Charleston Conference Photography: IAWA

I really love working as a corporate event photographer, and it's been such a delight to see so many conferences return to Charleston.

This past October, I was thrilled to serve as the conference photographer for IAWA. IAWA stands for the International Aviation Women's Association, and they held their 33rd Annual Conference at the Charleston Marriott.

Titled "Industry Interrupted: Emerging into the Next Normal," the three-day hybrid conference was packed with engaging speakers, thought-provoking breakout sessions, and elegant networking events.

The first of these networking events was an evening aboard the USS Yorktown, one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy. Attendees kicked off their IAWA experience by roaming the historic ship museum before dinner and watching the sunset on the Flight Deck.

Then it was off to three days of dynamic learning sessions, highlighted by such powerful keynote speakers as Bobbi Wells, Tammie Jo Shults, Lt. General Nina Armagno, Marie Sylla-Dixon, and Amanda Simpson.

On a personal note, it was such an amazing place to be a fly on the wall. I never knew how much I didn't know about the aviation industry until I was surrounded by this incredible group of women!

Charleston's beloved a cappella group, the Plantation Singers, welcomed guests to the IAWA Woman of Excellence Award Gala with soul-stirring Gullah music on Thursday evening. The conference space had been transformed into a gorgeous, elegant ballroom, complete with a dance floor for the after-party! Everyone enjoyed a delicious 4-course meal during the awards presentation before letting loose to the lively cover band.

It was such a pleasure to serve as IAWA's conference photographer for this informative and fun event. Thank you to HMP Leadership for having me!