Women Empowering Other Women at Wonder Women Tech Event in Los Angeles

A variety of people gathered in Los Angeles this weekend to celebrate the first-ever Wonder Women Tech conference. The free event was held at the Hangar Hercules Campus in Playa Vista from February 27 through March 1.

Co-hosted by the City of Los Angeles, Wonder Women Tech commemorated women’s achievements in technology and science. The conference also sought to educate women, foster professional relationships and promote the integration of Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math or S.T.E.A.M.

“I wanted to co-create an ecosystem where we could discover a diverse range of pioneering women as role models, and cultivate a network where women were supporting and educating other women through their journey toward building success in tech, S.T.E.A.M and innovation,” Wonder Women Tech Co-Founder Lisa Mae Brunson said in a statement.

Photo Credit: Jen Moynihan

The weekend-long event consisted of 14 panels with over 50 guest speakers, ranging from company CEO’s, small business owners, innovators and best selling authors to pioneers in science and technology. Keynote speakers for the event included former Vice President of Adobe Karen Catlin and Program Director of Google Solve for X Georgia Deinst.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember Mike Bonin also attended.

The most prominent themes discussed during the panels were related to women empowerment in the workforce, mentorship and tips from business owners on using technology and social media to improve product marketing and outreach.

Marked Point founder Jennifer Hirsch spoke about the importance of female mentors, in relation to the topic of women empowerment discussed during a panel.

“I feel very lucky that I’ve always had really powerful female bosses as role models early on in my career…they had to come there before and as they gave me tips on presentation skills or how to manage clients and still be authentically feminine, that’s one of the best things I ever had in my career.”

Others like Senior Vice President of Client Success at Cornerstone OnDemand Kirsten Maas Helvey offered advice to women on self-confidence in the workforce.

“Fake it until you get it. At the end of the day trust your instinct, you’re probably right so go with it. Don’t let anybody else see that you may be wavering. Be confident.”

Another guest speaker and best-selling author, Sophie Keller, spoke about the significance of happiness and its relation to the workplace.

“Happiness is the most important currency any business can think about.”

On the topic of technology and its importance in business during another panel, CEO and founder of Ruby Ribbon Anna Zornosa highlighted a key detail.

“Technology is absolutely critical to the connection we have with our customers”

Zornosa and many other business professionals at Wonder Women Tech were adamant about the way technology is used to build customer relationships. They said it is not about what the technology can do, but rather how the business owner utilizes it to gain attention and satisfaction among customers.

Photo Credit: Jen Moynihan

In addition to the panels, Wonder Women Tech hosted interactive media and technology related events for attendees. Participants in the Time Warner Media Challenge had the opportunity to create video PSA’s, short films and presentations on issues affecting young girls and women. The winning team’s video will be featured on the company’s YouTube channel and OnDemand.

Events for those interested in computer programing and coding were also available. Competitors in the Wonder Women Tech Hackaton generated mobile applications benefiting women.

Photo Credit: Jen Moynihan

A free workshop on HTML and CSS coding promised to educate participants on all the basics in 90 minutes or less. A gaming session hosted by Microsoft and an exhibit about female pioneers in technology was also offered.

Children from the local after school enrichment program, LA’s BEST.
Photo Credit: Jen Moynihan.

The adjoining basketball zone was made available too.Children from the local after school enrichment program, LA’s BEST, played with professionals and even scored a few basketball tips. Attendees were also welcome to browse the Air Jordan Sports Technology Zone, filled with sports memorabilia and tech gadgets.

For a complete list of the weekend’s events, panel participants and future ventures, please visit wonderwomentech.com.

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