WPO 21st Annual Conference

Image: Women Presidents' Organization

The Women Presidents’ Organization 21st Annual Conference will be held from Wednesday, May 2nd – Friday, May 4th 2018 at The Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. The conference encourages WPO members to share business strategies and experience with other successful women from all over the world, as well as learn from interactive seminars and speakers. Additionally, it will provide potential members who qualify a unique opportunity to experience the impact the WPO has on women business owners professionally and personally.

2018 Program Schedule

Tuesday, May 01

08:30 – 05:00 Wells Fargo Platinum Summit (Invitation Only)

Wednesday, May 02

08:00 – 05:00 Registration

08:00 – 12:30 WPO Board of Directors Meeting

07:45 – 12:30 Chapter Chair Training

09:00 – 11:45 Corporate Focus Groups

Chubb Corporate Focus Group

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM

IBM Corporate Focus Group

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

BMO Corporate Focus Group

10:45 AM – 11:45 AM

09:00 – 10:30 Leading High Growth Businesses Reunion

Leading High Growth Businesses Reunion

Lynda Applegate, Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School

09:30 – 11:00 Pre-Conference Workshops

Women Entrepreneurs and Innovation

Clare Beckton, Founding Executive Director, Carleton University Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership

Discover how and where women entrepreneurs are innovating.

Member Speed Networking

Accelerate business contacts and exchange information with other WPO members.

11:00 – 12:30 Pre-Conference Workshops

Member Speed Networking

Accelerate business contacts and exchange information with other WPO members. 

Expanding Your Markets by Crossing Borders

Learn how exporting can help grow your business.

12:00 – 05:00 Exhibit Hall Open

01:00 – 02:00 WPO Annual Meeting (Members Only)

02:30 – 03:00 Opening Session

Special greetings from Amy Elaine Wakeland, First Lady of Los Angeles

03:00 – 04:15 Keynote Address

Designing for Disruption

 Tim Brown, CEO and President, IDEO

05:00 – 06:00 Platinum and Zenith Reception (Invitation Only)

05:00 – 06:00 New Member Orientation

05:00 – 06:00 Sponsor Hour

06:30 – 08:30 Opening Reception

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World renowned design thinker Tim Brown will share why creative competitiveness is an essential response to the threat of disruption.

Thursday, May 03

07:00 – 07:45 Morning Excercise

08:00 – 05:00 Exhibit Hall Open

08:00 – 09:00 Industry and International Tables Buffet Breakfast

09:00 – 10:15 Keynote Address

The Impact of Future Technologies

Evelyn Miralles, Business Technology Strategist and Principal Engineer, NASA Johnson Space Center

10:15 – 10:45 Break

10:45 – 12:15 Foundation of the WPO Board Meeting (Invitation Only)

10:45 – 12:15 Workshops – Morning Session

1. The Power of High Touch

Linda Clemons, CEO, Sisterpreneur® Inc. 

Master powerful body language skills to maximize your effectiveness as a business leader. 

2. Operating in a Rapidly Changing World

Kathleen Kennedy, Director of Special Projects, MIT

Discover new trends that are driving the future of work and learn how collective intelligence can advance your organization.   

3. Digital Disruption

Scott Klososky, Founder and Principle, Future Point of View

Understand how digital disruption will impact your business and learn tools to survive during this period of transformation. 

4. Social Media Success: Increase Your Reach, Results & Revenue

Mari Smith, Facebook Partner & Author

Leverage new social media strategies to generate qualified leads and increase sales. 

5. Authentic Positioning in the Age of Disruption

Ellie Victor, CEO, ZOOM Marketing

Learn how to create authentic differentiation to set your business apart from competitors.  

12:30 – 01:00 Lunch

01:00 – 02:00 50 Fastest Panel

02:00 – 02:30 Break

02:45 – 04:15 Workshops – Afternoon Session (Morning sessions presented are repeated in the afternoon)

06:30 – 10:00 Red Carpet Hollywood Party

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With over 25 years of experience in Virtual Reality, Evelyn Miralles will share insight into future technologies and the impact they will have on businesses worldwide.

Friday, May 04

08:00 – 01:00 Exhibit Hall

08:00 – 08:30 Buffet Breakfast

08:30 – 09:15 Heading to Harvard

09:15 – 09:30 “What I Learned from WPO”

09:30 – 10:45 Keynote Address

The New Rules of Trust

Rachel Botsman, Lecturer and Researcher, University of Oxford, Saïd Business School

10:30 – 11:00 Raffle and Announcement of Next Year’s Conference