by Alyssa Kirkman, on Mar 30, 2026 3:33:24 PM
Sandra Krysch, Angela Overstreet, Liz Tusch and Rylee Thayer met up at TMC 2026 in Nashville by making initial connections through WIT’s Engage platform.
“We would have never gotten to meet if it wasn't for Engage," says Angela Overstreet.
Some of the best professional connections don't start on the conference floor. They start before you ever leave home. That's what happened when WIT member Liz Tusch posted a simple question in Engage ahead of the TMC 2026 conference in Nashville: "Will anyone be at TMC this year? Would love to meet up with some friends!"
It was a small gesture, but it opened the door to something bigger.
If you’re a WIT member, you can expand your networking and mentoring journey through WIT Connections on the Engage platform — or ask questions and start conversations through the Engage Open Forum.
From a Post to a Plan
Replies came quickly. Members started sharing that they'd be there, naming their booth numbers, and exchanging contact information. The energy in the thread was warm and immediate, the kind of response that reminds you there's a real community behind your screen.
Angela Overstreet took it a step further, creating a scheduling poll so everyone could find a time that actually worked. Liz pinned it to the original post so no one would miss it. Suddenly, what started as a casual "anyone going?" had turned into a coordinated WIT meetup at one of the trucking industry's biggest events.
Overstreet captured the spirit of the whole thread when she asked: "Maybe we could all have lunch together one day?"
Why It Matters
Conferences can be overwhelming. The exhibit floor is packed, the schedule is full, and it's easy to spend three days surrounded by thousands of people and still feel like you never made a real connection. Having a familiar face, someone you already "know" from Women In Trucking, changes that entirely.
According to Tusch, “a few of us ended up meeting for lunch and then met up a few different times throughout the week for drinks, dinners, and networking events. It was like we all knew each other forever! We would never had made these connections without WIT.”
That's exactly what this thread shows. Members arrived in Nashville not as strangers hoping to network, but as colleagues already looking forward to seeing each other. The conversation had already happened. The relationship was already forming.
Your Engage Conference Checklist
One of the most underutilized features of WIT membership is Engage. It’s a place to ask questions and share ideas, and a tool to deepen those connections in person. Before your next conference or industry event, a quick post on Engage can help you:
- Turn a solo trip into a shared experience
- Help you plan meetups, meals, or exhibit hall visits in advance
- Exchange contact information ahead of the event
- Give you a group of faces in the crowd
The WIT community is vast and Engage makes it easy to find out just how many members will be in the same room as you.
Heading to an upcoming conference or industry event? Post in Engage and see who else from the WIT community will be there. Join the conversation.
Not a WIT member yet? Learn more about joining a community that shows up for each other — online and in person.
Related Articles:
- Your Professional Home: What You Can Do On Engage
- Engage Spotlight: Meet the Community
- Advice to Our Rookie Selves
- Five Ways to Engage in 2025
- Finding Mentorship and Support on Engage
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