The first time attending a major conference, such as Women in Aviation (WAI), is all about excitement. From spending days exploring the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN to the passionate speakers that fill ballrooms with their stories, many leave with feelings of awe and inspiration regarding this ever-changing industry.
From first-timers to three-year attendees, JETPUBS was humbled to participate in the WAI conference for the third year in a row as exhibitors. Here’s what a few of our first timers had to say about their conference experience!
“From astronauts researching future generations thriving on Mars to recent college graduates looking forward to starting their careers writing policy and procedures manuals, my favorite part of the WAI conference was getting to connect with individuals with such interesting and diverse backgrounds,” shared Diane Kaiser, Senior Publishing Specialist. “I found it amazing that we all had such a common bond through our love of aviation.”
“The enthusiasm is contagious,” said Cathy Nyseth, Manuals Service Specialist. “I could feel the solidarity and support from the other women the minute I walked into any room. The New Members Coffee and the WAI Membership Meeting were my favorite events: from meeting other first-timers to learning about the members of the WAI board, it was a great opportunity to learn more about WAI as an organization.”
“Being new to the Aviation industry, and conferences in general, I was blown away by the massive crowd and all of the booths!” exclaimed Krista Hallen, Administrative Assistant. “Looking at all of these airlines that I’d flown on for most of my life and having face-to-face interactions with companies that we work with all across the world was wondrous. There’s something exciting about being able to put a face to a name, and it’s eye-opening to be able to represent something that you’re passionate about. I very much enjoyed the tours and the sessions, especially Doreen Welsh, a Flight Attendant who saved countless lives during the Miracle on the Hudson. The crash is something most people have heard of, but hearing her speak about the event made me realize that I really didn’t know that much about the event at all. I feel like this conference pushed me out of my comfort zone, but in a great way.”
As many of our team members transition back into their everyday work and others continue traveling to additional tradeshows and conferences, reflecting back on our time at the WAI conference continues to inspire us. Whether we strive to build relationships with current clients whom we met at their booth for the first time, or we reach out to perspective clients that we swapped cards with at a dinner event, we know that the spark of the WAI conference will continue to help our industry thrive.
– Lauren Olson, JETPUBS Inc.