Past Events - 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004

Tuesday, November 9, 2004
5:30 - 7:30 pm
Women in Business Networking Mixer

Hosted by

Join us for this special networking event 39 stories atop San Francisco Marriott. It’s an opportunity to make new contacts and network with dynamic and achievement-oriented professional women while enjoying a spectacular view of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Sponsored by

Media Sponsor

Wednesday, October 27, 2004
11:30 am -1:30 pm at the Omni San Francisco Hotel.
Women in Business Roundtable

How to Create Your Own Personal Brand with Karen Post, The Branding Diva, author, and branding columnist, Fast Company

Sponsored by

For any professional, a strong identity and distinct market position are key factors in achieving business success. The power of perception allows you to make a unique mark in the minds of your industry, peers, customers and prospects. Whether you work for a large company or are an entrepreneur this program will help you prosper as you define, package and leverage your unique self.

• Learn a simple strategic process for creating an individual brand.
• Implement your new brand on a budget.
• Analyze your individual brand and find creative ways to maximize your personal mark.

Karen Post is a branding enthusiast, entrepreneur and businesswoman who has been a branding expert for more than 20 years. A former advertising agency CEO, Post is currently the monthly branding columnist for FastCompany.com. She is also a Brain Trust Advisor to The Small Business Advocate, a nationally syndicated radio show, and recently was invited by IBM to be an Expert Business Resource on their web site. Post is the author of, Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in Your Customer’s Minds.

Karen Post

Hotel Nikko
222 Mason St. at O'Farrell
Monterey Room - 3rd Floor

Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 7:30-9 am
Women in Business Roundtable

Sponsored by

What Businesswomen can Learn From One of America's Most Respected Educators with Dr. Arlene Ackerman, superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District.

Dr. Arlene Ackerman

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 - 7:30 - 9 am
Women in Business Roundtable

How Growing Your Business Grows You
with Marion McGovern, president, M Squared Consulting, Inc

Whether growing your career or building a business, join us to benefit from an insider’s experience growing a company from an idea to a national enterprise.

Lessons include:

• One can never over communicate
• Big girls do cry
• Hire by your values
• Not all publicity is good publicity
• Passion matters
• Selling the business is not “selling out”
• Always look for the “disconfirming” information
• It’s not that they don’t understand - they’re just wired differently

Tuesday, July 20, 2004
7:00-7:30 am Registration/Networking
7:30-9:00 am Program
9:00-10:00 am Network Dialogues

500 California St.
at Montgomery
San Francisco, CA 94104

Cost to attend is $25 for members; $40 for non-members if paid by July 12.
$5 additional after July 12 and at the door.

Cancellations must occur 48 hours in advance to receive a refund.

Media Sponsor

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - 6-8:30 pm
Women in Business Roundtable
Sponsored by Washington Mutual

Every woman who makes it to the top has one thing in common: great communication skills.

Regardless of your role in your organization - manager with direct reports or sole proprietor directing contractors on behalf of your client - an effective communication style will make you stand out.

In this workshop learn:

• Communication challenges that are specific to women
• A women's leadership model and how it relates to communication
• How to balance power and authority with an authentic voice
• How to incorporate top traits of successful executive women into a leadership style that works for you

  For the past 15 years, Saara Robles has worked extensively with executives on leadership development and successful organizational change. Robles has a passion for women's leadership, specifically to help leaders and organizations thrive, succeed and deliver results. Robles is a San Francisco native.

Cost is $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members if paid by June 14.
$5 additional after June 14 and at the door.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - 5:30-7:30 pm
Women in Business Roundtable

Speed Networking for Business

Find it difficult to connect with the right people at networking events? Not meeting as many people as you could because you are caught in one long converation? Hesitant to walk up and start a conversation with someone new?

• Join us for a new program focused on making connections.
• Engage in facilitated meetings with at least 20 businesswomen.
• Make a business connection in four minutes or less.
• Expand your network in minutes instead of months.
• Learn to become a connector and introduce your contacts.

Here’s how it works:

Each pair will have four minutes (two minutes each) to introduce themselves and their company. You will explain what you are looking for or the value of your products/services, and then switch. After meeting with everyone on the opposite side of the room, we will break for informal networking over complimentary wine and light hors d’oeuvres.

• Cost is $30 for Chamber members.
• Must be a Chamber member to participate.
• Space is limited to 40 participants.

Our group facilitator is Debra Mugnani Monroe, President of Monroe Personnel Service, LLC and Temptime.

