“The day is an eclectic celebration of women,” she said. “It’s a way for us to engage our (alumnae) and friends of the university back into the campus.”

The conference was sold out last year, and 850 participants have registered for this year’s event.

The event’s popularity can be attributed to diversity of the workshops offered and the topics discussed, said Stella Cash, the former executive director of the MSU Alumni Association.

“You have several things — you have education, relaxation, and the opportunity to see old friends and make new ones,” she said. “The programming is just so diverse that it’s easy to find something that just about anybody would be interested in.”

With workshops including “Celebrity Red Carpet Looks” to the “Management of Varicose Veins,” along with keynote speakers such as Lisa Ling, a special correspondent for “The Oprah Show,” the conference is a meeting of many interesting and successful women, Cash said.

The conference also features merchandise from local boutiques, including the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame, 213 W. Main St., in Lansing — a store featuring unique gifts — and Shining A Light, a nonprofit organization selling hand-beaded leather sandals. Proceeds will be put toward improving living standards for women and children in Tanzania.

“(It’s a) very, very upbeat collection of women,” said Sandy Soifer, the executive director of the Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame. “The women are very engaged in the workshops, and they like to shop a little as well.”

For Tiffany Kennon, a long time attendant of the event and treasurer for Shining A Light, the event is a day to spend quality time with her mother.

“It was a day for my mom and I,” she said. “They have great workshops, great food, great speakers ­— it was a good day for us to be together.”