Women's Expo Offers 'Great Escape'

Sometimes it's good to simply escape from the everyday routine. 

It can be refreshing to get one’s mind relaxed, challenged or simply refreshed.  Several dozen women and a dozen or so men converged last week on the Aloft Hotel – BWI in Linthicum to do that by taking advantage of a “” adventure. 

Pickle Dell, newly published author of Through a Mother's Pain, the Child Cries, Ginny Robertson, editor of Woman of Purpose magazine, and Vicky Richardson of the RAACE Foundation (Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere) were all in attendance. Richardson is scouting the area for additional office space for RAACE in Dundalk, Essex and Middle River.  She was also one of the “10 Amazing Women” on the panel during Thursday morning’s conference.

Along with the amazing women, there was also a “9 Amazing Men” panel, which included three of Fox45’s “Good Fellas”—a new show due to air soon.  Participating in the conference were the show’s creator, A.J. Ali of Marathon of Miracles; Ken Rochon of Perfect Networker and Perfect Publisher; and Brad Bergersen of 24K Brokers and 24K Jewelers.  Rochon and Bergersen also co-host an hour-long show at WOLB – 1010AM on Saturday mornings called Perfect Venture Radio. 

Dawn Converse, a BNI Director (Baltimore-Networking Inc), was the Women’s Expo Conference chairperson. This was a first-time venture into expanding the Women’s Expo. Gathering the panel participants was just the tip of the iceberg for Converse;  she also recruited interesting workshop presenters as well as a several local authors.

Friday’s agenda kicked off with a workshop by Eric Brotman of Brotman Financial Group. He is the author of Debt-Free for Life: The Tools You Need to Free Yourself from Debt. Workshop participants took copious notes while Brotman answered questions about things people often overlook, don’t understand or just don’t know they should know them in the first place.

Comments such as “I didn’t know that!” or “Why doesn’t a banker or mortgage broker ever tell you these things?” were heard numerous times throughout the presentation. I can’t wait to read his book.

 Other workshops throughout the two-day event focused on various aspects of business—branding and logos, marketing and networking, as well as some legal considerations such as copyright, trademark and legal tips. Rouding out the agenda were sessions such as "Links, Tweets and Blogs, Oh My!" and "Ghost Hunting!"

Throughout the conference, old friends caught up, new friends were met, and connections were made.  Follow-up events are being arranged and brought to the Essex Middle River area, beginning with a book fair in June.