During the month of November I attended a Women in Business POW (Presenting Opportunities for Women) Conference at Villanova University.
The focus of this panel was women finding their place in the Fashion and Entertainment Industries; they discussed the plethora of jobs for women outside of those categories, but those two industries were their main focus. They elaborated more on the ever-changing business roles in the industries, however it was not in a manor os discouragement, rather quite opportunistic.
They brought in guest speakers from NBC Sports, the NCAA Big East Conference, and the Philadelphia Phillies. In the entertainment world of sports it always seem daunting no matter the gender of a person, but women especially; it seems to be a male dominated industry at first glance, but the panelist discussed the upcoming jobs and opportunities within the industry that women have. It was quite invigorating to see the doors that one can open right in front of you, sitting at a panel. Christine Dorlfer climbed as high as the Chief Financial advisor in NBC Sports; she didn’t shy away from the fact that it was a daunting and hard road, but she went down it nonetheless, and came out on top.
In recent news, with the gender inequality pay and the disappointing ratio of women to men in business, it is not hard to see the hardships for the female gender specifically; business is a hard career path to take regardless, but it was amazing to see the women in an industry that wasn’t just finance.
Furthermore, there were more panelist for the fashion industry; Emily Quadrino, who herself was a Villanova graduate, works at Global Fragrance & Lifestyle Marketing at Fresh LVMH. This section especially interested me, as it should for all business people out there, gender regardless. The fashion industry has such a large scope: from runway, to magazines, street-style, commercial stores, editorials, merchandising, production, the possibilities seem endless.
After the panelists spoke, there was a networking event that provided even more opportunities for anyone to stick their foot in the door. Anxieties and fears could be addressed by those who experienced first hand those same questions many had in their minds. It was a great chance to get to know the women in the panel, but furthermore what they stood for.
The event illuminated that women are banding together to help each other, to excel with one another. However, regardless of gender, it was a great event to understand the type of jobs someone could go into within those two huge industries; on top of that, it is support that gave the event the cherry on top. Everyone supporting one another, and I believe that applies to everyone in any field.
In addition here are some articles that delve into the evolving college path and career path for women, men in women in the workplace, and how to use your voice to secure the life and job you want. All are courtesy of the Wall Street Journal which also possesses a Women In Business column as well.
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