Debra has always loved connecting people. Since 1982, Debra has assisted hundreds of Bay Area businesses in meeting their staffing needs. A native San Franciscan, Debra received a Juris Doctorate from the University of California at Davis and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and French from the University of California at Berkeley. She founded Monroe Personnel Service in 1987. Monroe was ranked in the San Francisco Business Times' Bay Area's Top 150 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies list for 2000 and 2001.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004 - 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Women in Business Networking Mixer

Macy's West, Jones New York and the San Francisco Chamber invite you to an exclusive program

The Truth About Work/Life Balance with Ronna Lictenberg, president Clear Peak and contributing editor to “O”, the Oprah Magazine.

Location: Hotel Nikko San Francisco 222 Mason St. at O'Farrell (415) 352-8803

If you find that achieving balance in your work and personal life is an impossible feat. Join us for this special evening event and learn to strategically focus on life demands while maintaining a positive self image.

Afterwards, style experts will be on hand to offer you a personal wardrobe consultation and show off the JNY spring line. All attendees will receive an exclusive gift bag from Jones New York. Also enjoy hors d’oeurves and a no-host bar while networking with likeminded professional business women.

Ronna Lichtenberg is president of Clear Peak. She is currently a contributing editor to "O", the Oprah Magazine, where she writes about work and success. Lictenberg is the author of two books: Work Would Be Great If It Weren't For The People, a humorous and practical survival guide to office politics for the well-intentioned, and It's Not Business, It's Personal, which explores the importance of building positive relationships throughout one's career, based on interviews with America's most successful business leaders. She has appeared as a career and business expert on shows like CBS's Early Morning Show, NBC Weekend Today, Good Morning America, CNN, NPR and Fox News, and was a regular contributor on Lifetime Live. Lictenberg graduated from Harvard Business School.

Cost is $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members if paid by April 12. $5 additional after April 12 and at the door.

Wednesday, April 7, 2004 - 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Women in Business Networking Mixer

Hosted By Cityscape Bar and Restaurant
46th Flr. atop the Hilton San Francisco
333 O'Farrell between Mason & Taylor Streets

Make new contacts and practice the fine art of networking with hundreds of achievement-oriented professional women and women business-owners at our first Women in Business Networking Mixer of 2004! Dine on delectable hors d'oeuvres and enjoy a beautiful view of San Francisco and the Bay Area 46 stories up at Cityscape Bar and Restaurant.

Zagat's Dining Guide describes Cityscape as "Floating 460 feet above the ground, this Downtown American aerie offers jaw-dropping panoramic views of the San Francisco cityscape, the Bay and the Bridges from every table." Perfect for cocktails at sunset, pre- and post-theatre dining and dancing nightly. Chef Adam Timney serves a seasonally driven Californian menu and a spectacular live jazz Sunday brunch buffet.

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 7-9 am
Women in Business Roundtable Committee

Learn the Art of Great Customer Service
with Holly Stiel, author and presenter

Retaining a customer is always less expensive than acquiring a new one, making your customers the core value of your business.

Learn to apply Holly Stiel’s unique customer service philosophy: "Neon Signs of Service" with more than ten memorable techniques. Employing these proven methods make an immediate impact in the outcome of any customer interaction.

Learn to:

• Manage customer expectations
• Increase your profit margin by strategically focusing on customer satisfaction
• Build loyalty and handle difficult situations with finesse
• Take control by putting the power of choice into action
• Concentrate on the intellectual compensation and stimulation of your job.

Holly Stiel, M.A. is a pioneer in the customer service field. She was the first American woman admitted to the exclusive international concierges' association Les Clefs d'Or in Vienna. Stiel single-handedly started the concierge department at San Francisco's Grand Hyatt, and was the chief concierge for 16 years. Her clients include: Nordstrom, Disneyland, Hewlett Packard, and Bank of America. Stiel is the author of The Neon Signs of Service, Thank You Very Much- A Book For Anyone Who Has Ever Said, “May I Help You,” and the Ultimate Service, The Complete Handbook To The World Of The Concierge. In 1999 Holly was awarded the "Distinguished Visiting Professor" award from Johnson & Wales University.

Cost to attend is $25 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members if paid by March 8. $5 additional after March 8 and at the door.

Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - 7-9 am
How to Be an Effective Leader
with Debra Boblitt, vice president/agency, State Farm Insurance

"To be an effective leader, you must develop a positive energy that will inspire those who follow you." In this interactive and informative presentation learn effective leadership strategies to develop and leverage your sphere of influence. Discover how to build and cultivate relationships through a consistent networking process.

With more than 15 years experience at State Farm, Debra Boblitt has been vice president/agency for the Bay Area market since 2001. She provides vision, strategy and direction for her leadership team and the 460 Bay Area agents. Prior to her career at State Farm, Boblitt spent 12 years in education. She received her bachelor's degree in education from Kent State University, and a master's degree in administration and supervision from the University of Toledo. Currently, she serves on the board of the Professional Business Women of California.

Cost is $25 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members if paid by Jan. 16.
$5 additional after Jan. 16 and at the door.