SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

8: 00 a.m. - 5: 00 p.m.
Facilitator Training Session (for WPO facilitators only)

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop (for WPO members only)
Leadership and Innovation in the The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Case
Professor Sandra Sucher, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and Professor Lynda Applegate, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Co-Head, Entrepreneurial Management Unit
Presented by: Harvard Business School at the Harvard Business School (transportation will be provided)

4: 00 p.m. - 6: 00 p.m.
Zenith Group Roundtable Session (Zenith Group members only)

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Wine Tasting Reception
Sponsored by: Sonoma-Cutrer
The Westin Copley Place

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Facilitator Dinner (by invitation only)

Thursday, April 24, 2008

8: 00 a.m. - 5: 00 p.m.
Conference Registration
The Westin - Copley Place
10 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02116-5798

8: 00 a.m. - 12: 00 p.m.
Women Presidents' Organization Board of Directors Meeting (by invitation only)

8: 00 a.m. - 12: 00 p.m.
Facilitator Training Session (WPO facilitators only)

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

9: 00 a.m. - 11: 00 a.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop (open to all)
Women's Business Ownership: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Hosted By: The National Women's Business Council

Participants:
Kathryn Eshelman, President, Grade A Notes
Leslie Saunders, President/Owner, Leslie Saunders Insurance Agency
Barbara Kasoff, President, WIPP; Vice President, Grassroots Impact

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop (open to all)
Financials and Your Company's Performance - take your financials for an individual analysis.
Hosted By: Kathleen T. McGahran, President & CEO, Pelham Associates, Inc., Faculty Director, Columbia University's Executive Education Programs, Faculty Member, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Pre-Conference Workshop (open to all)
Demystifying Angel Investing
Stephanie Hanbury-Brown, Founder & Managing Director, Golden Seeds

CORPORATE FOCUS GROUPS

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Corporate Focus Group
Hosted by: Chubb & Son

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Corporate Focus Group
Hosted by: The Principal Financial Group

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Corporate Focus Group
Hosted by: Open from American Express ™

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Corporate Focus Group
Hosted by: Hewlett-Packard

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Corporate Focus Groups
Hosted by: Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

12:00 noon - 5:00 p.m.
Conference Exhibit Hall Opens (open to all)
CyberCafe Opens (open to all)
Sponsored by: Hewlett-Packard

2: 30 p.m. - 4: 30 p. m.
Opening Session
Sponsored by: Open from American Express ™
Welcome and Introductions: Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., President & Founder, WPO
Introduction of Keynote Speaker: Marcy Shinder, VP of Brand Marketing Strategy, Open from American Express™
Keynote Speaker: Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink

6: 00 p.m. - 7:00 p. m.
Opening Reception - Westin Copley Place Hotel

7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Dine-Around Dinners at Prudential Center Skywalk
Hosted by: Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts WPO Chapters

Friday, April 25, 2008

7: 00 a.m. - 7: 45 a.m.
Morning Exercise (optional)
Jazzercise - Led by San Diego WPO Member, Judi Sheppard-Missett, CEO, President and Founder, Jazzercise

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Buffet Breakfast
Sponsored by: Wachovia

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Conference Exhibit Hall Opens (open to all)
CyberCafe Opens (open to all)
Sponsored by: Hewlett-Packard

8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Greetings and Introductions
Marsha Firestone, Ph. D., President & Founder, WPO

8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Keynote Speaker: Sung-Joo Kim, Chairperson, Sungjoo Group
Sponsored by: WalMart and Sam's Club

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Break

10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Workshops - Morning Session (select one of five)

1. Making Innovation Pay: Capitalizing on Your Intellectual Property
Speaker: Representatives from Foley and Lardner, LLP
Sponsored by: The Principal Financial Group
Description: This workshop will provide concrete tips on developing new methods and intellectual property (IP) strategies to secure your IP in the global marketplace, and will provide strategies to help you benefit from what you may already have in place.

2. Jumpstart Your Innovation
Speaker: Lynda Applegate, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Co-Head, Entrepreneurial Management Unit
Sponsored by: Morgan Stanley
It's tough to identify opportunities and build sustainable businesses when the world is changing at warp speed. While many executives long for more stability, savvy business leaders recognize that this challenging environment provides fertile ground for finding and exploiting opportunities. This workshop will provide frameworks and tools that business owners need to jumpstart and sustain innovation in turbulent times.

3. Women in Family Enterprise: Taking Innovation to the Next Level
Speakers: Professor Candida G. Brush, Division Chair in Entrepreneurship, Babson College and Professor Les Charm, Adjunct Professor, Entrepreneurship, Babson College
Sponsored by: KeyBank
Statistics show that many family enterprises do not survive the third generation. One of the biggest challenges is innovation and a leadership plan. This workshop will help you to identify challenges and opportunities for taking your family business to the next level.

