Supported
Inspired
Motivated
Fun
Beauty
Excited
These are some of the words that participants used to describe their feelings about The Successful Woman – Lifestyle, Legacy, and Leading by Example, the International Women’s Day conference / retreat that took place at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme hotel in Paris, France on March 7-8, 2019.
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme – façade
After an intimate welcome reception on the evening of March 6, high-achieving women from both sides of the Atlantic experienced two days of professional and personal development around the themes of lifestyle, legacy, and leading by example. The simple elegance of the venue, the openmindedness and openheartedness of the attendees, and the dynamism of the speakers and facilitators made this a unique learning experience where inspiration, rejuvenation of spirit, and connection with like-minded women were the order of the day.
Park Hyatt sponsored the welcome reception on March 6. Speakers and facilitators mingled with attendees, enjoyed champagne and hors d’oeuvres in the Restaurant Sens, and visited the hotel bar, which would be privatized for our lunch on both days of the conference.
Restaurant Sens
Joerg Leser, the hotel’s sales and marketing director, provided a fascinating art / architecture tour of the hotel’s public spaces, which feature numerous original works by French sculptress Rosaline Granet. Paintings from the hotel’s permanent collection of contemporary art were also on display and attendees learned that many of these works were also created by women artists.
Art / Architecture tour with Joerg Leser
On the morning of March 7, Fanny Guibouret of Hyatt Corporation’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Counciil delivered inspiring opening remarks that set the tone for the day. Among the information she shared was the fact that in 2018, for the first time, Hyatt promoted more women than men to General Manager positions at its properties in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. This is a significant milestone that illustrates the company’s active support of women in leadership.
Fanny Guibouret
Keynote speaker Sylvie di Giusto followed with an invigorating and eye-opening presentation that demonstrated the important influence of our first impression on our ability to lead effectively.
Sylvie di Giusto
Attendees not only listened attentively, but also got on their feet to participate in exercises designed to help them understand what first impression they made on fellow attendees and to compare that impression with the one they would like people to have of them.
Image Roadmap exercise
The exercises inspired laughter and thoughtful reflection, which fueled conversations held over a lovely buffet luncheon.
At lunch
The introspection from the morning laid the groundwork for the first of two mastermind sessions that comprised the retreat portion of the event. Participants broke into small groups and spent the afternoon creating a “Wheel of Life” that required them to reflect on all aspects of their lifestyle (home / family, work, finances, physical health…) and evaluate how satisfied they are with each one. They were then asked to focus on one area and discuss how they could be more satisfied with that area. Laughter and tears came forth as each participant settled into this time devoted to deep self-evaluation, feeling safe in the knowledge that everything shared during the conference would be held in the strictest confidence.
Giving a nod to Paris Fashion Week, which ended on March 5, WIF organized the conference’s networking reception at the Musée YSL. Participants gathered for a private champagne dinner cocktail at this gem of a museum, which preserves and presents the legacy of haute couture and ready-to-wear designer Yves Saint Laurent. The seeds of the relationships that were planted during the day began to sprout during this remarkable evening.
Musée YSL façade
Chatting about the day’s happenings
Day 2 began with a panel discussion on legacy, the purpose of which was to examine why it is important for women leaders to be conscious of their legacy; how various elements of legacy intertwine; and how leaders can build their legacy for their benefit and the benefit of those they serve. Carla Sorey-Reed spoke about personal legacy, Tanya Pein spoke about financial legacy, and Dr. Erma Manoncourt spoke about philanthropic legacy. Each panelist gave a ~10-minute presentation on her topic and then had the opportunity to ask her fellow panelists a question about the information they presented.
Left to right: Dr. Monique Y. Wells, Carla Sorey-Reed, Tanya Pein, and Dr. Erma Manoncourt
After the morning break, the floor was opened for interaction with conference participants. The questions posed quickly led to the sharing of emotional statements and personal revelations that moved most of the participants to tears. One of the attendees asked that WIF organize additional opportunities to explore this theme in greater detail and we have already begun to do so.
WIF’s founder and CEO, Dr. Monique Y. Wells, opened the afternoon session by presenting WIF’s women’s group, the L³ Alliance, in the context of everything the participants had experienced in the conference thus far. The subtitle of the conference – Lifestyle, Legacy, and Leading by Example – is what the three Ls in “L³” signify.
The L³ Alliance is a private group whose mission is to support high-achieving women with personal and professional challenges directly tied to their success, celebrate their successes – large and small, and assist them in maximizing their impact as they give back to their communities. It is now open for membership and conference attendees are the first persons to have the opportunity to apply.
The final activity of the day was a mastermind session during which participants created a plan to address a professional or personal challenge that they brought to the event. Participants broke into small groups and again shared their deepest, most private thoughts, questions, and concerns in an environment of complete confidentiality. Emotions ran high as they committed in writing to what they intend to accomplish and selected an accountability partner to help them stay on track and move forward with that plan.
To close the conference / retreat, participants and mastermind facilitators gathered in a circle to express their thoughts and feelings about what they experienced over the two days they spent together. Excitement was high and, once again, laughter and tears punctuated the exchange. Attendees left the conference replenished, energized, and ready to return to Paris for The Successful Woman 2020!
To view photos of the event, click HERE.
