by Dot Cannon
Their theme will be #WEAREPIONEERS.
The second annual Wonder Women Tech Conference is coming to Long Beach on Saturday, July 16th. They’re all about STEAM, innovation, women and diversity.
And with more than 150 speakers, coding workshops, a pitch competition and plenty of networking, that 2016 theme may just be an understatement.
Scheduled speakers include Almas Jiwani, President of United Nations Canada Board of Directors; Rochelle Briscoe, Special Assistant to President Obama in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel; and Yoon-Jin Chang, Miss Korea 2010. Panel discussions with NASA, 10,000 Small Businesses and Virgin Galactic are on the program. Workshops will include “TechBoss 101” and “Build Your Online Business”.
Empowerment, and disrupting the regular “conference model”, are the main goals of this two-day conference. Seniors can learn “Computer Basics” in a scheduled workshop. A “Junior Innovation Camp” will give underrepresented children and adults a chance to learn to code. A networking lounge will be set up, as well as a “Meet and Greet the Speaker” cabana lounge.
On Sunday, the #INVESTINABOSS Pitch Competition happens at 1:30. Meanwhile, a Career Fair and Inclusion Expo will be in progress on both days, in the Long Beach Convention Center’s Hall A. But this is no “submit-your-resume-and-we’ll-get-back-to-you” event. This Career Fair will have its own “Pitch Stage”, and candidates will be selected to pitch their skills to recruiters.
A new venue
Long Beach is a new location for the Wonder Women Tech Conference, which debuted in Playa Vista in 2015. Wonder Women Tech Founder Lisa Mae Brunson says in a news release that her organization has partnered with the city of Long Beach for the next three years.
Apparently, more than a few participants are already looking forward to 2017! Wonder Women Tech has announced in its news release that it currently has a “waitlist” of speakers for next year–with more than 1,500 candidates from over 20 different countries.
Registration begins at 7:00 am, Saturday, July 16th, for Wonder Women Tech Conference 2016, at Long Beach Convention Center, located at 300 East Ocean Boulevard. Saturday’s kickoff and opening remarks by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, founder Lisa Mae Brunson and Long Beach Councilmembers start at 9 am in the Grand Ballroom. The conference runs through 6 pm, Sunday, July 17th.