Women from across the country will gather, share resources, provide inspiration, and start personal action plans for improving their lives, communities, and ultimately, our whole world. Plenary sessions and seminars featuring multidisciplinary authors, forward thinkers, and experts will be offered, as well as a business expo filled with quality organizations dedicated sustainability and betterment. The event promises to be a successful follow up to the inaugural festival to celebrate International Women’s Day. Billionaire, former CEO of eBay, and one of the nation’s most influential people according to Time magazine, Meg Whitman, is the invited keynote speaker for the 2009 festival. Confirmed speakers include: Adele Scheele, PhD, a career strategist and author of the international best seller Skills for Success who has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, and CNBC; Louise Wannier CEO and co-founder of myShape, a popular online retail clothing store created just for women; and Cindy Brown, PhD, a relationship and marriage coach and author of The Cinderella System: 7 Steps to Attracting the Man & Relationship of your Dreams. There will be sister celebrations and conferences during Women’s History month around the world. Women’s Festivals are affiliated with the March, 2009 celebrations and conferences in Kenya and on March 3, 2009 in Limerick, Ireland. For more information and links to affiliated not-for-profits, please visit: [url=http://www.womensfestivals.org]http://www.womensfestivals.org[/url]. About the Women's Festivals In 1997, the United Nations declared March 8 the day to celebrate women around the world. The Women’s Festivals were created to celebrate the accomplishments and nurture the dreams of women in an interactive, multi-cultural, and entertaining format focusing on the five key areas of women's lives: Personal, Professional, Philanthropic, Political and Planet (also known as the "5 Ps"). The Festivals aim to provide a unique opportunity to provide a rich common experience and fertile environment for networking and resource sharing. Founding not-for-profit organizations include: The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, SCORE, Future Women CEOs, and Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV). More Information Data compiled by the Department of Commerce indicates that women account for some $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in the U.S. and control more than $13 trillion in personal wealth. This amount is projected to rise to $20 trillion over the next 15 years. Quite simply, the economic power wielded by women has never been greater. For press inquiries, contact Patty DeDominic or Christopher Lowman at 805-565-9967 or by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) them FairsandFestivals.net sent you