Conference shows women options truly are unlimited
| Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:54 PM
Last Updated Monday, Mar 30 2009 04:22 PM
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Women check out the trade show portion at a past Bakersfield Women's Business Conference.
Options Unlimited, The Bakersfield Women’s Business Conference turns 20 this year. And while a lot of things have changed in that time, the goals of the conference have not.
Women leave the conference feeling empowered — to explore every option available to them, whether it’s changing careers, returning to school, starting a business or making major decisions in their personal lives.
“Each year, this conference provides a real shot in the arm for the women who attend,” says Colleen Bauer, the 2009 conference chairwoman. “There isn’t a woman who attends the conference that doesn’t leave with a sense of accomplishment or empowerment.”
The conference began in 1989, when Phyllis Hullett, director of student services at Bakersfield College, gathered a group of community-minded women to begin organizing a business conference like many Hullett had seen around the state. Working together, under the guidance of Hullett and Junior League’s Co-Chairwoman Cynthia Icardo, they produced the first conference in 1990 drawing an overflow crowd, literally.
“We hoped to have 500 women attend that first conference,” says Cindy Pollard, one of the founding members of the conference and chairwoman of the 1995 conference. “That would have spelled success for us. Instead we had 729 women crowd the Red Lion Inn and you can imagine the toll that took on plumbing.”
Encouraged by the Kern County Fire Department and bolstered by the high attendance, the organizers moved the conference to the Convention Center and the rest is history.
This year’s conference will offer 39 educational sessions, focusing on developing new areas of expertise, communicating up and down the organization, identifying your strengths and enriching your quality of life. A career information center will provide the latest information on the labor market, interview techniques, resume preparation and other tips on how to land and keep a job.
Comedienne and talk show host Vicki Lawrence will be the luncheon keynote speaker reminding attendees that “Life’s Too Serious to Be Taken Seriously.”
Motivational Speaker Colette Carlson will open the day with a laugh-out-loud look at “The Truth About Balance: How to Achieve the Unexpected” and Kelly Swanson will close the day by helping folks see beyond obstacles and answering the question, “Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale?”
The conference will be held Thursday, April 23, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Rabobank Arena and Convention Center and Marriott Hotel. Registration is $90, if postmarked by April 11. For information or to register, log on to www.optionsunlimitedbakersfield.org.
