[…] there. I’m a sucker for avocado toast, so when we stopped by Saint Leo for lunch during our trip to Oxford, MS for the MENT Event, I knew that I had to try it when I saw it on their […]
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I recently attended the MENT Event in Oxford, MS. A 2 day conference of curated panels, speakers, workshops and attendee mentor engagement, MENT is a conference for the modern woman looking to construct her own future & career. My friend and blogger boo Carmeon was recruited to be apart of their Breakout Sessions and talk about social media and content creation, and with her amping up her focus on her brand, she hired me to go down with her so that she could focus on networking but also get some content done. We’re friends and always have fun when we work together, so of course we were like “road trip!” and planned to get as much done as possible while we were there.
Our day started early AF. We headed down to Oxford the morning of her breakout session and got there in time for breakfast and check-in. Check-in was held at The Powerhouse, with breakfast catered by GRIT Restaurant in Taylor, MS. They offer sophisticated Southern cuisine with a passion for tradition and experimentation, and the food was amazing. It was healthy, flavorful, and filling, and I definitely want to take a trip down to Taylor for a full meal.
Carmeon was able to extend an invitation to a few more women (who were also entrepreneurs), so they met us at check-in and once we were all done eating, we headed down to the first set of panel discussions at The Lyric Theater.
The first set of panels were focused on career development and mental health. Comedienne Heather McMahan was the MC for the event and she is hilarious (this is my favorite IG post of hers).
If you’ve never been down to Oxford, it’s a quaint college town. Because the conference was taking place around the Square, we were able to walk everywhere and in between sessions we could stop and explore in the shops. We grabbed a quick bite at Saint Leo’s for lunch then headed back to Powerhouse for Carmeon’s session.
I bopped around for few minutes to take photos and listen in on some of the sessions, but I did sit in on Carmeon’s group. She had a diverse group of women from different age groups and entrepreneurial levels, so it was interesting to hear their questions about social media and how to do it “right”.
Carmeon is so authentic when it comes to social media, so she was the perfect person to talk about the importance of being yourself while sharing your brand’s business. Social Media can be a LOT to handle, and Carmeon tried to keep things as simple as possible, so the ladies were able to walk away from the session feeling empowered about their social media channels and what they could do on their own. I was even able to help one with the settings on her account so that she could share content to both IG and Facebook! If felt good being able to support her during this, even in a small way.
After the breakout sessions, we looked around a bit at the popup shop before heading back to The Lyric Theater for the next set of panels on Brand Enhancement and Financial Investment.
The brand enhancement session was probably the most interesting for me because so much of what they covered are things I talk about in blog coaching sessions, so it was nice to confirm what I already know, and that I’m helping to guide my clients in the right direction as well. Some of the ladies had to leave early and we weren’t able to stay for the full evening, so we walked around a bit and grabbed some gelato before heading back to the hotel (we stayed at The Graduate) for dinner and to crash (we were honestly exhausted).
While I was pretty well versed in some of the content and advice that was offered during the conference, I would definitely recommend it to women who are just starting out in business and want to network with others who own businesses or work in creative fields. Listening to these women talk about the challenges that they face day to day in their careers while balancing being wives, mothers, and friends was so relatable; even if you’re not in the same place that they are in, it’s comforting to know that everyone goes through it, so it’s important to build a network of support. We all need a tribe to help us grow to that next level, and I feel like conferences like this are great for finding that.
To learn more about MENT, click here.