When top event professionals gather to celebrate each other, the top item on the agenda is building a network. That is why Smart Woman Summit was designed to foster meaningful conversations. From the kick off at a sponsor-speaker salon to Provocateur Circles based on Soundings’ Career Archetypes surveys, participants left knowing themselves, their goals and what they need to do to get there. Following is a behind-the-scenes look at how a simple awards gathering has grown into a touchstone for lifting up the entire community.
Read More: Presenting the 2026 Smart Women in Meetings Award Winners
1. The Right People
Since we have named 100 leaders who inspire us each year over the last 11 years, more than 1,000 women and allies are now part of the community. The result is that everyone in the room comes with a shared connection and a dedication to deepening those relationships.
2. A Powerful Message
Mainstage messages raised the bar on what is possible. Supermodel, “The Mummy” actor, mother and humanitarian Patricia Velasquez shared the secrets for entering any room with confidence and purpose. In her dramatic rise to fame from humble beginnings in Venezuela, she learned to pursue opportunities that spoke to her personal values and today, as an UNESCO Person of Influence, runs the nonprofit Wayuu Taya Foundation, working to improve living conditions, education, healthcare and nutrition for indigenous Wayuu communities in Latin America while respecting their cultural traditions.
Olympian Sarah Wells echoed those calls for setting the bar high with her story of challenge, resiliency and overcoming the unthinkable. As an excellence architect, she laid out a journey of adaptability and continuous growth through everyday actions.
3. Personalized Coaching
Armed with an understanding of their strengths and where they wanted to go, participants had access to experts who could strategize with them one-on-one to plan their next small—or large—step.
Communication strategist and professor Sherron Washington addressed the influence gap between where people are and where they want to go.
Soundings CEO Tracy Judge and Chief of Staff Nikki Gonzales identified the traits that will be valuable in the coming AI events world and helped participants position their personal strengths to fit those opportunities.
See Agency CEO Christa Haberstock helped event professionals adopt The Obvious Advantage framework to stop chasing what they don’t have and start owning what they do.
4. A Sense of Belonging
At the end of the day, after strutting on the catwalk during the Smart Women in Meetings Gala dinner had come to a close, everyone felt pampered, included and empowered to rise.
