The 27th annual International Women in Aviation Conference accomplished its goal to Connect. Engage. Inspire. at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, March 10-12, 2016.

Saturday night’s closing banquet on March 12 stood out as WAI celebrated awarding $10,000,000 in scholarships since the inception of its scholarship program in 1995. During this year’s conference alone more than $661,000 in scholarships were awarded. British aviatrix Amy Johnson; Brenda Robinson, the U.S. Navy’s first African-American female pilot; Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger; and the women of the U.S Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 77-08 were all inducted into WAI’s International Pioneer Hall of Fame.

WAI’s Fast Pass program continued to be enhanced so that preregistered attendees have a timeslot for their interviews, thus minimizing long lines in the exhibit hall. At this year’s conference, 4,640 Fast Passes were issued to 2,064 members. The WAI Fast Pass allows conference-goers to sign up in advance for interviews and briefings by airlines which are held in meeting rooms rather than in the exhibit hall.

Elsewhere in the exhibit hall, a record number of companies and organizations remained busy fielding questions, showing off products, signing up new clients, renewing relationships with existing clients, and making connections with conference-goers. General sessions were held on Friday and Saturday with both afternoons reserved for a selection of education sessions.

Overall, nearly 5,000 conference attendees—including 91 international attendees representing 16 countries—came together to create another energizing International Women in Aviation Conference. Look for complete coverage in the May/June issue of Aviation for Women magazine.