Twelve years ago, 250 women came together to create an event for women who made a difference in the business world to share their experiences.

Now, more than 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs will hear from some 50 savvy businesswomen at the Syracuse Oncenter, at the 12th annual Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Symposium on Tuesday.

The WISE Symposium, presented by the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, is an all-day event filled with breakout sessions and keynote speakers for women. The speakers range from fashion designers to authors to doctors.

“I can’t even say how amazing it is,” said Joanne Lenweaver, director of the WISE Women’s Business Center. “When you come, you only have three chances to go to a breakout session, so the only problem is making up your mind which one you’re going to go to.”

Exhibitors will fill the convention center with booths to show off companies and different skills, such as social media tips and tricks. Lenweaver said this year, WISE partnered with the smartphone application EventBoard to help attendees navigate the booths and keep up with the schedule of speakers throughout the expo.

Technology has played a key role in the symposium. The morning keynote speaker, Melinda Emerson, has been working with the WISE Women’s Business Center for a year and a half. Through Skype, Emerson has talked to students enrolled in the Women’s Business Center’s “Women of Faith in Business” class five times to give them advice about the world of business. She is a small-business expert and writes a weekly column for The New York Times.

“She encourages the women to utilize their learning materials,” Lenweaver said. “She can say, ‘I started at nothing, you can do it too.’”

The symposium will start off with opening remarks from Ken Kavajecz, the dean of Whitman, and will continue with an update of the WISE Women’s Business Center from Lenweaver. After the morning keynote speakers, the rest of the morning is left for breakout sessions until lunch.

Helen Carter, owner of Secret Lentil clothing company, is on the “Women in Creative Businesses” panel. Carter said one of her customers encouraged her to participate in WISE. It’s her first time attending, and she said that she’ll be speaking on how to balance work.

“I have a clothing line, but I create one-of-a-kind work,” she said. “I really love doing work that I love. I love connecting to the people that buy what I make. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, even though it can be stressful and tough.” 

Lenweaver said there will be special lunch sessions for Latina women, where they can create a one-on-one atmosphere in their own language. There will also be a veteran’s lunch session where they will discuss their service and how Whitman can help them as they transition out of the military. 

Diane Schmid-McCall, owner of Rudy Schmid Total Car Care, will speak about managing growth in business during one of the afternoon breakout sessions. She said almost all of the women on the panel have significantly grown their businesses in the past few years.

The panel will specifically focus on breaking away from day-to-day scheduling, adding in personal time and working with professional partners.

“We’ve kind of been through the lows and the highs of being successful,” Schmid-McCall said. “They can get from us the confidence to pursue their own goals. We should hopefully inspire them and they should hang in there and persevere.”

The conference will end with awards and the afternoon keynote speaker, Jessica Herrin, CEO and founder of fashion company Stella & Dot.

Lenweaver said planning for next year’s WISE Symposium starts the day after the event ends. The directors choose the speakers of the event by meeting them at conventions and reaching out to the ones they find interesting. 

Said Lenweaver: “Being able to network in the midst of 1,000 women gives you the opportunity to make some really great connections for your business or your career, or be a better employee at wherever you work.”

Published on April 8, 2014 at 2:00 am

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere