Women of Influence

Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting in on the Women of Influence luncheon at the Sutton Place Hotel.

First, let me rave about this hotel - it's gorgeous!!! I had only been there once, probably four years ago, for their Chocolate Buffet. I don't know if they still do it, but if they do, GO! This hotel is ALL class, all the way. The bell hops were sweet, friendly, and funny. Elegant yet down to earth. The decor is modern and stylish. The staff are efficient and polite. Wonderful.

98% of attendees were women, the few men there were representatives of the sponsors. This event is not exclusively for women, though its mandate is to inspire women. So any man interested in what the guest speaker has to say is of course welcome! Yesterday's speaker was foodie and author Lesley Stowe, of Lesley Stowe Fine Foods.

As a poor stay-at-home-mom, I could never afford to go to this luncheon ($100/ticket) as a paying customer. No. So I did what any resourceful person would do - I volunteered for it! We got there at 8:30 and started laying out the advertising - Glow magazines, MacLean's magazines, Women of Influence magazines, packets of Centrum and Caltrate gummies, and of course, Lesley Stowe gift bags with boxes of Raincoast Crisps inside.

The luncheon began at 11, with guests mingling in the reception room (mostly spilling out into the hallway). A few stood on the sidelines until their coworkers or friends showed up. One lovely lady stood and chatted with me for several minutes before her friend showed up, and I felt honored that she took the time to talk to me! She was casually elegant, with cropped short hair, super stylish and funky. She was friendly and curious, engaging and interesting. Absolutely lovely!!! I later found out she was a lawyer for a large firm, which I'm glad I didn't know (and she didn't mention) because I may not have been so open with her had I known. And then I ask myself "why WOULDN'T I be comfortable speaking to someone like that?!" Sheesh, I guess I'm pretty insecure, feel like I don't have much to offer a conversation with career women. My mundane life can't be interesting to women like that!!! Anyway, I was delighted and disappointed when her friend showed up - delighted that she had a friend to sit with at lunch, and sad that our nice conversation was over.

At noon, the guests were asked to move to their tables for speeches and lunch. There was even a table set up for the volunteers! Waiting for us at our seats were desert cups for later, and a delicious salad to eat while we listened to emcee Tammy Moyer welcome us (them) to the luncheon. She is the perfect emcee - silly, eloquent, and seemingly not at all nervous! She spoke about her 5 year old daughter at some point, which instantly gave us a connection (in my mind). Loved her! She works at News 1130 and is accustomed to being in the public eye and spotlight, so she seemed quite comfortable on the podium. She was very charming. And magnetic.

While I was not privy to conversations at other tables, I was able to watch these lovely ladies while I enjoyed my own warm conversations at our table. I noticed their hairstyles - some coiffed, many dyed and streaked, all done one way or another, making myself self-conscious about my colour-in-a-box that I had just gotten on sale at Shopper's Drug Mart (coincidentally, one of the sponsors!) Their clothing ranged from I-could-wear-that to I-could-never-get-away-with-wearing-that! Dresses, slacks, skirts, shoes, boots, high end purses, wraps, coats. Beautiful! There was not one person there who didn't make a great effort to look presentable. And it showed.

Lesley Stowe was introduced by David Lam, smartly dressed and sharp, he admitted to having had a glass or two of spirits (wine?), which I would too if I had to address a room full of strong women! Lesley Stowe herself was inspiring. Her story was touching, even if it was read as from a script. But she is not a public speaker, why should she be expected to improvise like Tammy? We forgave her stilted recital because we were drawn in by the words themselves, not the manner in which they were spoken. She choked up as she spoke of her deceased father's wise words, and had us all trying to swallow the lumps in our throats.

As I made the rounds to the tables to pick up the ballots for the prize draws, there were a few times where I felt "I'm only a volunteer, I don't belong in this room", but mostly I felt included and appreciated. And equal.

The event organizers - Kim and Hilary - are incredible women in their own right, smart and funny while being efficient and business-like. I hope to work for them again, at the next WOI luncheon in Vancouver!

The speech was enchanting, the food was amazing. The servers were professional and attentive. The entire affair was definitely an affair to remember! It was a special day. I will remember it for a long time. I wonder how everyone else felt about it? If you were there, let me know!