The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina Lowcountry SCORE chapter have announced several local speakers to be featured at the second annual THRIVE Lowcountry Women’s Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 6.

In her keynote address, Marjorie Young, founder of Carriage Trade Public Relations® Inc., will present “Life Begins at the Edge of Your Comfort Zone.”

Other keynote addresses will include Stephanie DeFreese, vice president of sales for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina; Sandy Johal, vice president and co-owner of Global Capital Group; Catherine Walton of SCORE; and Lori Collins, founder of Savannah Coffee Roasters.

Cynthia Wright, junior partner of Carriage Trade Public Relations and Cecilia Russo Marketing, also will speak at the conference during a breakout session titled “How to Create Powerful Press Releases – Managing Your Reputation through Media.”

“Reputation management online and in the media is key to any successful enterprise,” said Wright, who also was a speaker in 2017. “How you position your company determines the kind of credibility your brand commands. I’ll teach some of the basics of how to craft business news into an AP style press release, incorporating the value of uniqueness, timeliness and search engine optimization keywords.”

Laurie Brown, founder and owner of Aunt Laurie’s, based in Bluffton, will present a speech titled “Life is a Mission, Not an Intermission.” Brown is one of the creators and strategic planners behind THRIVE.

Other breakout sessions will cover topics such as digital marketing, vision boarding and women’s health. The presenting sponsor of this year’s conference will be BlueCross Blue Shield of South Carolina, and the event will be emceed by WSAV’s Tina Tyus-Shaw.

THRIVE will begin with a welcome reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 5 at the Sonesta Resort on Hilton Head Island with entertainment, vendor tables, heavy hors-d’oeuvres and a speakers’ panel with local business owners.

The conference will take place on Sept. 6 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Registration is $129, with discount rates available for military affiliation. To register or to find more information, please visit www.hiltonheadchamber.org/chamber-events/2018-thrive-lowcountry-womens-conference/