Condoleezza Rice, Bono, Warren Buffett, Jennifer Lopez, Caroline Kennedy Among Speakers at The Women's Conference 2008 Hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver

Condoleezza Rice, Bono, Warren Buffett, Jennifer Lopez, Caroline Kennedy Among Speakers at The Women's Conference 2008 Hosted by California First Lady Maria Shriver

Shriver Debuts New Pre-Conference Event, 'Night at the Village' Featuring Rachael Ray; Tickets Now Available for Both Events

LOS ANGELES, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- California First Lady Maria Shriver today announced an extraordinary lineup of newsmakers and world opinion leaders confirmed for The Women's Conference 2008 to be held on October 21 and 22 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Tickets to the conference go on sale today at 9:00 a.m. PDT at http://www.californiawomen.org/.

With a growing roster of more than 50 speakers and participants led by Christiane Amanpour, Lance Armstrong, Cherie Blair, Bono, Warren Buffet, Sister Joan Chittister, Marian Wright Edelman, Sally Field, Michael J. Fox, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Caroline Kennedy, Heidi Klum, Jack Kornfield, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Matthews, Jenny McCarthy, Indra Nooyi, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Russell Simmons and Gloria Steinem, conference attendees can expect the same empowering experiences, fascinating speaker pairings, and once-in-a-lifetime conversations that have become the conference's trademark under Shriver's leadership.

"I am honored to again be hosting what has become the nation's premier forum for women, where the world's greatest hearts and minds convene every year to empower women to find a common purpose, be united by a shared conversation, and see themselves as a collective WE," said Shriver. "This year, I am urging women to take time to explore their deepest hopes and aspirations, and I hope they leave the conference with a better sense of just who they want to be -- and the knowledge of how to get there."

Every year, The Women's Conference seeks to expand its reach to larger numbers of women and this year is no exception. In an effort to give more women an opportunity to experience the transformative conference, Shriver has added a new event on the evening of October 21 beginning at 5:00 p.m. This first-annual event, which is being called "Night at The Village," will transform the Long Beach Convention Center's exhibit hall into a 160,000 square foot women's village of interactive exhibitor booths and stage presentations, book signings from prominent authors, shopping, food and musical entertainment. The evening event will also feature a conversation with Rachael Ray and stage programming highlighting fashion, food and fitness. Remaining open the next day for attendees of the conference itself, The Village will provide opportunities for thousands of guests to network, discover California's emerging artists, commit to service, meet companies making a difference in California, and learn to live healthier, fuller, greener lives. The Night at The Village event will also reinforce the conference's commitment to the city of Long Beach as it recognizes and rewards the work of the oldest domestic violence shelter in the area, WomenShelter of Long Beach.

"We envision 'Night at The Village' as the place for celebrating women, launching products for women, and having fun," said Shriver. "The Village is our answer to a call from women for more time to just be -- whether it is to mingle casually, network for work, or shop around for items and experiences that will enrich their mind, body and soul. All of this can now happen only at The Village."

The non-profit, non-partisan Women's Conference, formerly the California Governor and First Lady's Conference on Women, began more than twenty years ago as a small government initiative for women business owners. Under First Lady Shriver and Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership, the event has blossomed into the foremost destination for women from all walks of life to gather together -- empower, inspire and educate each other -- and become "architects of change" in all aspects of their lives. This year's conference theme, Be Who You Are, will seek to motivate women to pursue a lifelong journey of self- discovery and encourage them to strive to be both who they are and who they want to be.

The conference will continue its tradition of honoring the most remarkable women of the year during the 5th annual presentation of the Minerva Awards hosted by Maria Shriver, and including a special musical performance by Bonnie Raitt. Created by Shriver in 2004, The Minerva Awards annually honor women who have stepped forward in the spirit of Minerva, the Roman Goddess who graces the California State Seal, and changed their state and their country with their courage, their strength and their wisdom. The 2008 Minerva Award winners will be officially announced in September.

Tickets to The Women's Conference will be available for purchase online at http://www.californiawomen.org/ beginning today at 9:00 a.m. PDT. Last year's conference sold out in record time, and this year's conference is expected to sell out even quicker. This year, five ticket purchasing options are available. Full day conference passes can be purchased for $185 (Loge View), $150 (Balcony View) and $125 (Partial View Balcony). Afternoon-only conference tickets for the Minerva Awards Presentation with a musical performance by Bonnie Raitt will sell for $40. An individual ticket to the first-annual Night at The Village event on October 21 will sell for $20. In addition, a limited number of tables situated in Section C and D on the arena floor will sell for $3,000 for a table of 12.

The Women's Conference is supported by generous sponsors that share its mission of empowering, inspiring and educating women. The Premier Conference Sponsor is Safeway, who will feature the best of California's healthy cuisine at The Village exhibit hall. Target returns as the Minerva Awards sponsor, and Wachovia is the presenting sponsor of the Minerva Leadership Program. Lean Cuisine is the sponsor of "Night at The Village" and the Conference National Media Partners are ABC Disney Television Group and Meredith Publishing. Official sponsors include BP, Cisco, Dove, FedEx, HealthNet, Intuit, Mattel, PepsiCo, PG&E, Wells Fargo, and Visa.

For more information about The Women's Conference, or for online press registration, visit http://www.californiawomen.org/.

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Source: The Women's Conference

CONTACT: Marissa Moss, +1-310-926-7365, for The Women's Conference

Web site: http://www.californiawomen.org/

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