Health strategies! Parenting workshops! 100 stellar companies! 60 amazing moms! All this and so much more (including great food!) will be on the docket at our 2012 Work Life Congress, Monday–Wednesday, October 8–10. Hundreds of leaders and mom staffers from some of America’s top corporations will gather at the Marriott Marquis in New York City to discuss the policies and practices companies have put in place to help working parents—and, in fact, all employees.

“Work Life Congress celebrates the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, the backbone of work life balance in this country,” says Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media. “Our list is the one and only way companies can benchmark how they support working mothers. It sets the bar for what should be done, can be done and might be done to support working families.”

The conference has evolved from honoring just 35 companies to a much larger event honoring 100. Throughout its evolution, Work Life Congress has become increasingly vital and relevant, for parents and also for employers.

“When the companies come together to find out what they’re all doing, it sets the standard, and everyone gets excited about what can be done next,” explains Evans. “Every year we ask our companies to do more and create new programs to support the needs of their employees. So for employees and employers around the country and around the world, this is the conference that shows how companies can move their support to the next level.”

Work Life Congress 2012 will serve up several new and exciting options this year. The focus is on two themes: Health and Wellness, which encompasses exercise, eating well and getting proper rest; and Daring to Dream a Best Work Life Future, which emphasizes the learning and sharing of ideas to build a balanced work life future.

And, for the first time, the Congress will offer a full program aimed at supporting working mothers. Created for employees of the 100 Best Companies, the Moms in Balance workshops will address the pressing concerns of today’s working parents. The agenda includes a MOMFest workshop, in which Evans and Kelly Semrau, SVP of SC Johnson, will interview executive moms from the Top 10 Companies. These high-performing moms will share stress-busting and sanity-saving strategies that have helped them manage their careers.

After two-plus days of workshops, attendees will convene for the glitzy Gala Awards Dinner, which honors the 100 Best Companies and names Ernest & Young, IBM and Procter & Gamble among its Top 10 for providing family-friendly benefits, flex hours and work life programs. The winning companies are usually announced in creative and rousing ways: “We’ve done dance. We’ve done Broadway. We’ve done jazz singing. One year, we had a circus act!” Evans says, beaming.

Beyond all the excitement surrounding the 100 Best, Evans is most thrilled about the more than 60 Working Mothers of Year who will be in attendance. “These moms are so accomplished. They’ve done so much. They have such wonderful families. Their companies are proud of them; we’re proud of them,” she says. “To me, they’re the great symbol of our success. And to me, that’s the highlight this year.”

We hope to see you all at the 2012 Work Life Congress!