WE DID IT!! OUR FIRST W.I.T.H. CONFERENCE WAS HISTORIC

We did it! We made history. Our first Women in Tourism and Hospitality (W.I.T.H.) National Conference in San Diego was the first national live conference for women in San Diego since March 2020. And, it was a huge success! On behalf of the W.I.T.H. Board of Advisors and myself, we thank you - our industry friends and colleagues - for showing up, making history with us, and helping us to get our industry back on track meeting face to face again.

The conference started with a classy, Roaring ‘20s Welcome Reception and Casino Night.  J.Boykins serenaded us on the saxophone with live sounds of Gatsby and jazz. The night was filled with laughter, hugs, and good times among industry influentials, professional colleagues, corporate sponsors, and our industry friends!

What a wonderful celebration we had with so many ‘moments of truth”, that were shared throughout the two-day WITH conference!

We were in a “safe place” where it was okay to speak our truth and bring life to our theme “Celebrating and Empowering our Collective Voice”. And did we ever!! The voices we heard were powerful, candid, moving, and inspiring.

Opening Keynote, Julie Coker, President and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) shared the current state of San Diego’s tourism industry, and her belief that we are on the brink of a “brand new day”. She candidly shared what her personal and professional journey looked like and gave us tips and tools to help us along our own journeys. Her humor, vulnerability, and wisdom moved and inspired us and elevated us to trust the process and reach for higher heights.

The Men’s panel was incredible. These talented executive men pulled the covers back and let us see the real deal. Terri Breining used her phenomenal facilitation skills to morph the panel from a discussion into a conversation. We each learned so much in that hour about men’s thoughts and women’s thoughts on the status of and challenge for women in the workplace, how men support women and how women support men, and what we can do better collectively.

The WITH Honorees, Makeda Dread Cheatom, Jody Blackinton, Annette Gregg and Sara Arjmand, expertly led by Karima Zaki, motivated us through their stories of triumph and challenge. We are all inspired by their motto for breakthrough success and their advice for the future: reshaping our industry with a focus on service, expect change on short notice; proactively plan for shining moments; embracing equity, diversity and inclusion – we remember that “we are all one race – the human race”, quoted by Makeda.

Workshop subject matter experts gave us words of encouragement, insight, confidence, and skills for communication, living a healthy lifestyle, making the most of technology, and improving diversity - exactly what we need to propel and equip us into the coming year.

Fireside Chat - what an engaging and insightful session, ‘Making the Uncomfortable Comfortable’. This session was facilitated by Karen Johnson and moderated by Niveesha Hill. Attendees learned tips on public speaking, know their audience, do research on your topics, and always display self-respect.

Closing keynote, Annette Gregg, Sr. Vice President of Experience at Meeting Professionals International, captured the perfect message to lead us into the future, The Power of Curiosity. Annette shared how curiosity can be the key to unlocking team potential, individual growth, and our overall human connections. What a great way to end the conference, engaging our brains, and helping us build better communities and connections. START being curious - ASK more questions!

Our success would not have been possible without our sponsors and supporters. We are grateful for the financial donations of companies such as San Diego Tourism Authority, RAR Hospitality, US Bank, Spectra, Rancho La Puerta, Viejas Casino and Resorts, Options for All, Union Bank, California Hotel Motel Association, Davidson Hotels and Resorts, and Burni Enterprises.

We appreciate the contributions of time, talent, and treasure we received from so many of our supporters.

BIG thanks to Dr. Afflalo and her medical team (UCSD and SDSU) for keeping us safe providing onsite COVID testing, vaccinations, and consulting services to those that were ready.

Special thanks to the Four Points by Sheraton staff. You were the best…helping us at every turn and keeping things on track.

Thank you, thank you to our Resilient WITH Planning Team, and our onsite logistics lead (DeeAnne Snyder), for helping to take us to the finish line! You are amazing and definitely WITHit!

And Cheers to YOU!! – WITH attendees. Your presence and enthusiastic participation stimulated and inspired us as much as you said that we stimulated and inspired you. We did it - together!!

Click this link https://www.sdwithit.com/with-conference-recap for a view of what our 2 days generated (the image gallery of WITH Conference favorites) and for a copy of our program book, ads, and supporters. Thanks to each of you again for playing a special part in our event, you were fantastic! We were fantastic together!!! We look forward to an amazing 2022 conference. Sponsorship opportunities and WITH nominations for 2022 will be available soon.

Stay connected WITHus! Cheers!