Event Planning Insights

How. Is. This. Still. Happening?! 😡 Today, I had a conversation that left me fuming—and not for the first time. I spoke with an incredibly talented, experienced female candidate who just discovered that a male colleague—junior to her in the industry, with half her experience, who even reports into her—was earning significantly more than her. Yes, you read that right. In 2024, we're still having these conversations. How is this still a thing? Equal Work, Equal Pay should be the norm, not a privilege. It’s not just about fairness; it’s about respect, value, and integrity. How can we expect women to stay motivated, stay innovative, stay in industries that continue to undervalue them, especially when the events industry is pretty much made up of women? It’s infuriating that despite all the progress we've supposedly made, gender pay gaps are still very real, very pervasive, and very damaging. We talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion, but how can we take those words seriously when these disparities continue to exist? So, what do we do about it? Advocate and Speak Up: If you discover you’re being underpaid, don’t stay silent. Gather your facts, know your worth, and advocate for yourself. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but silence only perpetuates the problem. Managerial Responsibility: Managers, this is on you too. If someone on your team is being underpaid, it’s your responsibility to address it. Push for pay adjustments if you see inequities—don’t wait for your employees to bring it up. Support Each Other: We need allies in the workplace. If you’re aware of a colleague being underpaid, support them in their fight for fair compensation. The more voices, the stronger the message. If this happens to you… Don’t internalise it: This isn’t about your worth or value. It’s about systemic issues that need to be addressed. Arm Yourself with Information: Research industry benchmarks, gather evidence of your contributions, and prepare to make your case. Demand Action: Don’t just ask—demand that your organisation takes action. Whether it’s a salary adjustment or a clear path to one, make sure there’s a concrete resolution. Know When to Walk Away: If your company refuses to rectify the situation, it might be time to look elsewhere. Don’t stay where you’re undervalued. To all the companies out there: Step up. Do better. This isn’t just about keeping your employees happy; it’s about basic fairness and decency. This shouldn’t still be happening. But until it stops, we’re going to keep talking about it, calling it out, and demanding change. #EqualPay #GenderEquality #PayEquity #DiversityandInclusion #RantOver

Lately, I’ve been attending a lot of industry events, and there has been one recurring theme: a glaring lack of women speakers! Far too often, the only woman on a panel (if any) is the moderator—which, let’s be honest, does not really count as equal representation and the panel would still count as a ‘manel.’ And please, don’t tell me there aren’t female professionals in this or that field. There are talented women out there, bringing expertise and fresh perspectives across every sector. It’s time we move beyond tokenism and make sure women are not only present, but actively participating as thought leaders and experts. YOU can do something about it: 🔴 As a speaker, recommend, introduce and advocate for women co-panelists. 🔴 As an event organizer, audit speaker lineups and actively seek out female experts, or hire someone to do that for you. 🔴 As a sponsor or partner, support events that prioritize gender balance and hold others accountable for their choices. Equal representation doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentional action from each and every one of us. When we create space for all voices, we enrich the conversation with diverse voices and inspire the next generation of leaders; and it is time for our event lineups to reflect that! #representationmatters #womeninleadership #diversityandinclusion #publicspeaking #genderequality #socialimpact

Another year, another International Women’s Day event request, this time with no budget for speakers or a "tiny budget." Women are expected to organise IWD events, often on top of their day jobs, with little to no resources. Meanwhile, the real work of gender equality, fixing systemic barriers, addressing pay gaps, and ensuring more women advance into leadership remains a low priority for the organisation. Enough with the cupcakes, the morning teas, and the token celebrations. If organisations are serious about gender equity, they must fund it, prioritise it, and ensure it delivers real change. I wrote about it (again!) https://bit.ly/4b923uV If your organisation is hosting an IWD event, ask the tough questions: • Who is doing the work, and are they being recognised? • What budget has been allocated? • How will this contribute to long-term change for women? Because cupcakes, panels and morning teas don’t close the leadership gender gap. Year-round gender equity action does. #InternationalWomensDay #GenderEquity #WomenInLeadership #LeadToSoar

