"California first lady Maria Shriver's annual Women's Conference sold out faster than a Stones concert.
The gathering of marquee speakers from the worlds of business, politics, education, human rights advocacy, the arts, publishing and other fields, is arguably Long Beach's most engaging annual event.
The only problem, as Shriver explained to me earlier this year, is that not enough women are able to attend the program at the Long Beach Convention Center and Arena because demand outstrips capacity.
To address the problem, Shriver expanded an auxiliary event, the Oct. 26 Night at the Village, to accommodate more women and feature more big-name guests. She is billing the Village as a place to network, shop, hear speakers, meet chefs and talk books with authors. It all adds up to a one-evening respite from work and familial responsibilities.
'Night at The Village is a celebration of women and all the things we love,' Shriver said Friday. 'From the very beginning, the vision for this event was to enrich a woman's mind, body and spirit by connecting them to important information, products, services, professional networking and volunteer opportunities, as well as to other women who will empower them to be architects of change in their lives, within their communities and around the world.'"
The gathering of marquee speakers from the worlds of business, politics, education, human rights advocacy, the arts, publishing and other fields, is arguably Long Beach's most engaging annual event.
The only problem, as Shriver explained to me earlier this year, is that not enough women are able to attend the program at the Long Beach Convention Center and Arena because demand outstrips capacity.
To address the problem, Shriver expanded an auxiliary event, the Oct. 26 Night at the Village, to accommodate more women and feature more big-name guests. She is billing the Village as a place to network, shop, hear speakers, meet chefs and talk books with authors. It all adds up to a one-evening respite from work and familial responsibilities.
'Night at The Village is a celebration of women and all the things we love,' Shriver said Friday. 'From the very beginning, the vision for this event was to enrich a woman's mind, body and spirit by connecting them to important information, products, services, professional networking and volunteer opportunities, as well as to other women who will empower them to be architects of change in their lives, within their communities and around the world.'"