Women’s Leadership Council Conference Follow Up

Image Courtesy of WSWA

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the Women’s Leadership Council Conference put on by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) in Mount Vernon, Virginia, as a sponsor & exhibitor with GreatVines. This is the third year that WSWA has held this focused event, which was attended by more than sixty women from companies throughout the United States.

The intent of the two-day conference is to focus on philanthropic efforts, leadership development, and diversity. Along with the excellent line-up of speakers, there were fun activities outside of the lecture hall for all to enjoy. WSWA leadership were on hand as well, contributing valuable information and support.

It was a pleasure to be able to attend the Women’s Leadership Council Conference. As a newer employee of GreatVines, it presented me with the chance to make valuable connections with our customers and the industry at large.

I attended with our Vice President of Sales, Tom Baril, which was incredibly valuable. His perspective comes from being an industry veteran of 30+ years. He had this to say, “It was a rare opportunity to connect with current and future women leaders in the wholesale tier. Our industry will benefit immensely from this event and the increased diversity in wholesale leadership.”

My career background has been primarily focused on the beer industry, working to facilitate change through equality, diversity, and inclusion. It was really encouraging to see that there are similar sentiments in wine & spirits, and that WSWA is actively working to improve the culture. It can’t be expressed enough how important that is.

The Sponsor Dinner at the Women’s Leadership Council Conference

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the time we had to talk with people on a more casual level through the closing dinner that we sponsored. It was incredible to hear about how the community supports itself, having listened to how people & companies rallied during Hurricane Sandy. On an individual level, I felt very welcomed by the group, and left feeling inspired to continue growing within the industry.

After the pleasant experience that we had, I’m looking forward to attending the Women’s Leadership Council Conference in the future. The causes it supports are also very important to me, and I relish the chance to help give exposure to them in whatever way I can.