EA Ignite Spring a Success!

Last week, our team hosted the sixth edition of EA Ignite in Nashville, TN. This edition happened to fall on Administrative Professionals Day, so the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) joined us on-site and helped show our attendees some appreciation each day for everything they do in their profession!

Did you know...

Produced by ASAP, EA Ignite originates from the EA Summit at the Administrative Professionals Conference , ASAP's other conference. It was this summit where the idea of providing more in-depth and higher level training opportunities for executive and senior-level assistants was born.

Data Driven Training, and Hard Hitting Topics

Our conference team put together an impactful lineup of sessions. Topics ranged from AI, Microsoft Office, Google Gemini, Executive Operations, to Stakeholder Management, and more. Attendees also heard from two panels, one on the State of the Profession moderated by Lucy Brazier OBE and joined by panelists, Joshua Washington , Ike Saunders , Kristen Ostro and Mia M. Lane, CAP (Expert), PACE .

"I have a team of 16... they all asked me for a professional development budget which I am very proud that they do... If you're struggling to find budget, you're getting pushback, you need to make a business case for why professional development is critical to your growth and success." - Kristen Ostro, Founder & CEO, Strut Consulting, State of the Profession Panel

In the second panel, our attendees heard directly from executives and their EAs on the Keys to a Strong Executive Partnership. This panel was moderated by Jillian Hufnagel and joined by panelists, Mia M. Lane, CAP (Expert), PACE , Scott Howitt , Kimberly Woellecke and Shailaja K. Shankar . Over 2.5 days of training, our attendees left our conference feeling inspired, connected and empowered.

“In all good partnerships, you have to have vulnerability, so when you’re talking to someone and say ‘Hey, I’m giving you this feedback’, it’s coming from a place of love. Also ask for feedback. That’s what I love about Mia. She asks for feedback and I ask for feedback. It goes back to safety and trust, she knows I’ll always have her back and she’ll always have mine.” - Scott Howitt, Chief Digital Officer, UKG, Keys to a Strong Executive Partnership Panel

Networking by the Numbers

This event, our team introduced two new networking platforms to help assist with the connection piece outside of the conference session rooms. We introduced Braindate and 1:1 Matchmaking in our mobile app!

Braindates are knowledge-sharing conversations that allow attendees to brainstorm, solve challenges, and share expertise or experiences while connecting with new people. Attendees were able to book with others to have one-on-one or in small groups on-site in the Braindate Lounge.

1:1 Matchmaking is an attendee driven, AI based service that used the attendee profile and selected categories to best match the user with fellow peers. Attendees who opted in would select categories and their interests for meetings, such as mentoring, recruitment or networking in pre-populated topics, and the app would find the best matches for the user!

Out of the 400 attendees who joined us in Nashville...

• 221 attendees opted into 1:1 Matchmaking
• 541 1:1 chat messages were exchanged in our mobile app
• 62 1:1 matchmaking meetings took place
• 79 attendees became Braindaters
• 38 total Braindates took place
• Of these Braindates, 22 were in groups and 16 were 1:1

"The event was a fantastic opportunity to network, gain new insights, and join a community of like-minded professionals dedicated to growth and excellence in the field of executive assistance..." - Yesenia Hernandez-Brito,CAP,PACE

What We've Heard From Attendees

On-site, our event team talked with many attendees and heard a variety of comments regarding the year-over-year improvement and quality of content and sessions - big round of applause to Leah Warwick, PMP for pulling together such a successful line up of sessions! We take your feedback seriously. That's why each event, we not only do an event survey, but also session surveys! We are excited to share some of the comments we received from our recent EA Ignite Spring event.

"I thoroughly enjoyed this year's Spring EA Ignite conference in Nashville. I met some amazing people, and each session was incredibly informative, engaging, and "meaty" enough for me to feel empowered to make some changes and enhancements that will propel me forward for the benefit of my organization, as well as for my own personal development." - Executive Assistant to President & CEO

"I got to learn from industry leading admins who have mastered their craft and are now willing to share their strategies, goals and expertise with us! I made many great connections with colleagues and gained invaluable information to help me further my career!" - Executive Assistant to CEO

"We have had an incredible 2-1/2 days filled with phenomenal speakers that were invited to share they’re knowledge, insights and experiences with admin professionals from across the country! This will be an experience I’ll remember forever... Looking forward to sharing tips, tools, and ideas with my current colleagues." - Executive Assistant

"How to summarize my time with EA Ignite: Inspiration, Laughter, Connection, Admiration, Visibility... Not only [am I] coming away with new connections, skills, and memories but also some new vocabulary from the amazing Lynn Walder... I did not know what to expect this week but the ROI to myself and my leader will be amazing." - Senior Administrative Assistant

Mark Your Calendars & Get Ready to Train With Us in Miami!

If you were unable to attend EA Ignite Spring in Nashville, EA Ignite Fall will be taking place on November 12-14, 2024 in Miami, FL! Our team is already working hard on providing more data driven training topics for our attendees, and our keynotes have been announced! We will be welcoming Julia Korn and Elle Tyra to the stage in Miami.

Don't wait to register! EA Ignite Spring sold out fast, claim your seat for EA Ignite Fall and start your journey to becoming a better strategic partner for your executive.

Help us help you!

In order to provide a 360-degree view on the value of precision training for executive assistants and business support professionals, we are working with our trusted research partner, Explori, to gather feedback from the Executive’s perspective.

Think your executive would be interested in taking part of our research project? Send us a message on LinkedIn to let us know of your interest!