WOMEN IN CARWASH
Women in Carwash 5 – We Can’t Wait To See You!
One of the advantages of the virtual conference was its ease of participation from across the continent. Participants received a welcome box in advance including a Women in Carwash t-shirt and a lovely, brushed silver stemless wine cup to be used at the virtual cocktail reception. With a few changes to the starting times to accommodate attendees from as far away as Alaska, California, Florida, and Newfoundland, Canada, it was possible to introduce each attendee as they “entered the room.” And although handshakes weren’t possible and hug a distant memory, the cocktail reception was the introduction to everyone from the comfort of their homes leading into the rest of the conference.
But in January, Women in Carwash gets back to its original in-person format. The first two of these unique conferences exceeded expectations and left guests enriched and inspired. As one guest put it:
Just finished an awesome virtual leadership conference called Women in Carwash.
This conference had a great speaker line up over three days! I feel like I got a lot of very valuable and informative information. It was also great how they structured the breakout rooms to enable smaller conversation and networking.
If you are in the industry, you should keep an eye out for the next conference…hopefully in person!
Margaret Horsfield
President and CEO at J.E. Adams Industries
The conferences offered insight into the business environment that women in the car washing industry are creating. “We wanted our guests to be inspired, motivated, and energized by the presentations, discussions, networking opportunities and after-hours fun, and to leave with practical tools to strengthen their business,” says Brenda Johnstone, co-creator of the conference.
When first organizing the conference, it was asked if participation should be limited to women. The answer was an emphatic “no” as Johnstone put it: “The fact that this is the first ever Women in Carwash conference is proof that the many women who have built their success in the industry didn’t need any special help to get there, so they certainly don’t need it now.”
In its own unique way, Women in Carwash recognizes and celebrates the best of what is already happening in the industry and further promotes it. “We knew we were on the right track when we found men asking if they are allowed to participate.” says Andrew Klukas, the other half of the founding team.
And for those who are unable to travel, Women in Carwash will continue to offer an annual virtual conference. The last two virtual conferences had people join from across the continent with many representing small organizations that, particularly in those difficult times, would have struggled to send people to attend. The virtual conference is here to stay.
Meline Beach is a Toronto-based communications practitioner and frequent contributor to Convenience & Carwash Canada. In addition to freelance writing, Meline provides communications and public relations support to businesses across Canada. She can be reached at www.mlbcomms.ca.
