Where else can you meet women from 50 different countries in one place? Where else can you attend highly charged seminars to discuss world economics and best business practices while rubbing elbows with world economic leaders and heads of state?

Where else but the Global Summit for Women, an international gathering of women leaders from around the world that is now in its 12th year of providing every one of these opportunities and more in an exhilarating, action-packed venue.

The Global Summit of Women is the brainchild of Washington, DC, businesswoman Irene Natividad, who says the goal of the event is to "increase women's economic clout in the global marketplace through a multidisciplinary prism." By all accounts, she has succeeded wildly. In fact, past participants of the Summit have called it as "the Davos for Women" because of the caliber of the leadership present both in the program topics and speakers and even the attendees themselves.

Natividad says the high caliber of the Summit is a natural, given the fact that women are becoming "a focal force in changing the face and practice of the world's economies."

In fact, she says, women comprise 40 percent of the global workforce. With that growing position comes increased earning power and the ability for women to affect the fate of multi-national corporations.

It is an often-quoted statistic that women make 80 percent of the buying decisions in the United States, from food to cars to homes. They also are the majority of U.S. healthcare purchasers and Internet subscribers, and these trends are being mirrored elsewhere, most noticeably in Asia.

But, Natividad says, "Although women's clout as consumers is significant, their economic power and force lies in their ability as business owners."

For example, women entrepreneurs own one-third of all small businesses in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In Japan, they own one-quarter of small enterprise. In Third World countries, women own businesses that are fueling the growth in emerging economies.

A One-of-a-Kind Offering
Natividad says one of the main reasons the Summit is important to women because there are very few international fora-outside of those organized by the United Nations-that bring together the same mix of high-level women in business, government and non-government organizations as the Summit does.

"Women leaders from a variety of disciplines can exchange solutions and strategies on issues affecting women outside the constraints of their country's official position," Natividad explains. "It is important for women in government to hear what women entrepreneurs have to say, and vice versa. This type of stimulating, productive discourse forces women to think outside the box. Often, you can get a winning strategy from emerging economies."

The Summit provides women with tools, contacts, knowledge, and economic literacy, as well as the opportunity to meet women with whom they may want to enter partnerships.

"The enthusiasm and the vitality of the sessions proved to be contagious," Summit participant Karlyn Harfoot, chair of the Hong Kong Women Business Owners Club, says. "Large corporations and small businesses got together, solved problems, and shared ideas in a sincere, open and friendly environment."

Natividad says the Summit is "the natural extension of the work I have been doing on behalf of women for over 20 years."

Throughout the last two decades, Natividad has focused her energies on helping women help themselves and each other. Over the course of that time, she has served in numerous leadership positions in women's organizations, including the Center for Women Policy Studies, Corporate Women Directors International, and Women Vote. In 1985, Natividad was elected president of the National Women's Political Caucus, becoming the first Asian American to lead a national political organization.

But, she says the Global Summit of Women is the crown jewel of her efforts.

She points out that, in all of the important official global meetings dealing with business or economics, few women are present, adding that she believes this is because women have yet to gain powerful positions that automatically give them unquestioned grounds to participate in such meetings.

Acting upon the strength of her "Why wait to be invited?" philosophy, Natividad started the Global Summit of Women: "We created our own meeting of leaders to focus on solutions and strategies-in short, a forum to examine issues and make deals."

As an example of this Economy of Effort, Natividad gives a partial list of those who attended the last Summit in Hong Kong: "a woman manufacturer of yachts; a Nepalese entrepreneur who exports seeds; a Romanian head of a chemical company; a Canadian microwave manufacturer; an American export consultant; an Australian bank president; a Mongolian oil company head; and an Egyptian advertising agency owner." She added that the group also included women ministers and members of Parliament, single entrepreneurs and heads of associations that help women entrepreneurs.

As part of her committed efforts to grow women's capabilities, Natividad works with Junior Achievement to identify young women throughout the United States who are interested in entrepreneurship so she can bring them to the Summit.

"By exposing these young women to successful role models, we are helping them learn early that their goals of entrepreneurship are achievable. Women attendees can see the future in these young entrepreneurs. Both leave with a sense of mission," she says.

