On March 15th, I flew to Las Vegas for the first business conference of my career, and shortly after my arrival I found myself at the Women in the Channel event. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, since my schema of any corporate event mostly included men and women in business suits, and vendors in T-shirts, with all of them trying to pitch something.
Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a group of women who were as welcoming as they were knowledgeable.
WiC: A Growing Network
Women in the Channel (WiC) is an organization of women who hold leadership or revenue generating roles within the telecommunications industry, a group that's clearly growing in numbers. With over one hundred attendees for the night, the cocktail hour was a prime time to network and meet women who I would never have come across in my day-to-day activities in the office.
What was impressive to me was how everyone was happy to come over and have an extended conversation with me, despite my newcomer status; no less than the board members of the organization all stopped by to introduce themselves. It was through these interactions that I found out about the mentorship programs that Women in the Channel is working on, pairing experienced Women in the Channel members with new mentees, to help them further their career.
This mentorship mentality seemed to permeate what I perceived as the organization’s general attitude - it was clear to me that the women in the room around me were there to help in anyway possible to exchange information for the betterment of all of our careers.
But the event was more than just an opportunity to meet dozens of women working in the same industry as myself; after we all settled down at tables, multiple speakers approached the stage in an effort to give key career insights to propel the attendees further at their jobs.
Speakers Stress Leadership and Staying Relevant in a Changing Market
Vice President of Channels at Fusion Stacy Conrad discussed her own winding career path and the challenges that come with a changing market, as well as the importance of advocating for yourself to both peers and superiors in the office setting. Likewise, SaaSMAX CEO Dina Moskowitz encouraged us all to consider what kind of leader each attendee could be.
This sort of introspection allowed for a deeper understanding of how I could better myself as an employee and co-worker, and it also allowed me the opportunity to talk to the more experienced women at my table to gain insight on multiple leadership techniques.
Overall, the Women in the Channel event seemed to be the best opportunity of the whole weekend to make lasting connections. This proved to be evident when I found myself chatting with the women the next day on the floor of the Channel Partners conference event, and continues to prove true as I keep in contact with those women through email and LinkedIn weeks later.
If you’re a woman and find yourself in Boston this September for the next Cloud Partners, I would definitely recommend getting to know the Women in the Channel as an essential resource in growing your career.