A Special Program Organized and Hosted by

Chicago Women. Insights. Technology. (ChicWIT), Illinois' Largest Women's Networking Group

STEDMAN GRAHAM & ALPANA SINGH TO SPEAK AT
CHICWIT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CONFERENCE

March 2, 2004, from 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM at the Metropolitan Club in the Sears Tower

Around the world, for nearly a century, women celebrate their economic, social, cultural and political achievements on International Women's Day (IWD). Women in every country often divided by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences come together to celebrate this important date that represents equality, justice, peace and development.

Chicago Women. Insights. Technology. (ChicWIT), Illinois' largest women's networking group, will host Passport 2004: Explore. Engage. Exchange., a one-day conference March 2, 2004, from 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM at the Metropolitan Club in the Sears Tower. The full day conference is designed to ensure an open and approachable setting for attendees to learn from experts and female professionals who have endured and persevered through challenges that face all women today. Participants will also be able to individually connect through workshop exercises and networking opportunities.

Stedman Graham, chairman and chief executive officer of S. Graham & Associates, renowned speaker and author of You Can Make It Happen and Build Your Own Life Brand, will give his perspective of how to formulate a plan of action for personal and professional growth. “My message will reveal that success is not determined by race or gender. Success has more to do with your plan and determination to rise above and beyond your circumstances to reach your possibilities”, noted Graham.

Rising star Alpana Singh, master sommelier of Everest restaurant and host of WTTW’s Check, Please!, will share the secrets of her career success. In spite of much scrutiny surrounding her young age, gender and minority status, at 21, Alpana became the youngest person to pass the second part of the master sommelier's exam and is now one of 11 women in the world who holds the status of master sommelier.

The conference offers four tracks: Leadership Skills, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Financial Finesse and Political Awareness, with additional discussions on mentoring, creating creative alliances and how to get published. Jeannie Walters, ChicWIT Executive Director and vice president of Vox Inc., an Oak Park marketing and communications consulting firm, notes “ChicWIT has grown so much and we've received such a wonderful response from members that we're thrilled to be organizing our first all-day conference. This conference will really be a chance for attendees to enjoy both personal and professional development events in a variety of ways.”

Anne McLain, Passport 2004 event chairperson and co-founder of Compass Digital Media, a corporate communications firm, states “Passport 2004 is such an exciting event for ChicWIT. Our goal is to be able to have everyone take away real world applications and learn tangible ways to create more successful and fulfilling personal and professional lives.”

Early registration will begin in mid-January at $195 for the full day, $30 for the evening cocktail reception only. Companies seeking a coveted audience of professional women will find many ways to reach attendees at the conference business expo as well as many other attractive sponsorship opportunities. Contact Sue Malo at susanmalo@aol.com for sponsorship details. Other details and registration for Passport 2004 can be found at www.worldwit.org/chicwitiwd.

About ChicWIT Chicago Women. Insights. Technology. (ChicWIT) is a diverse community of more than 6,000 members throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and is the largest women’s networking group in Illinois. Founded in 1999 with 50 members, ChicWIT evolved into WorldWIT (www.worldwit.org), the leading global organization for professional women who share resources, advice and ideas. Today, WorldWIT includes nearly 30,000 highly accomplished influencers and thought leaders in professions such as finance, medicine, education, law, real estate, media and technology who interact using free, moderated email discussion lists—a trusted resource at the heart of the community.

ChicWIT. We connect women with answers.

FOR ChicWIT
Sheila D. Lewis
E3 Media Group, Inc.
T: 312.969.3364
E: sheila@e3mediagroup.com