McLean County Chamber Hosts First Women in Business Conference

The McLean County Chamber of Commerce held its debut event Women in Business Conference at the Parke Regency Hotel & Conference Center Bloomington congregating women entrepreneurs, business professionals and leaders in commerce for a day of networking, exchanging knowledge, and focusing on personal and professional development. Beam Philanthropy Partners presenting the event, the theme of the inaugural conference was "Navigating Change."

Besides 30 exhibitors and a large audience of 100 plus people, the event was a wonderful platform to network with peers, gather industry information, and develop skills for both personal and professional growth.

One of the main objectives of the conference was to produce a more personal and targeted networking atmosphere for women because while the Chamber has traditionally achieved success through its co-ed events, this time it sought to encourage its members to build deeper and more meaningful professional relationships.

Key Highlights:

• McLean County Chamber of Commerce held the first Women in Business Conference in Bloomington
• This conference had more than 100 participants and 30 exhibitors
• The first conference concentrated on the theme “Navigating Change,” including such topics as career change, burnout, and professional development

Madison Noble, McLean County Chamber of Commerce Manager of Marketing and Communications, said that keynote and breakout sessions were structured around conference theme with what they talked about covering from starting a new career to understanding the science behind burnout.

"Everything that we have for our keynote session, and our breakout sessions is related around that idea of navigating change. Whether that is starting a career over when you're 50, to the science behind burnout," Madison said.

In addition to their regular co-ed events, the Chamber went a step further and decided to have a Women's In Business Conference which was designed to be a nicer, less scary setting for women to meet ladies with similar interests and experiences.

One of the attendees was Denise Keske, who along with her husband, owns Fox & Hounds Hair Studio & Day Spa in Bloomington. She expressed that the reason why she came to the event was to reconnect with the business community and get a professional motivation boost.

"You see the passion in this community, and I am so wow-ed by it all the time. And it just never gets old. It's really cool," Denise said. "To be honest, it was just time to recharge my batteries. I was hibernating too long. It was time to recharge my batteries, so it came at a perfect time also."

For Denise, the conference gave her the chance to meet women who were not only ready to impart their knowledge, share stories and expose ways but also to make her feel a part of the McLean County business community.

"I always try to surround myself with strong, smart women, and I was in fact raised by a strong, smart woman," she said. "When I heard about this conference, it seemed like some place I really wanted to be and a group I wanted to be a part of."

This gathering was accessible for Chamber members and non-members alike. Noble mentioned that the Chamber aims for the Women in Business Conference to be a recurring event, thus allowing more women entrepreneurs and executives the opportunity to take part in the upcoming editions.

"We wanted to invite community in here, because we believe that when you are surrounded by people you know and trust, it's a much better place to live, a better place to do business, and there is always success and growth from that," Madison said.