4. Innovative Strategic Planning
Speaker: Rebecca Henderson, Eastman Kodak LFM Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School
Sponsored by: UPS
What is your strategy? Is it to "grow fast, profitably"? This workshop will argue that a focused, precise strategic understanding is a critically important tool for making tough choices and for planning for the future.

5. Innovative Ideas for Reaching Your Target Audience
Speaker: Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President, Edelman
Sponsored by: Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Discover a model for creating innovative ideas for promoting your company, whether you're reaching out to other businesses or trying to engage consumers with your brand. Find out why the lines of PR, advertising, marketing and promotion are blurring and how it impacts your business.

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Luncheon
Sponsored by: Chubb & Son

1:00 p.m. - 1:15 p m.
Mary Lehman MacLachlan Economic Empowerment Award
Introduction of Award: Marsha Firestone, President & Founder, WPO
Presentation of Award: Katherine A. Lehman, Principal, Lincolnshire Management, Inc., daughter of Mary Lehman

Introduction and Presentation of WPO President's Award
Marsha Firestone, President & Founder, WPO

1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Introduction of Keynote: Marilyn Johnson, Vice President, Marketing Development, IBM
Innovation and Entrepreneurship: The Key Maintaining the Competitive Advantage
Keynote Address: Marc Lautenbach, General Manager, Americas, IBM
Sponsored by: IBM

2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Break

2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Workshops - Afternoon Session (select one of five)

1. Making Innovation Pay: Capitalizing on Your Intellectual Property
Speaker: Representatives from Foley and Lardner, LLP
Sponsored by: The Principal Financial Group
Description: This workshop will provide concrete tips on developing new methods and intellectual property (IP) strategies to secure your IP in the global marketplace, and will provide strategies to help you benefit from what you may already have in place.

2. Jumpstart Your Innovation
Speaker: Lynda Applegate, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, Co-Head, Entrepreneurial Management Unit
Sponsored by: Morgan Stanley
It's tough to identify opportunities and build sustainable businesses when the world is changing at warp speed. While many executives long for more stability, savvy business leaders recognize that this challenging environment provides fertile ground for finding and exploiting opportunities. This workshop will provide frameworks and tools that business owners need to jumpstart and sustain innovation in turbulent times.

3. Women in Family Enterprise: Taking Innovation to the Next Level
Speakers: Professor Candida G. Brush, Division Chair in Entrepreneurship, Babson College and Professor Les Charm, Adjunct Professor, Entrepreneurship, Babson College
Sponsored by: KeyBank
Statistics show that many family enterprises do not survive the third generation. One of the biggest challenges is innovation and a leadership plan. This workshop will help you to identify challenges and opportunities for taking your family business to the next level.

4. Innovative Strategic Planning
Speaker: Rebecca Henderson, Eastman Kodak LFM Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School
Sponsored by: UPS
What is your strategy? Is it to "grow fast, profitably"? This workshop will argue that a focused, precise strategic understanding is a critically important tool for making tough choices and for planning for the future.

5. Innovative Ideas for Reaching Your Target Audience
Speaker: Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President, Edelman
Sponsored by: Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Discover a model for creating innovative ideas for promoting your company, whether you're reaching out to other businesses or trying to engage consumers with your brand. Find out why the lines of PR, advertising, marketing and promotion are blurring and how it impacts your business.

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Platinum Group Meeting Session (by invitation only)

6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Reception and Buffet at the Harvard Club
Sponsored by: Prudential

Saturday, April 26, 2008

7: 00 a.m. - 7: 45 a.m.
Morning Exercise (optional)
Jazzercise - Led by San Diego WPO Member, Judi Sheppard-Missett, CEO, President and Founder, Jazzercise

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast
Sponsored by: Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Conference Exhibit Hall Opens (open to all)
CyberCafe Opens (open to all)
Sponsored by: Hewlett-Packard

9: 00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Innovation Panel
Accelerate Your Business Growth Through Innovation
Speakers:
Gail Goodman, President & CEO, Constant Contact
Diane Hessan, President & CEO, Communispace
Lani Hay, President & CEO, Lanmark Technology, Inc., WPO Baltimore Member
Moderator: Suzanne Bates, President & CEO, Bates Communications, Inc., WPO Boston Member

All panelists are winners of Entrepreneur Magazine / WPO 50 Fastest Growing Companies

10: 15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m. - 12: 00 noon
Closing Program
Paradigm Orchestra
Orchestrating Innovation

12: 00 noon - 12: 30 p.m.
Closing Session
Sponsored by: American Airlines
Drawings for Gifts (must be present to win)
Thank You's
Announcement of Next Year's Conference