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Admittedly I’m biased because I produced the conference – but trust me, “The Women’s 100 Conference” that took place on Monday was different than any other conference I have attended. There was a buzz before the first panel even started as many showed up early and immediately started networking. The panels were more interactive with the audience than you typically see. People were not afraid to speak up – and they were encouraged to do so. And the proof in the pudding is that it was hard to find anyone in the audience checking their phones. Wow!

So I pat myself on the back for one of my goals: reform the way that conferences are held. I can’t tell you how many panels I have sat through and didn’t take a single note. And I like to take copious notes. Here’s my “Do’s & Don’ts of Public Speaking.”

Note the purpose of this blog isn’t to market the “2nd Annual” for next year. My biggest problem is that I believe most of the 100 want to come back and I already have a waiting list – and this type of event works best with a limited number of participants…

Meredith Cross: Winner of the Linda Quinn Lifetime Achievement Award!

A different format – heavy on networking – was one reason for the event’s success. But the biggest reason was the speakers. Terrific women. I could listen to them all day.

And one of the key speakers was the winner of the Linda Quinn Lifetime Achievement Award: Meredith Cross. After former SEC Chair Elisse Walter gave a heartwarming introduction to Meredith, with a heavy dose about who Linda was – Meredith proceeded to bring us to tears with stories drawn from her career including her own fond memories about Linda. Meredith has been kind enough to share her remarks.

I’m particularly grateful for the kind words that Meredith shared about me. Certainly unexpected. And I also appreciate the many private notes I received from attendees afterwards. But I was most honored to receive this note from my wife who attended and is not in our field: “It was fantastic to witness the very women in a position to make an impact in your field do so utilizing creative strategies, brilliant analysis, unique insight and decades of experience. Not only that, they do it thoughtfully with kindness and humor. I moved quickly past intimidated to impressed and inspired. I was absolutely proud of you, but also vicariously proud of them. #genderpride.”

Sights & Sounds: “The Women’s 100 Conference ’14″

Here’s a 1-minute video that gives a little bit of the event’s flavor:

– Broc Romanek