NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Top women business leaders spoke at 218 unique events in 2011. These conference opportunities included a mix of women's and non-gender specific forums - including CEO-only conferences, global and policy summits, and industry events, according to Weber Shandwick's latest "Top Executive Conferences" study.

Given the importance of leadership communications, Weber Shandwick conducts global research annually on the executive leadership conference landscape. In this year's installment, the firm examined the speaking engagements of the world's top women business leaders, based on Fortune's 2011 Most Powerful Women (MPW) list (50 women executives who are U.S.-based and 50 women who are not U.S.-based).

The majority of women (69 percent) on the list spoke at one or more conferences in 2011. On average, these top-ranking women spoke at 2.7 conferences over the course of 12 months. U.S.- and non-U.S. based women were nearly just as likely to speak, confirming that women all over the globe recognize the value of conference visibility.

"Women executives are establishing their rightful place at the table, gaining greater stature and notoriety in the business world. As such, they are becoming vital members on the conference circuit, increasing participation and prominence in this powerful venue," said Micho Spring, chair of Weber Shandwick's Global Corporate practice.

The leading speaking forums in 2011 for these top women executives included Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, The World Economic Forum/Davos, India-US CEO Forum, Women Corporate Director's Global Institute, the Paley Center for Media International Council Summit and the APEC Women and the Economy Summit.

A categorization of all conferences found that these executives spoke primarily at industry-specific events (e.g., World Food Prize Conference and FICCI-IBI Conference on Global Banking) and conferences geared toward job function (e.g., Techonomy and ANA Conference), followed by women's leadership and academic forums. Our research found that the digital category (e.g., Digital Life Design and South by Southwest) of conferences crossed prominent women business leaders' radar screens in 2011, though participation was still low. Perhaps the greater concentration of industry- and job function-related conferences hints at the importance for leading executives to speak before audiences containing potential prospects and customers. 


                      Types of 2011 Global MPW Speaking Venues*
                                   (in rank order)
                                    --------------
                  Type                                 Examples
                  ----                                 --------
    (1)   Industry                     The World Food Prize, FICCI-IBI
                                       Conference on Global Banking
    --------------                    --------------------------------
    (2)   Functional                  Techonomy, ANA Conference
    ----------------                  -------------------------
    (3)   Women's Leadership           WSJ Women in the Economy, Women in
                                       Leadership Forum Asia
    ------------------------           ----------------------------------
    (4)   Academic                     Stanford University Entrepreneur
                                       Bootcamp, MIT Sloan Innovation Leader
                                       Series
    --------------                    --------------------------------------
    (5)   Policy                       The White House Council on Jobs and
                                       Competitiveness, Commonwealth Business
                                       Forum
    ------------                      ---------------------------------------
    (6)   Regional (tie)               Chief Executive's Club of Boston, Detroit
                                       Economic Club
    --------------------              -----------------------------------------
    (6)   CEO (tie)                    APEC CEO Summit, Forbes Global CEO
                                       Conference
    ---------------                   -----------------------------------
    (7)   Digital                     Digital Life Design Conference, SXSW
    -------------                     ------------------------------------

*Rank based on number of types of conferences regardless of how many Most Powerful Women (MPW) from Fortune's list spoke at each

"Executives not only personify the company but are the company's most influential storytellers. Weber Shandwick's new Top Executive Conferences study helps define the context in which senior women business leaders are seen and heard. The strategic use of the conference landscape to promote a company's story is a powerful tool that when fully leveraged can move the business forward," said Carol Ballock, executive vice president at Weber Shandwick.

For more information, please contact Carol Ballock at 212.445.8124 or cballock@webershandwick.com. You can also visit www.webershandwick.com.

You may download the executive summary at: http://www.webershandwick.com/topconferences.

About the Research
Weber Shandwick began with the U.S. and Global lists of the 2011 Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business. This is a list of 50 women from U.S.-based companies and 50 women from non-U.S. companies. For each woman on the list, Weber Shandwick examined her speaking engagements during 2011. Weber Shandwick audited company websites for conference participation and searched media using Factiva. Company meetings and shareholder presentations were excluded. Weber Shandwick also analyzed the agendas of the highest ranking conferences to determine the topics these Most Powerful Women spoke about.

About Weber Shandwick's Executive Equity & Visibility Services
Executive Equity & Visibility is a component of Weber's Shandwick's Enterprise Brand Activation Strategy which includes Corporate Storytelling, Executive Equity & Visibility, Amplification & Engagement, and establishing third-party Credentials & Recognition.

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in 81 countries around the world. The firm's success is built on its deep commitment to client service, our people, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates - engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advocacy advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. In 2010, Weber Shandwick was named Global Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report for the second year in a row; an 'Agency of the Decade' by Advertising Age, Large PR Agency of the Year by Bulldog Reporter, a Digital Firm of the Year by PR News, and Top Corporate Responsibility Advisory Firm by CR Magazine. The firm has also won numerous 'best place to work' awards around the world. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

Rachel Manfredo
Weber Shandwick
212.445.8171
rmanfredo@webershandwick.com

SOURCE Weber Shandwick