Female colleagues from the equipment and event rental community across the Carolinas gathered at a women’s retreat hosted by the ARA of South Carolina in Asheville, S.C., March 10-11.
The event, presented under the banner of “Perspective. Purpose. Passion. A Women’s-Only Event,” delivered two days of beautiful mountainous scenery, an inspiring wellness message, an industry-specific panel discussion, a winery tour, networking, delicious food and more.
“I was interested in attending this event to meet other women in the field,” says Ana Lemley, inside rental manager, Blanchard Rental Services, Summerville, S.C. “I have been in my field for the last 18 years and feel
that we need more women to join the industry, so it was nice to hear stories and experiences of other ladies, especially through the pandemic, and how they were able to successfully stay in business.”
The festivities kicked off on Thursday, March 10, at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park with a networking/cocktail hour and dinner. On Friday, March 11, attendees gathered at Stone Ashe Winery for a full day of roundtable conversations; a panel discussion on surviving the pandemic; guest speaker Simone Mack-Orr — a finance, workforce engagement and wellness expert — who presented “Staying Well as you Manage your Business and Personal Life;” and a winery tour.
Attendees say the event hit the bullseye in delivering networking, personal and professional deveopment education, and fun.
“It’s not very often I get to go to a women’s-only retreat — I received great networking opportunities there,” says Rebekah Jones, general manager, Party Makers Event Rentals, Greensboro, N.C. “I met some really great women, and we were able to discuss things like how the pandemic impacted us and how we can stay ahead in uncertain times. And the speaker was great — I really enjoyed her.”
Lemly offers a similar take on the retreat.
“My main takeaway was to trust that no matter what comes up, I can successfully make it by just believing in myself and my support team,” she says, adding that “I am really looking forward to next year’s event and hoping we can reach a lot more women to attend and share their experiences, challenges and successes.”