HER Conference
The conference started with a
Keynote Speaker in the morning. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Carman Perez
and Linda Sarsour who were co-chairs of Women National March. These women
shared their stories about fighting for equality for women in America. They
spoke about the wage difference women face and how women are just as capable of
being leaders in this world as they male counterparts. Perez and Sarsour also
discussed the hardship of being women activist. They explained how they
received death threats daily and also shared that they receive racial
discriminatory slurs on a regular basics.
What I learned from these phenomenal women is to always stick to your
beliefs. Their lives are constantly in danger, but this does not stop these
women from having a voice. If anything, it pushes them to continue to march and
work in communities to make lives for all women better. It truly was an honor hear these women speak.
After hearing the keynote speakers
in the morning, we disbursed into different rooms that housed different panels. The first panel I attended was entitled, “What
is Marketing?”. In this panel, I learned some key skills about being a marketer
within the marketing business. I learned that a typical day as a marketer is to
oversee promotions and emails. Your day will start early because you must
always respond to your emails. You will also need to do data reporting. A
marketer must create an experience and always be creative. Relationships are
very important in the marketing industry therefore it is very crucial to
maintain a good rapport and relationships with others. We were also told to
make sure every action you do has a valid reason. The last tip that was
provided was to be passionate about your work. If we work hard, we would do well
in marketing!
The next panel I attended was entitled,
“Be your own Boss”. Here we heard from women who ran their own businesses. I
learned so much, but I would just like to highlight a few key points. The first
thing the women suggested to us was to find a mentor. They stressed how
important it is to find someone to help guide you and assist you with your
business goals. When creating a business try to form a team with different
skills because everyone should not be good at the same thing. The extensiveness of variety will benefit the
business. Next, you should create a business plan. Your business plan should detail
the problem of the industry which is why your product is needed and therefore explain
how you plan on solving that problem. Once you form your team there should be
weekly meetings. You should take your product with you everywhere you go. One
must always stay prepared! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and be open to
learn new ideas. You should never turn down a meeting. Lastly, it’s important
to surround yourself with people who doesn’t understand your brand because they
will give you some insight that you may not see yourself.
The last panel I attended was
“Working in PR”. The first thing we were told was to pay attention to media.
You must check all media daily. As soon as you get up in the morning check all
media outlets and emails. Responding back to emails promptly very important as
a Publicist. A Publicist should have great relationships with journalist. They
must watch what they say and learn the PR language. They must do plenty of
research and always trust their gut instinct. Their clients should always be
fully prepped. To be aware of who and what the competition you client can face
is very important. Also, be well-versed with world events. They left us with
this final thought: Make sure you overcome the fear of failure, be realistic,
be confident, and don’t be a yes woman to anyone.
The 2017 Her Conference was a great
experience. It was a good introduction to the communications industry. I
learned so much and gained so much respect for women who work within this
industry. Leaving the conference ensured
my feelings that the BIC program was the program for me. I look forward to
going to the Her Conference again and hopefully one day I will be one of the
women on a panel talking to a new generation of up-and-coming media, marketing,
entrepreneurship, entertainment, tech, social impact and leadership women.
