- WPO South Africa
WPO 21st Annual Conference
Updated: Aug 19, 2018

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
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

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