WIAW : Work Conference
Hi everyone! Since today is Wednesday, that means it's time to link up with Jenn and share some eats! Last week I started a new job, so I thought it would be fun to take along in a day in the life. This particular day was a department conference, which means all of my meals were planned out for me! It was a lonnnngg day, so I hope you enjoy following along!
5:45 Wake up, shower, get ready. Our invitation said "smart casual" so I decided on skinny pants, Express Barcelona cami and my Forever 21 blazer.
6:30 Leave to catch bus.
7:15 Get to office, make some coffee and heat up food. My new go-to breakfast is roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed kale and onions, bacon, re-fried beans, and avocado. SO good, but really not appetizing to look at. I'll spare you all a picture, but seriously try that combination. Amazing.
8:00 I have a few short meetings and emails to catch up on before the conference. Before I know it, it's time to go!
10:30 Leave to walk across town. My company owns a few buildings in town, so for some of these conferences we get to go to a new building.
11:00 Arrive, get name badge, find table. I'm kind of glad we're assigned tables since I don't know anyone yet! I end up sitting with one of the original members of my group (it started as 12 people and now it's grown to over 70!) She was really great to talk to and we ended up having a ton in common!
11:15 Lunch! We had box lunches with a sandwich, apple, chips, orzo salad, and double chocolate chip cookies (so good!)
12:00 Conference starts. Opening remarks from the head of my department
1:00 Panel discussion
1:50 Break! Grab a snack and a drink. There was some trail mix, soft pretzels, and infused water. So fancy!
2:00 Round table discussions. There were eight different topics to choose from, ranging from the latest in biometrics and security to upcoming features of our new app. It was so cool to see what projects different groups were working on!
3:45 Another break..more snacking! I got some pop this go-around. I was really craving something fizzy and sweet.
4:00 The head of retail banking comes to talk to us about the company's five year strategic plan. Luckily, a lot of the plan includes expanding my group's role in the company. I can tell we're all going to be very busy in the next few years!
5:00 Speed networking! This was actually a lot of fun. Everyone got paired up with one person in their group, and spent five minutes talking to another pair. Once the time was up, everyone rotated and talked with a new pair. It was basically speed dating, but in suits.
6:30 Dinner time and more networking. It was nice to meet so many people since it was my first week! Luckily everyone had on name tags so I didn't have to remember names. Dinner was delicious, and surprisingly healthy! I had a salad, steak, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, mac and cheese, and a big ol' glass of wine. They were NOT playing around with serving sizes here!
8:00 Head out, and Dan comes to pick me up downtown.
8:30 Home! Get changed, work on my blog post, get lunch and outfit ready for tomorrow. Spend time with Dan and Selma watching hockey.
10:00 Decide to get another shower because I feel gross, and that's one of my favorite ways to relax at the end of a long day!
10:15 Head to bed, read some of my book and finish up this post. Turn off the lights and pretty much pass out right away!
5:45 Wake up, shower, get ready. Our invitation said "smart casual" so I decided on skinny pants, Express Barcelona cami and my Forever 21 blazer.
6:30 Leave to catch bus.
7:15 Get to office, make some coffee and heat up food. My new go-to breakfast is roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed kale and onions, bacon, re-fried beans, and avocado. SO good, but really not appetizing to look at. I'll spare you all a picture, but seriously try that combination. Amazing.
8:00 I have a few short meetings and emails to catch up on before the conference. Before I know it, it's time to go!
10:30 Leave to walk across town. My company owns a few buildings in town, so for some of these conferences we get to go to a new building.
11:00 Arrive, get name badge, find table. I'm kind of glad we're assigned tables since I don't know anyone yet! I end up sitting with one of the original members of my group (it started as 12 people and now it's grown to over 70!) She was really great to talk to and we ended up having a ton in common!
11:15 Lunch! We had box lunches with a sandwich, apple, chips, orzo salad, and double chocolate chip cookies (so good!)
