The Sound of Strength Conference
On a surprisingly mild February weekend, I attended the 2022 Leading Women in Audio (LWIA) conference at Elon University in Elon, NC. The theme for this year was The Sound of Strength focusing on the voices that one can hear in performances and the silent voices that create the art. In the current era of COVID-19, this conference was held as a hybrid event of in-person panels and live-streamed attendance options. Panels and presentations were recorded for future viewing opportunities.
In changing the face of audio, the LWIA conference focused on High School and College students. Students were invited to attend a studio tour, a conference dinner added to the ample networking opportunities for presenters and students to mingle, and there were panels for alumni and early career professionals to bridge the gap between dreams and starting out in audio. In the past I have attended student-centric summits while enrolled in college, but this time I went as a guest of Christa Giammattei, both a presenter and vendor at the conference, to help out her Command + S Apparel booth.
Sabrina Smith, a sophomore from Elon University, who volunteered as the Public Relations Director for the conference, helped me gain insight into the event. While it was also her first time attending the event, this is the LWIA’s 4th year. Smith noted that it’s empowering to bring a variety of women in demographics and industry together to push through the stereotypes and to see what we are capable of in highlighting our contributions. The panels that caught Smith’s eye were Jasmine Battle’s “DJ Techniques” and Marcella Araica’s “Mixing Vocals.” Networking was also important to Smith, both with peers and panelists. In the future Smith wants to DJ and to give back to her local community in Charlotte, NC. Just like the people she grew up with, Smith wants to show people there’s always a way for you to belong.
In many of the conferences I have attended before (the exception of the SoundGirls conference) the only all-women panel was also the token diversity panel. At LWIA the “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” panel was less about how hard it is to be a woman in the Audio Industry, but instead how to thrive in a positive environment. The entire career arc was covered from having a day job and leaving a toxic workplace, to defining success and avoiding burnout. However few work alone and as panelist leader, Aurelia Belfield stressed, “You heard of the boys club? Make a new club.” There’s plenty of work to go around, recommend your peers who are better for a certain job. Have each others’ backs, our failures, and successes happen as a team. LWIA gave me lots of hope for the future of Audio. We are in this together, let’s help each other up.
