Prince Edward Island's third annual Women in Business Symposium - "Business Growth for Business Success" - will be held on October 20 and 21 at the Loyalist Country Inn in Summerside, in conjunction with Small Business Week.
Presented by the PEI Business Women's Association (PEIBWA), the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and PEI Business Development, the symposium features a range of dynamic workshops and speakers.
"Women entrepreneurs are the fastest growing segment of small business creators in the Atlantic Provinces today," said the Honourable Wayne Easter, Solicitor General of Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of State for ACOA. "ACOA is pleased to support the PEIBWA's efforts in organizing this conference and in delivering other services for women entrepreneurs under the Women in Business Initiative."
"The province of Prince Edward Island is pleased to support the Woman in Business Symposium as it offers women entrepreneurs the opportunity to network and learn innovative ideas to achieve their business potential," said Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology. "It's rewarding to see more Island women entrepreneurs getting involved in our business environment and having a significant impact on our PEI economy."
Keynote speakers for the symposium are Nancy Regan, television personality and motivational speaker and Kim Griffin, Vice President-Ontario, Brewers of Canada. Sessions include An Inside Look at Small Business Financing, Achieving Excellence in Customer Service, How to Make the Right Hire, Getting to Success, Relationship Management and Effective Marketing Plans.
"As an Island wide association, we are thrilled to be presenting Symposium 20003 in Summerside this year," said Cathy Rose, President of the Prince Edward Island Business Women's Association. "We look forward to another exciting event with excellent participation."
ACOA is pleased to be partnering with the PEIBWA to deliver program elements of the Women in Business Initiative (WBI) on Prince Edward Island. The key objectives of the WBI are to: strengthen management capabilities and business development skills of women-owned businesses; improve access to capital and business support services for the start-up and growth of women-owned businesses; and increase the involvement of women-owned businesses selling in international markets and knowledge-based industries.