP, Americas global customer success, Cisco Max Tremp, director, systems engineering, Cisco

Navigating the Brave New World of Media: Strategies for Getting your Message Out Through Traditional and New Media

News veterans Leslie Rhode and Judy Maggio will share tips and suggestions for getting the attention of overworked and overwhelmed media professionals. Whether you are in the for-profit world trying to maximize exposure, an entrepreneur trying to secure press or spearheading a cause in the non-profit arena, this session will offer something for everyone. Attendees will learn specific do’s and don’ts and explore how new mediums in the digital space (i.e., Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, email) are changing the way media is covered and how you can be heard.

Speakers: Leslie Rhode and Judy Maggio, journalists and communications consultants

Building Your Personal Brand

No matter whether you are looking for a job, starting a business or gainfully employed, your personal brand is crucial to your success as it reveals who you are and what you want to be known for. Popular lifestyle blogger Camille Styles will share her branding strategies and disclose how she took her business from a local company to a lifestyle and entertaining enterprise that bears her name and has become a resource for people around the globe.  You will walk away from this session feeling inspired to enhance how you present yourself and subsequently, leverage your professional reputation and career.

Speaker: Camille Styles, lifestyle blogger, event stylist and author, Camille Styles Entertaining

Spiraling Upward: The 5 Co-Creative Powers for Women on the Rise

The linear, heads-down, forward-at-all-cost approach to success that has been forged by men doesn’t work for many women. But until now there hasn’t been another choice. Wendy Wallbirdge’s approach to success offers a cogent, step-by-step roadmap for professional women to unlock their power and achieve success on their own terms. The “Spiral Up” method teaches women to cultivate the five co-creative powers of energy, thoughts, feelings, speech, and action—the fundamentals of self-creation—in order to redefine success and re-author their lives. Get ready to rise up and express your creativity, authenticity, voice and power to effect the changes you want!

Speaker: Wendy Wallbridge, author, Spiraling Upward

Gender Awareness is Not Just Women’s Work: It Takes All of Us

Companies that value the unique contributions of women and men in the workplace are more collaborative, innovative and competitive. But in order for an organization to leverage everyone’s strengths, it is critical that both men and women are on board with a gender awareness initiative. Top executives will share their company’s initiative to actively empower women, engage men and enhance the success of the company through greater gender awareness and collaboration. This session will outline the approach companies can take—from enlisting senior leaders to conducting listening sessions with men and women. Early findings from these initiatives will be shared, the objective being to stimulate discussion among participants about their own challenges and opportunities to fully engage talented women in their organizations.  

Moderator:  Josh Levs, CNN correspondent, paternal leave advocate, author, All In: How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dads, Families, and Businesses—and How We Can Fix It Together

Speakers:
Dawn Frazier-Bohnert, VP and chief diversity & inclusion officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group
Greg Gale, director of diversity & inclusion, Liberty Mutual Insurance Group

Women & Wealth: Establishing a Game Plan that Aligns with What You Value Most

You’re in charge of many things, including your financial future.  Your financial success is woven into a larger story:  a unique web of circumstances, responsibilities and goals.  In the “Women and Wealth” Expert Exchange, we’ll discuss managing for what you value most.  This dialogue will provide you with some actionable insights on why financial planning is so critical for women.

Speakers:
Stephanie Roberts, VP & branch manager, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Lee K. Meeks, vice president, financial advisor, Morgan Stanley

Led by an expert facilitator, roundtables offer an informal and intimate setting to share best practices around a focused and specific social media topic. Roundtables are discussion-based and will not feature a formal presentation. We encourage attendees to come with questions. Each roundtable will be offered a total of three times to allow attendees the opportunity to participate in multiple discussions on different topics.

Roundtables will take place at the following times within the Pavilion area:

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm;
3:35 pm – 4:05 pm;
4:10 pm – 4:40 pm

Roundtable 1: Who Gives a Tweet?

This discussion will explore why and how Twitter is relevant for everyone and every business. Whether you are new to Twitter or have some experience but want to take it further, attendees will learn how to make Twitter more rewarding. Best practices will be shared for increasing and influencing your followers to align with your objectives and goals. Be sure to bring your smartphone so you can practice and tweet live.

Speaker: Stephanie Carls, digital lifestyle & branding expert, My Savvy Life

Roundtable 2: Successful Facebook Marketing Tips

Facebook is a great way to connect with friends old and new, but it also can be utilized way beyond sharing posts about your kids and what you had for dinner. Facebook can be used as a powerful resource to market yourself and your business. Attend this interactive discussion to learn how to: join groups that fit with your likes and career; participate in conversations; create a group that fits the target audience you want to reach and valuable tips for searching for connections to market your skills and your business.