Unveiling the Power of Data: Insights from a Gathering of Data-Driven Women On Thursday evening last week, I had the privilege of engaging with a diverse group of women deeply involved in the realm of data. Our discussions revolved around the concept of data democracy and its implications. Understanding Data Rationalization: • The unanimous desire for more data and insights emerged, prompting reflections on the importance of rationalizing data pools. • Despite the increasing role of AI and technology, cautionary notes were sounded—awareness of biases and the necessity of expertise in AI were highlighted. Data Across Industries: • Data isn’t confined to specific industries. Even building efficiency data plays a crucial role in understanding the ESG. component for sustainable buildings. The Crucial Role of Clean Data: • The instrumental role of clean data was emphasized as a prerequisite for moving away from legacy systems and venturing into AI possibilities. • Cleaning data becomes pivotal to harness the potential of AI, requiring meticulous attention to data cleanliness. Addressing Data Debt: • A significant concern was identified as “data debt,” referring to legacy data that persists despite its irrelevance today. • The challenge lies in cleaning this data mountain, a task often overlooked by upper echelons but crucial for organizational readiness. 📂📦Data needs to be accessible yet secure not everyone needs access to all data. What they do need access for should be razor sharp to prevent the data mountain from getting out of control 🪪👆There isnt always a wallet to pay for data so it’s up to the users to manage upwards and devise ways of being more commercially astute and showing how they can save the organisation money by removing an old kri / kpi / data set for example The Role of Technology in Survival: • It is evident that organizations must embrace technology to survive—experimentation and new trends in technological utilization are key for efficiency and competitiveness. Thanks to, Women in Tech and Full Story, for orchestrating a remarkable evening of dinner and conversation in a beautiful venue. The insights shared underscored the pivotal role of data in shaping the future, making it clear that adapting to technological advancements is not just beneficial but essential for organizational survival. A useful podcast: that ties to this theme https://lnkd.in/eUwevMuv

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰-𝐮𝐩 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 90% 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬? Incredible! Since 2017, I've been producing and organizing both in-person and online events. Opportunities to speak about entrepreneurship to mothers, especially to promote my book "𝑴𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕," were rare. So, I took matters into my own hands. Without a mentor or formal guidance, I leveraged my extensive experience in advertising, media, sales, and marketing, where I collaborated with over 100 clients on event management. This background allowed me to craft my own event strategies, focusing deeply on understanding my target audience's needs, desires, and pain points. A pivotal moment for me was incorporating attendee feedback through surveys, which significantly enhanced my events and boosted my conversion rates. Post-COVID, I adapted to the changing landscape and discovered the formula for a high show-up rate. Partnering with Andrea Zsapka, we co-founded EmpowerBiz Global . Our mission? To create diverse and inclusive events for the local and global business community. Over the past three months, our 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 has brought together female founders and male allies to explore building investible startups using AI, in collaboration with Asia Innovate Hub's Jasmine Goh and Huawei’s Llewellan Vance. Here are three tips to help you achieve a higher show-up rate for your events: 🔸 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧: Collect your attendees' WhatsApp or Telegram contacts and send them reminders—welcome messages, sign-up confirmations, venue instructions, post-event thank-yous, survey forms, and updates about upcoming events. 🔸 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Incorporate experiential activities like team bonding or ice-breaker sessions that can't be replicated online. 🔸 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Encourage attendees to fill out event survey forms. This invaluable feedback helps you refine your events, making each one better than the last. Feeling blessed and excited to continue this journey, making each event a memorable and impactful experience for all attendees. Let's keep innovating and empowering together! 🚀 #EventManagement #Entrepreneurship #FemaleFounders #AI #EmpowerBizGlobal

Could we PLEASE stop asking expert female speakers to deliver keynotes at international conferences on women's empowerment, for free? I can normally take these requests in my stride, but today's is appalling. The conference is in Florida. It's short notice - just 10 weeks' time, so it would be a rush job for my team, moving other projects to accommodate it. They want me to deliver a bespoke keynote. The conference is all about empowering women in leadership. They want me to: - Spend 2 weeks creating a bespoke, world-class keynote talk - Take a week (or more) out of my schedule to attend the conference in Florida (they know I'm in the UK) - Pay for overnight childcare for 5+ days to cover this - Pay for and organise my own USA work visa for the event - Turn away other speaking work that month (I'm max one per month to ensure you get the quality and service you deserve) - Return flights from London to Florida, plus 5 days' hotel accommodation & meals ... not for free. Yay! ... but by ME paying THEM $900. 💩 💩 💩 They're paying for the venue, the AV team, the security staff, the coffee break people, the marketing, the advertising, and even the salary for the person reaching out with this audacious request. But they told us: "Their sponsors and $400 per-person ticket sales don't give them budget to pay the international speakers who are creating the event." The problem is your budgeting skills. And it's not my job to dig you out of that hole. Obviously I've refused, but they'll just move on to the next person, who might be desperate enough to say yes. This. Has. To. Stop. I'm feeling ranty about this because it's so disingenuous to run an international event that is all about ***empowering*** women to lead, when you're taking advantage of women in this way. I'd go so far as to say that it's morally repugnant. And how would the attendees feel if they found out that their ticket fee wasn't being used to create a fair energy exchange for the speakers? Surely this business model just creates a sub-standard conference where only newbie speakers will speak, and it risks nothing but a pitch-fest from the stage, rather than adding genuine value? But while speakers continue to say yes, these organisations will keep doing this. Speakers' desperation makes this extortionist business model viable. What's the answer? And how do you respond to these requests? #ExposureGivesYouFrostbite #PayYourSpeakers #EmpoweringWomen #FeelingRanty

