Earlier this month, our Seattle Headquarters welcomed nearly 300 leaders from women-owned businesses selling on Amazon for the first ever Amazon Marketplace Women’s Entrepreneur Conference.

Bringing together Sellers from 42 states, four countries, and 25 different Amazon product categories, the conference offered an opportunity for entrepreneurs and brand owners to hear from business leaders both within and outside of Amazon, get hands-on counsel for questions about their business, and network with other leaders of women-owned businesses focused on growing and scaling their companies on Amazon.

To start the day, attendees heard opening remarks from Peter Faricy, Amazon Marketplace Vice President, who talked about the value that female-owned businesses bring to the economy, and how Amazon helps entrepreneurs tackle common barriers to growth. Next up, Maria Renz, Vice President and Technical Advisor to Jeff Bezos, discussed her insights as a former Seller on Amazon and how she has been empowered during her Amazon career. To close the morning program, Marla Malcolm Beck, CEO of Bluemercury Inc. gave a powerful keynote about building a business from an idea, and how to stay positive and motivated along the way.

Here’s what attendee are saying about the inaugural Amazon Marketplace Women’s Entrepreneur Conference:

  • “The experience was valuable to my business and absolutely worth my time and effort. Thank you so much, I can't say enough kind words to show my gratitude of the experience and I hope that you continue doing this conference annually.” – Allison S.
  • “I learned so much and look forward to taking bold new actions in the weeks and months ahead - not only to grow my own business but to help other sellers achieve success on the Marketplace platform. Thanks again for giving us an opportunity to learn, meet some of your leaders and teams face-to-face, network with other sellers, get inspired by successful rock star brand-builders, and enjoy beautiful Seattle. The whole experience was invaluable.” - Celeste C.
  • “It was a fantastic conference - I learned a ton, met with Amazon folks, and also had a great time networking and learning from successful Amazon women sellers. My day ended with pages of notes which we are methodically turning into actionable items.” – Jill H.
  • “There’s nothing more motivating than being surrounded by inspirational and driven women! Ready to put some of the learnings from yesterday into practice!” – Christine B.
  • “What a phenomenal opportunity and learning experience this was. Grateful to Amazon for providing the platform for all of us women entrepreneurs to connect. AmazonWEC rocked.” – Maria G.

While the presentations, panel discussions and workshops provided Sellers with tools to help them continue to succeed on Amazon, it was the excitement and optimism of the attendees that made the event a real success. Thank you to everyone who joined us in Seattle!

Check out our conference hashtag #AmazonWEC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see attendee highlights from the event.