The group that assembled for the 4^th Young BPW International Congress in Seoul, Korea in May 2007 was from all over the world with many different cultural and business experiences to share. We got to meet all of our new friends on our first afternoon in Seoul and then we enjoyed the unique opportunity of field learning in Seoul. The group first attended the Ubiquitous City (U-City) where we saw the wonders that await us as technology advances rapidly in Korea. The model house in this U-City allows one to never feel alone, with instant visual messages from loved ones on the television screen, a robotic friend and the refrigerator telling you what food is in stock and what you can make for dinner using those ingredients. The technology in the house will even order a bottle of wine to go with dinner, read off your party invitations, and give you the feeling of having a dog, in the form of a soft, “breathing” couch. Next, we journeyed over to the government-run Innovision Hall, which demonstrates technological advances in form-filing and other country-wide necessities. We were very impressed at the South Korean government’s initiative and support of technology and building businesses. With regard to BPW, it led us to understand the importance that international communication has in this “shrinking” world. With the quickness of email at our fingertips, it is important to understand how that works to our advantage and also how human person to person contact is still very important.

The first full day at the Young BPW Congress brought us the gift of hearing from seasoned members, including President Nok, as well as young BPW members. They all had wonderful experiences and learnings to share from their BPW years. We learned about New Dimensions in Leadership from Past President Antoinette Ruegg. This focused on the importance of understanding the differences between men and women; this understanding can help women use their special biological talents to become great leaders. We should not resist our natural abilities as nurturers. We also heard from President Nok and her assistant Deon, about their experiences at the UN. We learned of the Mentoring Program, from Anna Fang of Hong Kong. This program is now launched on the BPW International website and it was born out of much hard work and desire to see BPW members from all over the world reaching out and helping each other grow. A great story was told about a Young BPW who was so inspired by the BPW New York State AGM and the CSW at the UN that she went right back to her boss in Pakistan and asked for equal pay, citing intelligent reasons and using a newfound assertiveness. Much to her delight, she was granted more than she asked for!

During the later half of this first full day, we had the opportunity to put some of the day’s BPW learnings to work with our fellow International Young BPW members. We broke off into small mixed teams to discuss and brainstorm strategy around internal BPW structural development including the following areas: Financial Strategy, Networking, Management, and Activity Planning. These team-driven focus groups allowed us to bring to action women from all corners of the globe, with different professional backgrounds and diverse problem solving perspectives. This dialogue proved powerful in bringing ideas to the table that one nation, or group may not have conceived had we not the chance to intermix. This exercise helped us to understand where we can be most effective in sustaining long-term growth for BPW International – From ideas around fundraising and participation to our own contribution to BPW’s Return on Investment and seeing BPW’s brand equity as an organization. Our strength internally directly impacts out individual chapter effectiveness.

On our third day, we were welcomed by Young BPW Korea and the Sookmyung Women’s University to participate in an intensive Global Women Leadership certification program. We were honored to have Dr. Kyungsook Lee, the President of the university, begin the day with an inspiring speech on a new leadership model as we shift into a digital, informed and global age. In addition to Leadership experts and professors, we were also fortunate to have seasoned professionals including Former G.E. Korea CEO Suk Jean Kang, present new directions in leadership. To balance the intense Leadership workshops, university guides gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the gorgeous modern campus. This included a tour of the Korean Food Institute where we explored traditional tea rooms, spotless stainless steel training kitchens, the infamous fermented cabbage “Kimchi” (arguably the national food of Korea! Slightly stinky, a bit spicy and completely delish!), and antique kitchenware. The university also had an adjoined Korean history museum that had fine antique furniture, antiquities, artwork and gorgeous traditional clothing on display.

Maximizing our time in the exciting city of Seoul, we somehow managed to get a few fun girls-nights out! Our lovely Yong BPW Korean hosts shared some of Seoul’s diverse nightlife with us in both the traditional Southern Seoul neighborhoods, and in the more-westernized Northern Seoul. The city is divided by the Han river. North of the Han, closer to the North Korean boarder, the city of Ichoen is much more Westernized. This is partly due to the presence of US soldiers protecting the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Here, we were invited by our hosts to join them at a fabulous roof-top wine bar overlooking the whole city! The night air was crisp and refreshing, and our hosts treated us to a taste of Korean traditional food (Kimchi included!) and wine. South of the Han in the area we stayed called Cheongdamdong has a number of more-traditional upscale Korean dance clubs and nightlife where many of our hosts socialize and enjoy themselves on the weekend. We visited one such dance club and were delighted with how respectful and fun the locals are! We also happened to join the fun on the same night a very famous Korean Calvin Kline model (a very good looking gentleman!) and his notorious Korean comedian friend were celebrating their birthdays. Graciously, we were invited to celebrate with them! We had a blast and hope our friends will come visit soon.

Our last day at the Seoul conference was a day of cultural learnings from the city itself and from our hosts. We all went together on a tour bus and we were able to view the Kyungbok Palace. We also went to the Nasam Tower and had a great view of the city and its rapid expansion. We went to a folk village and were lucky enough to see a traditional Korean wedding taking place. The colors of the dresses were amazing. In addition, we hit up Insadong which is the most historical street in Seoul for markets and shopping. Tradition along this street is so important that even the Starbucks sign has to be in Korean characters. Our hosts took us to a giant shopping mall that stays open until 5 am. It has customers all night long! Both our opening and closing ceremonies had wonderful traditional shows. We saw a fashion show with gorgeous traditional dress spanning the centuries of Korean history. On our last night, we had a dance group performing Korean dance, as well as a Korean barbershop quartet. The experiences were so varied and so vivid and it really gave us an excellent dose of what it means to be a part of an international group with such strong and interesting members. We have welcomed the opportunity to share with our BPW Manhattan members the different programs that other BPW groups engage in. They are many community-action programs and women-helping-women events that people have taken on in their own local chapters. There are also great mentoring and fundraising examples. We can certainly look for inspiration from our friends and fellow members from around the world.