12:00 Conference starts. Opening remarks from the head of my department
1:00 Panel discussion
1:50 Break! Grab a snack and a drink. There was some trail mix, soft pretzels, and infused water. So fancy!
2:00 Round table discussions. There were eight different topics to choose from, ranging from the latest in biometrics and security to upcoming features of our new app. It was so cool to see what projects different groups were working on!
3:45 Another break..more snacking! I got some pop this go-around. I was really craving something fizzy and sweet.
4:00 The head of retail banking comes to talk to us about the company's five year strategic plan. Luckily, a lot of the plan includes expanding my group's role in the company. I can tell we're all going to be very busy in the next few years!
5:00 Speed networking! This was actually a lot of fun. Everyone got paired up with one person in their group, and spent five minutes talking to another pair. Once the time was up, everyone rotated and talked with a new pair. It was basically speed dating, but in suits.
6:30 Dinner time and more networking. It was nice to meet so many people since it was my first week! Luckily everyone had on name tags so I didn't have to remember names. Dinner was delicious, and surprisingly healthy! I had a salad, steak, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, mac and cheese, and a big ol' glass of wine. They were NOT playing around with serving sizes here!
8:00 Head out, and Dan comes to pick me up downtown.
8:30 Home! Get changed, work on my blog post, get lunch and outfit ready for tomorrow. Spend time with Dan and Selma watching hockey.
10:00 Decide to get another shower because I feel gross, and that's one of my favorite ways to relax at the end of a long day!
10:15 Head to bed, read some of my book and finish up this post. Turn off the lights and pretty much pass out right away!
Love your outfit! So cute!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new job! That was a great outfit to wear to the conference!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a successful conference. I hate when you go to those things and feel it was a waste of time. Sounds like this was a really good one!
ReplyDeleteI love your outfit! I hate super weirdly vague dress rules - like wtf is smart casual? (though, I think you nailed it.) It sounds like you had a decent time at the conference! I used to HATE going to them, since I seriously never went to one that was worth my time.
ReplyDeleteSuch a fun way to start out a new job! I kind of wish we had more conferences where I work... maybe the new job will haha
ReplyDeletethat breakfast actually sounds amazinggg. i love refried beans. they are not the most appealing thing to look at, but God damn they are good! haha. Sounds like a busy day for ya! Gotta love work conferences.
ReplyDeleteOh I love posts like these! I started working on one and it was so incredibly boring because Callum ended up getting the stomach flu so the day pretty much went downhill after that. HA HA! Maybe I'll finish it anyway and post it. ;)
ReplyDeleteLOVE that top on you. LOVE. Conferences and conference food can be so hit or miss. Glad this was a hit!
ReplyDeleteI love the Barcelona Camis from Express! I want to get more for this summer!
ReplyDeleteWow, that looks like a long day. What's the best part about work conferences? How often do you do them? :)) That's neat that they provided so much food.
ReplyDeleteThat breakfast combo sounds delicious! I really need to try something a bit more exotic besides my oatmeal and almond butter.
ReplyDeleteGretch, you have such great style!
ReplyDeleteYour outfits are always so on point! I have been looking for a cami exactly like that one. Can you please hire me so I can join you at these conferences? Free food is pretty much a deciding factor when it comes to my job searches (just kidding...kind of).
ReplyDeleteYour breakfast combo sounds so good - and I love your outfit!
ReplyDeleteSpeed networking is such a great idea. I feel like that's the perfect way to get to know people if you're usually someone who keeps to themselves at conferences/events.
Yeah! Love seeing how you wear your Express pieces for work! And I hear you on favorite foods not being photogenic- that's how it is with pretty much everything I eat! LOL.
ReplyDeleteGina || On the Daily Express
oh i totally missed that you got a new job! congrats! the dinner looks amazing, and your outfit is super cute. oh and the breakfast sounds so good! my meals never photograph well lol
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new job! Also, I love your outfit! Speed networking is one of those things that sounds painful to me, but I always end up enjoying getting to know new people and it's way better than feeling awkward and alone at a conference like that.
ReplyDelete