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WithIt Professional Conference Draws Record Attendance

Furniture World News Desk on 7/31/2018


WithIt, the women’s leadership development network for the home and furnishings industries, reports that it drew over 175 participants to Charleston, S.C. for 3 days of professional development. Among the attendees were retailers, designers, manufacturers, service providers and student scholarship recipients. The theme “Leading with Influence” was conveyed throughout the conference’s program.

“On behalf of the organization and its many volunteers, we were delighted to have set a new record for Conference attendance and to have delivered such high caliber content to the attendees,” stated Amy Van Dorp, Managing Director of WithIt.

“We are thrilled with the results of this conference,” said Lorri Kelley, Vice President of WithIt and the 2018 Conference Chair. “The theme that we selected was very intentional, as we are passionate about creating women leaders who can feel confident about their capabilities and contributions in all they do each and every day. The feedback that we received from those who attended confirms that we were able to accomplish our goal of a successful and motivational conference, and we are very proud of that!”

Pre-conference workshops included an Executive Forum and a City of Hope workshop on Women’s Health & Wellness. Both initiatives are new endeavors and partnerships for WithIt and support its mission to learn, grow and lead. A Women Executives Forum was held prior to conference for presidents and COO women in the industry designed to provide an opportunity for shared learning and networking at the highest level of leadership. The Women’s Health workshop led by Dr. Laura Kruper, Surgical Oncologist and co-director of the Women’s Breast Program at City of Hope drew many attendees to learn about a variety of women’s health topics and the work that City of Hope is doing. Surgical Oncologist, Laura Kruper, M.D., M.S. shared, “It was my pleasure to speak on one of City of Hope’s missions to advance the treatment of breast cancer as it relates to the newest therapies and most up-to-date surgical techniques with the top women in the furniture industry. It is always powerful when like-minded women unite to share ideas and this conference was nothing short of incredible.”

The programming lineup was designed to educate and empower attendees from all levels and facets in our industry. Topics throughout the conference included SheQ – Leading with Emotional Intelligence by acclaimed speaker, author and business coach Jen Shirkani, Creating your Competitive Advantage with returning speaker and nationally recognized sales leader, Lynne Jensen-Nelson, Tallia Deljou, president and co-founder of Mavenly + Co, Negotiating with Influence and Elevating your Presence When Presenting and Speaking.

John Conrad, Executive Director of ASFD attended and shared, “I found WithIt’s ‘Leading with Influence Conference’ provided me great networking opportunities and much food for thought- they were all great sessions!”

Breakout sessions were held on a variety of topics like Professionalism and Promoting a Positive Workplace, Crafting your Social Media Strategy, Success & Implementing Meaningful Goals, Keeping your Brand Relevant, Best Practices for Hiring & Training, and Creating the Career you Want.

Attendees unanimously agreed in a post-event survey that the conference exceeded their expectations. Alexis Anderson of Dufresne Group stated that “This was my second year attending the WithIt conference. I came back because of the countless benefits - from developing relationships to learning powerful business skills and tips from the talented speakers. To top it all off, it is a lot of fun. I cherish the relationships I have built with the WithIt women and am fortunate to work for a company that invests in my career.”

This year’s conference sessions will be available in video format for all WithIt members in the new learning library on WithIt’s website - www.withit.org thanks to sponsorship from The Crypton Companies. This new membership benefit provides year-round access to valuable educational content.

The sponsors for this year’s conference included  Crypton, Ashley Furniture, Universal Furniture, BDI, Ekornes, AmericasMart, A.R.T. Furniture, Myriad Software, Furnitureland South, STORIS, La-Z-Boy, Malouf, Cory, Fairfield Chair, American Leather, AICO Amini Innovation Corporation, The Tombras Group, and Havertys. A grant from the AHFA Furniture Foundation supported sending 22 students to the conference. These companies support and recognize the value the educational opportunities delivered by WithIt’s Annual Professional Conference.

WithIt’s 2019 Professional Conference date & location will be announced later this year.

The mission of WithIt, and the non-profit organization that produces the conference, is to encourage and develop leadership, mentoring, education and networking opportunities for professional women in the home and furnishings industries.



More about WithIt: WithIt was formed in 1997 for women in the home and furnishings industries in order to support their multi-dimensional career paths. The non-profit network is based in North Carolina and supported by leading companies across the industry including their Vision and Platinum sponsors: International Market Centers, Heritage Home Group, MicroD and Myriad Software and Twin Star Home. To learn more about WithIt, become a member or learn about other events throughout the year, visit: WithIt.org.