ORLANDO, Fla. — Women in Automotive (WIA) is adding a West Coast event to its annual conference schedule, Dec. 10-11 in Palm Springs, Calif.
The Palm Springs event will complement the organization's traditional conference, being held this year in Orlando July 9-11. WIA's mission is accelerate the role of women in the automotive industry.
"It's clear that there are large numbers of women — and men — who are interested in facilitating the hiring and training of females in automobile dealerships as indicated by our attendance jump," WIA Founder Christy Roman said.
"Over the past year, we've received a number of requests from individuals and companies on the West Coast asking us when Women in Automotive would have a conference in their area. That's why the California location was chosen."
The WIA said attendance at last year's conference was up 36 percent from the 2015 event, sparking discussions regarding the addition of another conference. Ms. Roman said having two yearly shows will give the WIA additional chances to educate and empower the automotive community on leadership and trends positively impacting employment and sales growth within the female market.
Both events will include seminars, workshops and keynote speakers, the organization said. Registration is open for the Orlando event, being held at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, at the WIA website.
The California conference will be held at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Springs.
Speakers, seminars and workshop topics will be announced in the coming months.