Woman to Woman
- By Patty Hutchens.
- Mar 13, 2015
- 3 min read
Women & Business Retreat returns to Bonners Ferry.
After a one year hiatus, the Bonners Ferry Chamber of Commerce’s Women & Business group is ready to ramp-up again with a great day of networking opportunities ranging from inspiring speakers to wine tasting.
The group began in 2013 and experienced great success at its one-day retreat, with over 50 women from the community in attendance. In 2014, instead of putting on the conference, the Women & Business group chose to focus its attention and energy on the return of the Kootenai River Days. And they definitely achieved their goal. “We wanted to focus on that being a success,” said Jaycee Atkins, the manager of Picturesque Salon in Bonners Ferry and a committee member for this year’s Women & Business event.
As they return to their mission of supporting women in the Bonners Ferry community, the Women & Business committee is busy planning this year’s retreat, which will take place at the Boundary County Fairgrounds on Friday, April 24 from 12pm to 8pm. There will be several events that will help provide local women with the tools they need to run a successful business as well as give them an opportunity to connect with and learn from others in the community.
“We plan to have more speakers on several topics ranging from social media to business development,” said Jaycee of the upcoming event. But those on the committee also hope to bring some entertaining activities to the group as well. “We plan to add a beer and wine tasting demonstration this year for something fun,” said Jaycee. “So when we do dine out, we’ll know what glass of wine to choose with our main course.”
Fellow chamber member, Wendy Hawks, attended the Sandpoint chamber women’s conference in November. “We wanted to see what other chambers were doing,” said Wendy, who adds that the Bonners Ferry Women & Business retreat will be an interactive event allowing many women to meet and learn more about one another. “A majority of businesses here in Bonners Ferry are run by women,” said Wendy. “In fact, women manage all of the local banks in the area.”
While the name, Women & Business, may lead one to believe that the event is open only to women who currently own a business, that is not the case.
“We know that there are several women who have a home-based business or are looking to begin a business. We hope that this will inspire them to want to be a part of our chamber and continue working hard to make their business come to life,” explained Jaycee.
The cost to attend the conference is yet to be decided, but the committee seeks to make it affordable, and hopes to raise enough money to cover the cost of paying the speakers, providing the food and paying to rent the space.
Wendy said they hope to have many vendors, including many home-based businesses. “We want all women in the community to attend,” said Wendy. “And that includes the stay at home moms in the community.”
While invitations will be sent to all local businesses, anyone can RSVP to Jaycee either to her email or by calling her. “Seating is limited so it’s important that people RSVP as soon as possible,” said Jaycee.
The group will distribute gift bags to all attendees and are looking for business cards, flyers, pens or any item related to one’s business that can be part of the bags the women take home. “Some people like to do gift cards or goodies; it’s totally up to them, but we ask for at least 50,” explained Jaycee, adding that any donations can be dropped off at Picturesque at 7196 Main Street.
Jaycee encourages businesses to have tables at the event, which is an additional $25 fee. It will not only help market your business, but it will provide a great opportunity for people to network and do a little browsing as well.
“We had a lot of home-based businesses last time and had a shopping time,” said Jaycee. “It was quite fun and the businesses had drawings for people who attended the event.”
For more information, contact Jaycee Atkins at 208.267.4421 or 208.304.0344. You can also email her at jaycee@picturesque-bf.com. For more information and details of this year’s Women & Business retreat, log onto their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/bcwb2015.
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