Nearly 600 women in agribusiness are expected to gather at the Women in Agribusiness Summit, Sept. 27-29 at the Hyatt Regency, Chicago.

With a full third of the attendees at the executive level, and an overall audience last year  representing 39 U.S. states and more than 200 ag companies, this fifth annual event is looking towards the future.

In Chicago for the first time, the 2016 Women in Agribusiness Summit will continue the momentum of building an agribusiness community where women develop valuable professional skills, network with influential executives, and learn about industry outlooks and trends in an interactive and innovative forum.

Women in Agribusiness summit coming to Chicago

“Each year we have taken our mission of developing leaders, increasing industry knowledge and inspiring action for professional women in the ag sector to a new level,” says Event Director Joy O’Shaughnessy. “We’ve outlined the proven advantages of giving women a stronger voice in agribusiness, we’ve brought men into the conversation, and this year, we’ll look to the future and examine what the role of women in agribusiness could be during the next five to 10 years.”

At the Women in Agribusiness Summit, collaborative and cooperative business solutions are provided to address challenging issues, while individual growth is encouraged through professional development sessions. Guided by a passionate National Advisory Board with members from Agrium, DLA Piper, Harvard Business School, Land O’Lakes, Syngenta, Wells Fargo and more, the 2016 Summit will feature over 35 speakers from across the ag value chain during the two-and-a-half-day conference. WIA offerings have grown to include WIA

Membership, the Demeter Award of Excellence, Student Scholarships and the WIA Quarterly Journal.

Soon-to-be third time attendee Sara Allen, technology development manager at Monsanto, says, “Attending the Women in Agribusiness Summit inspired me to step forward and instigate a women’s group within our Technology Development & Agronomy field organization and encourage an outreach initiative to motivate young women into roles in agriculture. Having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, I was truly impressed by the quality of speakers, the range of attendees and all the networking opportunities that this meeting provided.”

Visit www.womeninag.com for more info, and join the conversation @Womeninagri, on Facebook and LinkedIn.