Speaker: Heidi Gollub, founder & editor, Free Fun in Austin

Roundtable 3: Instagram: Creating a Powerful Story

As of July 2015, there are over 300 million monthly active users on Instagram and 75 million people use the app every day. Find out the basics of this image based social network and learn how you can use it to connect and engage personally and professionally. Whether you are corporate, small business or a non-profit, you will leave inspired with ideas on how to propel your work forward. Be sure to bring your smartphone and be ready to dive in!

Speaker: Jane Ko, editor in chief, A Taste of Koko

Roundtable 4: Beyond LinkedIn

Most people turn to LinkedIn as their number one resource when conducting a job search online, but if you are not a guru on this platform, it can be challenging.  Rather than add one more site to your list, you can utilize the social media tools that you already use daily to help you with your search.  From Facebook and Twitter to local bloggers, there are numerous ways to maximize your search efforts and Lani Rosales, a social media and networking expert, will share her top tips to help you understand which tools are available to meet your job search needs.

Speaker: Lani Rosales, COO, TheAmericanGenius.com and TheRealDaily.com

Roundtable 5: Communicating Your Brand Through Social Media

Online marketing content needs to be exactly as short or long as needed to include everything you and your readers need to know, and not one word or minute more or less and published where you will gain maximum exposure and interaction with potential customers as often as your audience will tolerate and you can consistently sustain. This session covers the HOW to accomplish all of this. Together we will cover: Content length; Content format; and Content publishing platforms.

Speaker: Deana Saukam, co-owner & media director, qui and East Side King

Roundtable 6: Social Media 101

Are you new to the social media space and not sure how and where to get started? Attend this roundtable to learn the basics and embark on your journey to becoming more socially savvy. We will explore how you can be more comfortable joining the conversation in the digital age. You will learn about the basics, and leave with some simple – and fun –tools and tactics to help you better navigate and communicate in the online world. From Twitter, to Instagram, to Pinterest and Facebook you will be ready to tackle the social media world!

Speaker: Mary Anne Connolly, founder, MACMedia

Roundtable 7: How to Maximize your Blog’s Reach

Blogging gives you a platform to present your voice to the world — attend this roundtable and learn how to find your voice! Attendees will learn the basic tools you need to get started and learn how to build traffic and attract readers. Together you will explore tips for maximizing your blog’s reach to help you build your business or charity and spread the word.

Speaker: Melanie Mendez Gonzales, creator, ¿Qué Means What? & co-director, San Antonio Chapter, LATISM

Roundtable 8: Advanced Social Media Marketing

If you’ve established social media profiles, gained followers, and have the basics for content testing covered, then you’re ready to move on to more advanced social media marketing tactics. Attend this roundtable for tips and strategies to continue building your social media marketing skills. You will learn strategies for social media advertising, lead generation, reaching current customers through social media, advanced content testing leveraging analytics and integrating social media into your other marketing efforts. 

Speaker: Jennifer Stafford, social media manager, HomeAway.com

Led by an expert facilitator, roundtables offer an informal and intimate setting to share best practices around focused and specific topics within the small business and entrepreneurial space. Roundtables are discussion based and will not feature a formal presentation. We encourage attendees to come with questions. Each roundtable will be offered a total of three times to allow attendees the opportunity to participate in multiple discussions on different topics.

Roundtables will take place at the following times:

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm;
3:35 pm – 4:05 pm;
4:10 pm – 4:40 pm

Roundtable 1: Developing a Strong Pipeline of Clients and Customers

You need to differentiate yourself from the competition and often the only way to do so is to develop a strong relationship with the buyer. Rivet’s award-winning vice president of sales and services, Dianna Koltz will share her insights into how to develop those relationships, make sure their needs come first and then maintain that strong connection so that your clients and customers don’t hesitate to recommend you and use your services again. Attendees will learn how to craft your elevator pitch, improve your networking skills and enhance your list-building secrets.

Speaker: Dianna Koltz, VP, sales & services, Rivet Technologies

Roundtable 2: How To Tell Your Story

How often do others ask what you do? Do you stumble when answering? Do you wish you knew exactly what to say? You never know who is going to ask and if that person could be your next investor or customer. Attend this roundtable to learn how to craft a compelling, concise and effective message about who you are and what you do — whether it’s writing an e-mail or speaking to someone face-to-face. Walk away with practical tips and newfound confidence to communicate with potential clients, colleagues, partners or anyone whom you want to impress. Take your business to the next level!

