Ivana Trump Keynote Speaker For Women's Conference
Last updated Thursday, September 22, 2005 9:35 PM CDT in Business
By Anita French
The Morning News
Ivana Trump, the blond former model who earned fame as wife of "The Donald" before becoming an entrepreneur in her own right, will share her secret for success at this year's Northwest Arkansas Business Women's Conference.
Trump is keynote speaker at the event being held Tuesday at the Clarion Inn in Bentonville, hosted by the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce.
This is the seventh year for the women's conference, which, as it has become more well known, has been able to attract noted names in entertainment and the business world as speakers.
"I'm sure that's probably true," said Chamber spokeswoman Krista Khone, who helps organize the conference. "We also work with a wonderful (booking) agency, McKinney Associates out of Louisville (Ky.)."
Last year, the keynote speaker was Erin Brockovich, the environmentalist-crusader made famous by actress Julia Roberts in her 2000 Oscar-winning role.
Actress Olympia Dukakis, who won a Best Supporting Oscar for the 1987 movie "Moonstruck," was supposed to be the keynote speaker this year but had to cancel because of prior obligations, Khone said.
Dukakis's agents found that Ivana Trump was available, so she stepped in to fill the role.
Trump heads her own company and has been a professional skier, author and property developer. She said in July that she plans to build the Ivana Las Vegas, the biggest skyscraper in the city, featuring 945 luxury residential units. Trump also has a 45-unit luxury condo project in Australia and heads Ivana Haute Couture, which makes a line of cosmetics, accessories and fragrances.
Khone said she and the McKinney agency sit down in January every year to kick around the names of possible keynote speakers for upcoming conferences. The discussion usually starts with an idea by Khone, who said they then brainstorm with Jim Rittenhouse of McKinney.
"He will tell us if it's a good fit, based on his knowledge of the speaker. Sometimes, we get lucky that the first person we come up with gets booked," Khone said.
She said the chamber is expecting 660 people to attend the conference this year with more than 700 signed up to hear Trump speak.
"That's the most we've ever had and pretty much the max," Khone said. "The Clarion says it can't hold much more."
Changes in the conference have come along with the growth, Khone said. Among other things, the organizers added the Louise Thaden Woman of the Year Award and a silent auction to benefit the Benton County Women's Shelter since the event began seven years ago.
Tuesday's conference begins at 8:15 a.m., with Trump speaking at 2:30 p.m. The day will include 12 seminars and a morning motivational speaker. A reception will be held at the close of the conference.
The event is sold out, the Chamber said.
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