After a hiatus and no longer affiliated with the California Governor’s office, The California Women’s Conference (CWC) returned to Long Beach.
Elaine Marshall was tapped as part of the CWC’s PR team to help publicize the reinvigorated California Women’s Conference in the greater Long Beach area, building upon its 27-year history, yet starting from scratch on the PR front in many ways.
Marshall worked as an integral part of the CWC’s PR team to secure several features in local news outlets including features with former Governor of California, George Deukmeijian, actor Tippi Hedren and attorney Gloria Allred, and The Dolphin Tank entrepreneurial competition in several Sunday editions (prime coverage!) in the in the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the Long Beach Post. Additional feature stories appeared in Ms. Magazine, The Gazettes, Live Long Beach, and on local television stations. She also helped secure media attendance at and encouraged press coverage of the CWC launch party prior to the conference.
During the two-day California Women’s Conference, Marshall worked on-site as a key media contact and also provided media relations expertise to entrepreneurs during Springboard Inc.’s Dolphin Tank competition.
The California Women’s Conference began in 1985 when the alarming failure rate of women-owned businesses became a recognized statewide concern. In an effort to help women business owners and promote available government resources, then-Governor George Deukmejian took action to create a conference focused on helping women gain access to financial, professional, and personal support.