A special kind of energy buzzes throughout the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Tri-Cities Women in Business Conference.

“When you walk in the convention center that morning, the … female, positive, encouraging energy is just palpable … and I loved being a part of that,” said Staci West, communications manager for Bechtel at the Hanford site project.

She attended the first-ever Women in Business Conference in 2012, when just shy of 300 people registered and five different sessions were offered, and has returned several times in the 13 years since then.

“From the beginning, (it’s) been my favorite event of the year,” West said.  

This year, 1,000 attendees are expected at the Sept. 23 conference’s luncheon. The daylong conference – touted as the largest women’s conference in Eastern Washington – features 15 breakout sessions and it is expected to sell out.

Array of speakers 

The speakers are one of the main draws of the conference. In the event’s first years, the chamber asked people to speak, said Lori Mattson, president and CEO of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Now, the conference has a larger draw, and the chamber puts out a call for speakers, with the stipulation that no one can speak two years in a row. Drawing on local talent means that attendees get to hear from “local experts, local voices,” Mattson said. 

An array of different speakers helps make the experience fresh, and there’s room for personal as well as professional development. 

“(I) always walk away feeling inspired and having learned something,” West said. In addition to participating in the conference as an attendee, West has also moderated panels over the years, helping to highlight the women she has learned from and admired. 

She still remembers some of the presenters and topics from the conference’s very first year. 

Topics this year range from goal setting to growing profits and from networking to managing workplace anxiety. 

Though some topics are geared toward business leaders, there’s something for every attendee, whether they are a seasoned professional or just beginning their career. 

Men also are invited to attend, as speakers or attendees. The original idea was to bring women together, empowering and connecting them with other women, and they’ve done that, Mattson said. Now, it’s become a little more like a leadership conference, and men have seen it as a great opportunity for them as well. 

West said the conference is important for Bechtel, the event’s premier sponsor, because it helps reinforce the company’s commitment to a diversity of experiences and people, ensuring that everyone feels they belong.  

A wide array of speakers is one of the main draws of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business Conference. There’s content for everyone, from women early in their careers to seasoned professionals.

| Courtesy Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce

Honoring leaders

During the Women in Business Conference’s luncheon, another key feature of the conference takes place: announcing the year’s ATHENA awards.

There are two awards, ATHENA Leadership Award and ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award. The awards honor women who show excellence, creativity and initiative in their business or profession; provide service to improve life for those in their community; and help other women achieve their leadership potential. 

In the months leading up to the conference, the community has the chance to nominate women of any age for the Leadership Award and women under the age of 40 for the Young Professional Leadership Award. 

The chamber launched the ATHENA awards, part of an international program, the same year as the conference. The award program launched in 1982 in Michigan and is in 500 communities today.

One of the breakout sessions each year is a panel made up of previous ATHENA award winners. It’s a chance for them to share their experiences and what defines impactful leadership.

A sell-out event

Throughout the conference, there are opportunities for the participants to meet and interact with others, with chances to mingle during the luncheon and post-conference wine social as well as in the hallways, where vendors and attendees gather. 

It was great to get 277 attendees at the first conference, Mattson said, but the goal was always to fill the building and have to limit the number of tickets, which this year sold for $199 for chamber members. Now, the conference always sells out.

With 1,000 participants filling the Three Rivers Convention Center, there’s “this energy and buzz,” Mattson said.

A planned expansion to the convention center, which will include a 60,000-square-foot exhibit hall and 5,000 feet of additional meeting rooms, among other improvements, would allow the conference to grow even more, attracting attendees from a larger region. 

Mattson is excited for the expansion, which is expected to be completed by the fall of 2026. She estimated that attendance could double with an increase in space. 

Go to: tricityregionalchamber.com/women-in-business.html.