In case you’re new here, I’m a raving, rabid fan of the Texas Conference for Women, and I blather on about it here and there throughout the year, especially right around now, because it’s when the event happens each year.

The Conference’s 20th anniversary was last Thursday in Austin, as usual, and it was my fifth consecutive year attending and my first serving on the Social Media Team (with capital letters, to indicate its importance). 

I mean. I was bananas. 

I’m such a fangirl around these women who are larger than life, moving mountains by creating positive change in the world. To be under the same roof as them gives me a tiny driblet of hope that some of what makes them magical unicorns will be absorbed into me through the oxygen we recycle throughout the day.

This annual conference packs in TEDx Talk-caliber keynotes, hands-on workshops, and breakout sessions all into one day, sending attendees running from one ballroom to another and turning their brains all mushy by sunset.

Being in the midst of some of the most powerful women from around the world, taking in the nuggets of wisdom they sprinkle around like fairy dust, makes this event my favorite must-attend every year.

It’s probably hard for you to believe that what I’m calling an “honest review” of the Conference will offer anything other than drippy-sweet word candy.

But I can say - with a straight face, even - that this Conference does have its downsides, which I will share with you today.

Event Details

The Texas Conference for Women is an annual event drawing more than 7,500 women, who converge at the Austin Convention Center each fall - usually in October or November. It is a one-day event, starting at 8:00 a.m. and going balls-to-the-wall until 5:00 p.m.

How Much Does It Cost:

Tickets are $225 and include lunch and access to all sessions.

Is it worth it? 

For most. But you need to realize that it’s an investment. The financial return on that investment isn’t likely to appear in your bank account right away. You’re planting seeds by attending. The networking at the Conference is invaluable, and the connections made can, without a doubt, move your business forward, if you nurture those connections after the event day.

In terms of inspiration and motivation, the investment is worth every penny. It’s like a shot of medicine right in your arm, that will last a full year until the next Conference rolls around.

Is It Worth Going Again If I’ve Been Before?

If you’re looking for quality networking opportunities and inspiration and motivation, it is worth going every single year.  There’s a new round of speakers brought in each and every year, bringing a fresh, new experience for repeat attendees.

Plus they change a little something each year. This was the first year to offer an opening night, with speakers and food trucks, and it’s also the first year with a livestream option, making the day available for those who couldn’t attend in person.

If you’ve been in the past and expected a direct bump in your business’s bottom line, and were disappointed because you didn’t have one, it isn’t likely that you’ll have a different outcome by attending again. 

This is for sprinkling seeds, remember?

Who Is The Texas Conference For Women Best Suited For?

Corporate women of any age and life stage, navigating through their career. There are always sessions suitable for this demographic, with topics ranging from equal pay, to balancing career and family, to practical advice on staying relevant in the workplace as we age.

Entrepreneurs and women looking for a career change. Not only is the Conference overflowing with networking opportunity, there are sessions on growth, evolution, and ways to tailor your skill set and experience to suit your changing wants and needs. 

Young women of high school and college age. As working women, we understand the value of networking, but we may not recognize that it’s a learned skill. This conference is a brilliant opportunity to see what that looks like and to get an early taste of its benefits.

Free resume review services are offered, as well as “speed coaching,” with Career Coaches on site to help guide attendees toward action in all they’ve learned at the day’s event.

Pros

• Motivational and inspirational speaker sessions

• Networking 

• Opportunity to meet authors and speakers you admire

• Free resume review

• Intimate roundtable sessions with practical steps toward a specific goal

Cons

• Parking. The event is in downtown Austin in the most parking-averse town in the universe. There are garages nearby that make parking semi-convenient, but you’ll pay about $50. TO PARK.  My suggestion is to take the Metro (which wasn’t servicing the downtown station this year because of construction. ACK!) because it drops you at the Convention Center’s front doors.

• Crowds. There are about 7,500 women under one roof. I will say that - and this is coming from a socially anxious person who gets all sweaty in the armpits in crowded places - that the Convention Center is so vast, there really isn’t a lot of shoulder-to-shoulder crowd stuff happening. Everyone can move fairly freely. Where it’s a problem is potty time. Long lines to use the restroom.

Conclusion

If your budget allows, add The Texas Conference for Women to your must-attend list for next year. Tickets go on sale in early April and they sell out fast. Like they go on sale at 9:00 a.m. and they sell out while thousands of women around the world are online in the queue.

BUT. There are at least 7,500 who get in, and to that I say, WHY NOT YOU?

The 2020 event is set for Thursday, October 1st.

Get on their email list so you’ll know exactly when tickets are slated for release, and to get all the speaker announcements throughout the year. Find out more at https://www.txconferenceforwomen.org/