Inaugural Women’s Business and Leadership Conference a great opportunity for local businesswomen

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Women entrepreneurs in Gainesville and North Florida will have an opportunity to gain valuable lessons from several successful businesswomen and take advantage of unique networking opportunities at the inaugural Women’s Business + Leadership Conference this fall.

The conference, sponsored by the University of Florida’s Small Business and Vendor Diversity Relations Office, will be held Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Rion Ballroom at the J. Wayne Reitz Union.

The conference is designed to connect, educate and inspire women entrepreneurs to help their businesses reach their full potential. Attendees will also learn about current opportunities at UF and other organizations.

“We have a lot of wonderful women entrepreneurs in the Gainesville and North Florida area, and we hope this conference will help establish valuable connections within the business community and help women entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level,” said Kathey Porter, director of UF’s Small Business and Vendor Diversity Relations. “Also, we are excited to partner with Innovation Hub, which is doing amazing things to connect women to opportunities in technology and innovation.”

The keynote speaker will be Robin Fisher Roffer, founder and CEO of Big Fish Marketing Inc. Roffer is one of the country’s top brand strategists and has helped guide CNN, HBO, MTV, NBC Universal, Food Network, Fox, Warner Bros., Verizon, Animal Planet, Comedy Central and many more through successful branding initiatives over the course of her career.

Other speakers include Karima Mariama-Arthur, founder and CEO of WordSmith Rapport, who specializes in professional development and elevating executive brands; Michele Gilliam Morrissey, founder and CEO of Lucidity LLC, who teaches clients communications techniques and strategies for success; and Jennifer Ransaw Smith, founder and CEO of Brand id / Strategic Partners, a full-service personal branding agency.

Porter said the high caliber of speakers and networking opportunities make this conference one of the best business and leadership events in the state.

“I hope our local women entrepreneurs really take advantage of this great opportunity,” she said.

For information and to register, click here.