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Throughout my time as a Talent Acquisition intern with , I have interviewed several professionals within the business to learn more about their careers and passions. I recently spoke with ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ's Manager of Integration Services Carrie Wood, and was excited to learn about her experience attending ?conference last year.

If you¡¯re not familiar with Grace Hopper, it¡¯s a three-day celebration for women in computing and it's the world¡¯s largest gathering of women in technology. Attendees are able to hear from female leaders across many industries, and grow their networks through learning sessions and activities. Through Carrie I was able to gain a deeper understanding of what the conference entails, and from her experience at last year¡¯s event?we gathered four reasons to get excited for #GHC2017:

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1. The atmosphere

EM: What¡¯s it like at Grace Hopper?

CW: It¡¯s just crazy excitement. It¡¯s usually at a really large conference center, and it's full of people who?are very happy to be there. The conference puts on?all kinds of professional and social events¡ªone night they threw a disco party with the lights off. You can get as involved as you want.

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IBM CEO, Ginni Rometty speaks to attendees

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2. The speakers

EM: Which keynote speaker was memorable for you?

CW: IBM CEO ?Ginni Rometty. Rometty talked about how she worked her way up to being the CEO of IBM. She shared a lot of personal stories, so the audience felt like they could relate to her. She has kids, she¡¯s married and talks about how to balance it all. She also spoke about the problems that she faces while being in a male dominant workplace¡ªespecially when she was a lot younger. Her perseverance and pushing through as a female in technology was very, very inspiring.

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Women attend a job fair event during the conference

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3. The network

EM: What about the people at Grace Hopper? What was the vibe there like?

CW: It was really informal, with a lot of conversations?with people sitting at my table, having lunch, etc. I got to meet young women, follow up with them on LinkedIn and just share my story since many of them wanted to hear about how I got to where I am today.

I shared with them about where I work, what I do and what ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ is all about. There¡¯s a lot of walking around and a lot of talking to people!

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Did we mention that the swag is pretty great, too?

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4. The knowledge

EM: What is one piece of advice you¡¯d give to someone attending the conference?

CW: Be prepared for there to be a lot of people, and for some of the sessions to fill up. Pick the ones you really want to go to, get there early and get in line to get a seat to ensure you aren¡¯t turned away from a full room. That is one thing that I didn¡¯t realize going into it, so that was a key takeaway for me.

To learn more about the Grace Hopper conference, click . @SAPiXp will be Tweeting at the event! Follow us and check for the hashtag #GHC17