Business students take on leading role at Inspiring Women Conference

Not only did eight administrative professional students help with co-hosting, marketing and decorating, but they also applied the theory they learned in the classroom in a real-life setting.

“It's a really good experience for us. Since most of us are going into office spaces for our practicums and careers, this was a great opportunity for us to learn the proper etiquette and planning it takes to run a conference,” says Morgann McManus, an administrative professional student. 

McManus and her classmates were each given a task. McManus was in charge of scheduling her classmates as emcees for the event’s breakaway sessions, as well as writing scripts for them to introduce the speakers. Among the speakers were Lakeland alumni Wendy Plandowski, Class of 1991 university transfer; Leanne (nee Lozinsky) Hawes, Class of 2007 business; and Kristine Knourek, Class of 2007 business and Class of 2008 commerce.

Hannah Rauser was in charge of the seating plan and business cards. She says the experience really helped them to build on their communication and networking skills.

“We all worked together as a team. I was really pushed out of my comfort zone and had to learn new things as we went along. I feel this experience was a great addition to my education,” Rauser says.

They also took charge of the registration table, acted as escorts and seated attendees, organized the door prizes, engaged with an online audience through social media and administered surveys.

Two other business students, Heather Healey and Shelby Becker, acted as moderators for the panel discussion.

KT & Company’s Terra Weaver, a Class of 1991 animal health technology Lakeland alumna, and Kelly Sidoryk both shared an enthusiasm for Lakeland’s business students’ participation. 

“When we first started this event, Kelly and I were doing everything from decorating and marketing. We had often thought about having business students involved with the conference, so when Lakeland came to us we said yes right away,” says Weaver.

“The students have only been involved for a few weeks but it has been a huge help,” adds Sidoryk. “They’ve come up with great ideas to elevate our impact and relationship with our guests, like creating a Snapchat filter, helping us with social media and making our surveys available on laptops.”

Lakeland College is a proud sponsor of the Inspiring Women Conference. The Lloydminster conference featured Jess Tatu, owner of Just For You Day Spas, founder and CEO of Lia Reese Beauty, and one of Canada's 2018 Top 40 under 40 award recipients. The panel discussion featured local professionals, including Olivia Brockhoff, Marilyn Young and Brandi Hofer.

Photos: Top - Morgann McManus (centre) and Hannah Rauser (right) with their classmate at the Inspiring Women Conference. Middle - Administrative professional students acted as co-hosts at the conference and helped attendees fill out online surveys. Bottom - Heather Healey (left) and Shelby Becker (right) emcee the panel discussion.