The Benefits of Going Global
Natividad believes that women entrepreneurs who engage in the global marketplace are likely to grow their businesses six times faster that those who don't.

"One of the most critical needs of a woman business owner who wants to go global is to find a business partner in the market she hopes to penetrate. Women, more so than men, want to find a comfort level with such partners, and they want to meet them face-to-face," Natividad says. "The Summit provides a venue that has promoted more deal-making on the spot than I ever imagined when I conceived the idea."

Summit participants share their successes with Natividad regularly, and the stories of successful deal-making are legion.

A Filipino businesswoman met an Australian author at a previous Summit, and now, she promotes the author's work in the Philippines. A Canadian manufacturer was able to find Asian partners who provide outlets for her products. A Belize exporter of food products found backers for her venture at the Summit in Buenos Aires.

The Summit promotes networking in a variety of ways.

At the public events, women come together randomly, but there also are deliberate venues built into the program to help build this all-important network of women. Each Summit includes networking breakfasts. Delegates are assigned to different tables every day, and a host prods conversation using a set of questions designed to connect everyone at the table.

Everyone who attends the Summit is given a directory of participants and, thus, the contact information they need to pursue alliances forged at the Summit. Participants also are encouraged to use the Summit Web site (www.globewomen.com) to advertise their products and services to a worldwide audience.

But, Natividad says, while building alliances is an extremely important factor when doing business in the global marketplace, having the right set of skills also is critical. In fact, she says that skill-building sessions are "an integral part of the program" at each Summit.

The Summit skill-building sessions range from helping women understand how technology can help them market their products better, to helping women learn the ABCs of exporting, to hearing from women who have already entered the international market, to being informed about global business and cultural issues that can impact their economic prospects. In short, the Summit provides tools that can facilitate a woman entrepreneur's growth across borders. Summit participants say that help is priceless.

"The most valuable aspect of the Summit to me was interaction, learning and experiencing the hopes and aspirations of women from around the world who want to be more successful in their field," says Selima Ahmad, president of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Business and Industry.

Laying the Groundwork for Public Policy Changes
While the Summit takes a provocative stance on women's leadership and economic impact, Natividad explains that the program features a public policy element, as well.

"No change that promotes women's progress in business and the economic arena will ever take place without the concerted efforts of women to lobby for government support," she explains. "Public policies that open doors wider for women business owners do not happen by accident or as a normal course of events. They are well-thought and hard-won."

Natividad cites the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) as an example of an organization that fights to move public policy forward.

"NAWBO lobbies endlessly in the United States at all levels to include women in government contract opportunities, global trade missions, and other initiatives that create a more level playing field," she says. "Through the Summit, I try to teach that same kind of advocacy to women in every country around the world."

The Promise of This Year's Summit
The 2002 Global Summit of Women, which is being co-chaired by five women vice presidents and deputy prime ministers, takes place July 11-13 in Barcelona, Spain.

Natividad says she chose Spain because of its presidency of the European Union for the first half of 2002, its wealth of women business and political leaders, and its dynamic group of women entrepreneurs. Natividad says Summit organizers are excited about hosting the Summit in Barcelona for many reasons, not the least of which is that, as she says, "The city is a trade hub, as well as a major art center that has bred Picasso, Dali, and Miro."

The 2002 Summit will focus on increasing women's business opportunities across borders, which an emphasis on the European markets, which have just been integrated through the Euro.

This year's Summit will combine sessions on economic "best practices" with practical skill-building sessions. Since information technology facilitates women's ability to expand their businesses, whether domestic or international, there also will be a strong technology component to many sessions. In an attempt to foster cross-border business relationships among women, the event also will showcase trade missions organized by various countries.

Natividad promises that this and future editions of the Summit "will continue to be fact-filled, hands-on, unique, and exciting."

"I cannot convey the exhilaration, the enthusiasm, the camaraderie, and the sense of endless possibilities that are part of the atmosphere," she says. "When I see the women connecting, learning, making deals, and being open to other cultures, I know this effort is worthwhile."

JUDIE FRAMAN is senior editor of Enterprising Women.