11th Annual WISE Symposium to Be Held April 16

Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (WISE) will bring powerhouse entrepreneurial guest speakers to the 11th annual WISE Symposium on Tuesday, April 16 at the Oncenter in Syracuse, N.Y. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and features a jam-packed day of inspiring activities, speakers and networking. More than 1,000 attendees are anticipated.

Robin Chase, founder of Zipcar, delivers the afternoon keynote address, “Sharing: A Simple Approach for Maximizing ROI,” in which she will unveil her entrepreneurial journey and discuss going ‘green’ in her businesses and strengthening innovation through technology.

Pamela Slim, morning keynote speaker, is author of “Escape from Cubicle Nation”  (Penguin, 2010), a best-selling book and popular blog for aspiring and growing entrepreneurs. Slim’s speech, “Crafting Your Body of Work,” will inspire attendees to achieve their potential by dreaming big and then making it happen through tools, resources and a supportive community of their peers.

Other notable speakers include Nell Merlino (also a WISE 2012 keynote speaker), founder of Make Mine a Million $ Business and Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, who will be hosting a business pitch competition and workshop, as well as Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, co-founders of Barefoot Wine. Starting out with no money and no knowledge of the wine industry, they used out-of-the-box thinking coupled with solid business principles to build a leading national brand. They relied on “worthy cause marketing” instead of conventional advertising to grow a loyal following and promote their favorite causes.

Additional 2013 WISE Symposium speakers include:
• Nicki Keohohou, founder of Direct Women’s Selling Alliance;
• Cheryl Wood, award-winning speaker, corporate consultant, author and business strategist who specializes in equipping audiences to stretch their thinking, expand their expectations and “play a bigger game;”
• Thaler Pekar, an internationally recognized pioneer in the field of organizational narrative and communication and a Syracuse University alumna;
• Erica Dhawan, generational thought leader; and
• local women entrepreneurs and business/leadership experts who will be sharing their experiences, challenges and insights on a variety of topics.

“The energy at the WISE Symposium is palpable. The best thing about the day is the excitement that radiates throughout the room—networking between sessions is a great opportunity for attendees to deepen their overall knowledge, and pick up tips and tricks along the way,” says Lindsay Wickham, events and communications manager for the WISE Symposium. “This spirit continues at the WISE Women’s Business Center—we support the start-up and growth of successful and passionate women entrepreneurs in CNY all year long.”

Attendees may register for an all-inclusive, all-day ticket for $85, or may choose to register only for the afternoon expo for $30. Registration for full-time students is $20. To register, visit wise2013.eventbrite.com, or contact Wickham at lwickham@syr.edu or 315-443-3550. Here’s a sampling of what WISE Symposium attendees will enjoy:

• more than 60 speakers covering topics such as work/life balance, leadership, social media, strategic thinking, business planning, marketing, intrapreneurship, identifying/pursuing opportunities and more;
• an interactive business expo providing sales and learning with 100 businesses and now featuring the WISE Talks stage;
• WISE Women’s Business Center Connections Café ,offering mini-counseling sessions for entrepreneurs;
• an award ceremony honoring the Ann Michel Distinguished Entrepreneurs of the Year;
• book-signing sessions with guest speakers in the WISE Reads library lounge; and
• all-day networking, breakfast, lunch and cocktail reception and an event resource binder.

The Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, drives the ever-increasing success of the conference by providing critical support and services for the event since its inception in 2003, which drew 300 attendees.