Speaker: Jen Ostrich, leadership coach & brand consultant

Roundtable 3: Small Business Marketing Strategies

Small business owners are consumed by the business of their businesses, with little time, money or expertise to devote to marketing. Just because you build a better mousetrap doesn’t mean the world will beat a path to your door. So, how do you get started? Attend this roundtable and learn if the biggest bang for your buck is social media, guerilla marketing or something else altogether. You will learn not only which tool to use for your business but how to know what’s working.

Speaker: Psyche Terry, founder, Urban Intimates

Roundtable 4: Business Plan: A Roadmap to Success

Businesses don’t plan to fail; they just fail to plan. For an aspiring entrepreneur, the business plan helps you determine if you have a viable business idea. For an existing business, it provides you, your staff and key stakeholders with your roadmap for success. This roundtable will help you to define your business, identify your customers, understand your financing needs and decide where and how you will operate. You will learn the basic outline of the contents of a business plan.

Speaker: Martha Pincoffs, founder, HotDang

Roundtable 5: Raising Capital

Launching a business offers many challenges, but raising capital can often be the most daunting and intimidating challenge of all. It can make the difference between your idea taking off or never going anywhere.  In this session, learn how entrepreneurs can identify different sources of funding to find the one that is most compatible with their business’s needs, and then go out and make it happen.

Speaker: Kim Gorsuch, founder, Weeva

Roundtable 6: Taking Your Idea from Concept to Market

How do you turn your concept or idea into a business or brand that is ready to command market share? In this roundtable discussion, learn from a marketing and branding maven who has successfully brought various brands and products to market. Learn what it takes to compete in a discount-obsessed market and create the brand loyalty you need to capture market share fueled with actionable takeaways.

Speaker: Magatte Wade, founder, Tiossano

Roundtable 7: Managing Your Growth

Your business or nonprofit is up and running and now the next step is managing your growth. No matter your industry or product, small businesses experience common problems arising at similar stages in their development. Knowing what is coming down the pipe will not only help you with your planning, but also can help you assess and make decisions on current growth challenges. From cash flow and staff decisions to upgrading your technology, learn how to anticipate the next stage in your business so you can successfully manage your growth.

Speaker: Karyn Scott, founder, Kids in a New Groove (KING)

Roundtable 8: Transitioning to a Small Business Owner

Starting your own business is a tough decision. Melinda Hansen-Perry made the transition from a U.S. Navy Veteran to a successful entrepreneur and now a senior leader at Mary Kay and will offer her advice to better help you evaluate the decision to start your own business. Attend this roundtable to learn about the successes and challenges along the way, her motivations and obstacles and advice she wished she had known before starting her own business. Bring your questions!

Speaker: Melinda Hansen-Perry, senior developer, strategic sales education, Mary Kay Inc.

Roundtable 9: How to Make Your Brand Work For You

Small business owners are often consumed by the business of their businesses, with little time, money or expertise to devote to branding. But, whether you’ve defined it or not, your business already has a brand and your job is to make it work for you. Join Lauren Zirilli, brand strategy expert, to learn how to define what’s most powerful about your brand and how it can work harder for you. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn which best practices and tools to use for your business, so that you know how to make your business—and your brand—the best it can be.

Speaker: Lauren Zirilli, director, brand strategy, Vistaprint

Take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity to get one-on-one advice from some of Austin’s leading women by asking a question about your career and community. Local Leaders will be available to meet in the exhibit hall within the community corner during designated networking breaks. You do not need to sign up in advance – first-come-first served and we have plenty of time to get your questions answered!

12:30 – 1:00pm:

1. Mary Anne Connolly, founder, MACMedia
2. Kim Gorsuch, founder, Weeva
3. Karyn Scott, founder, Kids in a New Groove (KING)
4. Magatte Wade, founder, Tiossano

3:00 – 3:30pm:

1. Stephanie Douglass, chief brand & culture officer, director, BiGAUSTIN
2. Diana Griffin, co-founder, Girls Guild
3. Major MJ Hegar, Foreign Policy 100 Leading Global Thinker
4. Maya Payne Smart, author and journalist

3:30 – 4:00pm:

1. Kaneisha Grayson, founder, The Art of Applying
2. Tulane Holder, co-founder & executive director, San Antonio Branch and co-founder, The Truth Heals
3. Marissa Vogel, executive director, Little Helping Hands
4. Tanya White, VP marketing, Innography and founder, Baby Bird Guides

Check back closer to the conference date for a final schedule and additional participants.

Come by and listen throughout the afternoon in the Exhibit Hall!

12:30 – 12:50 pm: Britny Lobas

2:45 – 3:05 pm: Drew Davis

3:15 – 3:35 pm: Taylor Baker

3:45 – 4:05 pm: Candice Sanders

4:15 – 4:35 pm: Dre Mazzenga