You can’t go it alone. Well, you can, but there’s only so high you can reach by yourself before you start running into roadblocks when it comes to running a business. Connecting with others at the best conferences for female entrepreneurs is an invaluable way to step your game up so you can accomplish your goals.
In some ways, it can be harder for women. Many programs, advice, and even conferences, are conducted without women in mind–from the challenges presented to the advice for day-to-day business growth.
You know this. That’s why you want to know the best conferences for female entrepreneurs.
But what is the actual difference, really? Is this all just a marketing scheme or is it truly better to look for female-only events?
Let’s take a look at what can be gained as well as which conferences are best for your needs.
Benefits of Conferences for Women-Only Entrepreneurs
In an effort to promote equality for men and women, many have forgotten that equality is not the goal. Equity is. Men and women are different and by women trying to be equal to men, we’ve overlooked the unique differences that allow women to thrive in business.
This also results in entrepreneur conferences often being hosted by men, geared toward men, and still operating in a way that primarily benefits men. Let’s be honest, even if they’re opening their doors to women and claiming to be equal opportunity establishments, the advice is still geared toward men.
For this reason, when it comes to female-owned businesses and discovering the best conferences for female entrepreneurs, seeking women-only events will often help more. These women can speak to the specific nuances women deal with when it comes to balancing family life, needing to work in a male-dominated space, and how to maximize your unique strengths as a woman without feeling incapable of certain functions that are much easier for men to do.
For example, women conferences often discuss how to organize your work life according to your hormonal cycle, something men don’t even understand, much less think it impacts a woman’s day-to-day life in the massive way it does.
Plus, it’s always nice to connect with other women who can relate to what you do and create a network of supportive people who can help you through specific challenges men don’t often face, and therefore can’t help with.
Best Conferences for Female Entrepreneurs to Feel Seen, Connect, & Share What Works
Of course there are benefits to any entrepreneur conference. Even those led by all-male teams are worthwhile and you’ll still learn a lot.
That said, if you want to experience the differences, these are the best conferences for female entrepreneurs:
1. Women Future Conference
The Women Future Conference is one that takes place once a year and covers material from raising capital, turning your passions into profits, mentorship, as well as general content around owning and running your own business.
This conference is run by women, for women. Many of the attendees cite the conference’s quality of education material, as well as the ability to connect and have conversations with other women in attendance.
Taking place once a year on an entirely virtual stage, the accessibility of this conference is a great one for women with busy lives to balance who can’t necessarily travel to an in-person event.
Learn more about one of the best conferences for female entrepreneurs.
Type: 100% Virtual
Features: 6 sessions and workshops, 25 speakers
Size: 500 attendees
2. Women Empower X
Women Empower X is among the best conferences for female entrepreneurs, but also for women in executive positions wanting to grow in their leadership and professional career. It’s historically been an in-person event, with the locations varying across the country.
If you’re the type who loves to connect with other women and you want to uplevel your leadership and executive skills, along with growing your business, definitely keep an eye on this year’s event for when they open applications.
Type: In-person
Features: Leadership, executives
Size: 1,000
3. Center for Women & Enterprise
While this is less of an annual conference, the Center for Women & Enterprise has many locations and times available for in-person meet-ups for workshops and on-demand instruction in the form of webinars.
The organizers of this describe themselves are seeking to create a more equitable world—not necessarily and equal one. This distinction is important because it’s clear that they understand that women have inherent strengths and traits that are different, and highly useful in the business world. And they’re willing to teach you how to use them!
You’ll find various methods of help here, including in-person connection meet-ups, coaching, online educational content, and an inclusive network.
Notably, this organization boasts a 43% people of color ratio, with 68% of its members being low income.
Type: In-person, virtual education
Features: Empowerment, flexibility, connecting with resources
Size: Varies
4. National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
The NAWBO isn’t just a one-time event, though there is a yearly leadership academy that’s held in-person. This is much like a Toastmasters, in which there are organizations led by people in various cities all over the United States.
You can see the various locations here:
The membership options vary pretty greatly, so it’s awesome if you want to pick and choose your level of involvement, including the options to go to in-person meet-ups or stick to the digital-only offers they have, like weekly power hours or weekly connections.
Type: In-person, Digital Events
Features: Networking, advocacy
Size: Varies
Finding Conferences for Women Near You
The best conferences for female entrepreneurs may just be the one that’s closest to you. While some don’t yet have the size and recognition to be readily searchable online, you can easily location conferences near you that might be more intimate in nature.
Here are a few methods to find local conferences for women entrepreneurs:
1. Google Search
Type in the phrase “conferences for women entrepreneurs 2024” or the target year in which you want to attend, and hit enter.
Then, some options will pop-up for you to refine the search further. Click the “Near me” button to find something locally.
You’ll get a more specific list, often a part of event boards and ticket sales websites, with more information about local events you can attend, the dates, and the ability to purchase right there. You can see I’m near Austin, Texas, but your results will be specific to your location.
The benefits of finding something local is the opportunity to build long-term connections and friendships with like-minded people in your city. These relationships can prove extremely important for support and the ongoing success of your business.
2. Reddit Community Asks
Reddit is awesome for discovering hacks, tips, and general information from people interested in the same things you are.
Once you have a Reddit account, search for a Subreddit that’s in line with your goal, like entrepreneurship. There’s an Entrepreneur subreddit with 3 million members, for example.
Once there, you can actually search the group itself for specific terms, like “conferences” and you’ll find an array of helpful information.
You can also create your own post (after you’ve engaged on other posts) asking for the best conferences for female entrepreneurs and get recommendations from people themselves.
3. Facebook Search
Nowadays, there are a lot of pages, events, and even groups that can help you find the best conferences for female entrepreneurs. This allows you to test the waters with the community first by joining the Facebook group itself.
From here, you’ll be able to see if the culture of the group fits your desires in what you’re looking for in the community. Then if they offer virtual or in-person conferences, it can be an easier “yes” to go and attend, already having connections and friends from the group.
To search for this, head up to your search bar and type in some keywords around “conferences for women entrepreneurs” and see what pops up. Join a few groups, take a peek at a few pages, and decide which is worth it for you.
Remember to take a peek at the size of the group and pages, along with how often they post. The more members and more frequent posting is an active community worth checking out.
4. Recommendations from trusted sources
If you’re a part of another coaching program or community of entrepreneurs, speakers, or those doing what you do in business, just ask them!
Our TEDx clients are often entrepreneurs in search of advice in many ways, not always just with speaking. Having our community there to provide feedback in all those areas is a great way to find quality, but often less public events and conferences to attend.
The best conferences for female entrepreneurs are ones where you’ll feel both welcomed, safe, as well as educated on the many things it takes to run a business as a woman in our day and age. Specific help that’s catered toward women may be just what you need, especially if you’ve been feeling stuck and alone on this journey.
