Tech City

Louisville’s very own Women in Technology Conference (WIT) took place December 4th of 2019. A combination of bright, successful industry speakers, booth representation from local tech companies, and breakout sessions oriented towards 2019’s themes, the conference exceeded expectations.

Attended by our Vice President, Amanda Vespasiano, the Women in Technology Louisville Conference brought out the absolute best. It did so by forging community and camaraderie among females in the Louisville tech sphere while bridging any informational gaps via subject matter expertise. With the goal of encouraging women to gravitate toward tech professions, it prioritized professional development and networking.

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Given that each attendee mapped out their experience by selecting their breakout sessions, our VP chose breakouts related to Google Cloud machine learning, MS Office 365 collaboration strategies, and cybersecurity. However, it was well beyond the skillset-directed learning that was impactful.

#seeyouatwit

From the standpoint of a first-time attendee, the resonation was felt around motivational and inspirational advices. Phrases such as, “Busy doesn’t get you a seat at the table,” from Elizabeth Bierbower guided reflection on how to effectively reach professional goals and growth. After all, it’s about strategic thinking rather than execution alone. This means that being busy doesn’t cut it. In fact, from Elizabeth’s perspective (and as highlighted in her book, Busy Bee, Queen Bee), it’s by cutting out the non-essentials and more purposefully investing your free time that you get ahead. Her concept of ‘Return on Meaning’ ensures you not only re-energize, but also best invest in yourself.

Dana Bowers of Venminder complimented the former Keynote session by guiding attendees on how to succeed in the technology industry. Ultimately, the key is innovation – to transform a challenge into an effective solution. Per Dana’s guidance, take a cumbersome and time-intensive process and “change it so your customer can’t imagine going back to their old way.” Of option is to make it easier, make it faster, create value, or do it better – and of notable example was the VenMo experience.

Sara Potecha, a leader in change management and author of West Point Woman, commanded a closing Keynote. Her guidance to “Do it afraid” and to “Stay relevant by fighting stagnation” remind us that continuous goal setting help fight the desire for inaction. Ultimately, it’s through the above that we conquer our self-limiting thoughts and find the best version of ourselves.

Looking Ahead

Hosted by Shannon Fehr of Fehr Event Group (Shannon is the original organizer), the Women In Technology Conference has grown tremendously in attendance. In fact, this iteration saw 500+ folks attend. In addition, the conference hosted over 30 female high school and college students intrigued by STEM and sponsored a 2020 mentorship program for early-to-mid career women. Spoiler alert: Amanda is excitedly serving as a mentee in this program!

The fourth WITLOU Conference is December 9^th, 2020. While the location is TBD, the location is likely the Galt House (2019’s location) or the Marriott. Though the landscape and speaker lineup for 2020 are pending finalization, we have no doubt this upcoming event will mirror the exceptional impact of 2019’s event. 

We hope to connect with you there!

This post is written exclusively from the perspective of Amanda Vespasiano, Vice President of VesCo Solutions and WIT Conference attendee.