Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/825348
4 women a who's who special edition s HEday founders Marina James, Mary Jane Loustel and Brenda LaRose had modest hopes for the inaugural event in January 2015. Their initial plan to host an affordable leadership conference for 100 women had to be revised upward to meet an overwhelming demand for tickets. Some 500 women attended that first year, and last year, SHEday quickly sold out again, with an attendance of 780. This January, 1,100 people attended the third SHEday at RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg, snapping up every available ticket within three days. And demand continues to grow. "I know people that gave SHEday tickets as Christmas gifts or holiday gifts because they wanted to give the gift of possibilities for women," says James, former CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg (EDW) and current CEO of WinnipegREALTORS. "For me, SHEday is so very personally rewarding. I give my all to make sure that the content, speakers and format is the best that it can be for the benefit of our Winnipeg and Manitoba women." SHEday aims to inspire and encourage women to take leadership roles — not just in business, but in every area of society. Women's Enterprise Centre of Manitoba (WECM) CEO Sandra Altner immediately recognized it was in perfect alignment with WECM's mandate. Onboard in 2016, the agency is now a full presenter of SHEday. "We're so delighted and feel so privileged to have been involved in SHEday's evolution and development and equally delighted and thrilled that it has been so successful and has resonated with so many women," Altner says. WECM was established in the mid-1990s to help women overcome financial barriers to starting their own businesses, providing loans, business advising and training to facilitate growth, but Altner says the agency's involvement in SHEday is not just about promoting entrepreneurship. "We just think that women need to recognize their own potential and their own power to achieve success in their lives — however they dream it, however they define it." This year, women of all ages, from all walks of life, heard from dynamic speakers including Olympic gold medalist in hockey Jennifer Botterill, Vancouver-based networking experts Judy Thomson and Gayle Hallgren- Rezac, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson and Farah Sharing, Hearing, Empowering… and Growing.