One of these people owns a business. Can you guess which one? Hint: it’s not the man. When Mike and I walk into a room together, people often assume he’s the boss and I work for him. They shake his hand first. They ask him what he does before me. Sometimes I stand there like a third wheel. (Which is exactly what happened when this photo was taken plus a whole heap of other times.) I’m not easily offended but let’s call it what it is. A stereotype that’s still alive and well - even in 2025. You might be tired of hearing about gender pay gaps. About the lack of women in senior roles. Maybe you’re thinking, “We employ women in senior positions so this doesn’t apply to us.” Oh but it does. Because the bias isn’t always obvious. It’s in the tiny, unconscious assumptions we make without even realising. Or even the bigger ones. NOWIE - The Network of Women in Events CIC recently released their gender equality report. Over 600 women in the live events industry responded. Here’s what they found: 👉 3 in 4 women have experienced or witnessed gender-based discrimination at work 👉 Only 8% were in director-level roles 👉 57% said their income doesn’t reflect their contribution Work/life balance (25%) and gender bias (24%) were cited as the top challenges for women in events. The numbers don’t lie. So ask yourself: Have you ever met a team and - despite knowing better - assumed the men runs the business, and the women work for them? The idea that men are in charge and women are there to assist? It needs to go. It’s outdated. It’s lazy. And yet here we are. Next time you meet a company’s team, don’t assume the woman is there to take notes. She might just be the one who built the whole damn thing.

Why are women in the events industry so often valued as "the doers", but not as contributors to strategic planning? The ElevateHER 2025 Report (February) highlights a striking imbalance that exists within Events: - Women make up 77% of the events workforce, yet hold only 16% of leadership roles. - 67% of men believe women have equal opportunities to advance, but only 36% of women agree. - 57% of women report experiencing or witnessing discrimination — often in everyday interactions such as being interrupted, dismissed, or judged more harshly for speaking up. This gap shows up most clearly in who gets a seat at the table. Women are essential to delivering events, yet underrepresented in the rooms where decisions are made. So it begs the question: What would happen if women had more representation in rooms that matter? - Would decisions better reflect the perspectives of the people driving 77% of the work? - Would strategic planning benefit from a wider range of insights, creativity, and lived experience? - Would the industry itself grow stronger — not just operationally, but in vision and innovation? What I love is this report offers up clear and simple solutions - change doesn’t have to be complicated. It's mentorship, clear promotion paths, visible leadership opportunities, and fair pay. Link to download the full report in the comments.

☕ After three morning coffees (and counting!), I’m back at Plug and Play Tech Center for Day 2, soaking in even more wisdom from incredible founders and funders. The first panel of the day, moderated by VP of Enterprise and AI, Connie Weisman from Plug and Play Tech Center, featured four inspiring Women of Color founders who shared the unique challenges they’ve faced in tech and the lessons they’ve learned. Here are some powerful takeaways that had the room buzzing: 💼 Challenges Unique to Women Founders: Breaking into Male-Dominated Fields: Mariane Bekker (Women Founders Bay) highlighted the barriers women face in engineering roles and exclusive founder networks. Networking Hurdles: Funding is all about who you know, but building those networks isn’t easy. Amber Michelle H. (R.grid) encouraged leveraging digital tools like WhatsApp and LinkedIn, while Tiffany Yeh, MD (Eztia) and Anca Timofte (Holocene) emphasized the value of accelerators, business schools, and conferences like this one. Starting Solo: Amber shared the challenges of building a team from scratch, especially when family and personal motivations are the driving force. Self-Doubt: Tiffany’s honesty about battling imposter syndrome struck a chord with many in the room. 💡 Invaluable Skills These Founders Learned: Marianne: The ability to bounce back from stress — resilience is everything. Anca: Diplomacy and stakeholder management — mastering people dynamics. Tiffany: Managing uncertainty — thriving amid the unknown. Amber: Mastering simplicity — never assuming what’s “common sense.” 💬 Key Takeaway: The path to success as a woman founder may be filled with hurdles, but intentional networking, community building, and resilience make it possible. From leveraging accelerators to starting conversations in digital spaces, these women are proof that persistence pays off. What strategies have helped you navigate challenges as a founder or in your career? Let’s share and inspire each other. 👇 #PNPTCSilliconValley #WomenInTech #WomenOfColor #FoundersJourney

Over the past year, I’ve spent hundreds of hours with women's communities and networks across the U.S. My key take-aways: 💚 Mission-driven. 💲 Underfunded. 🛠️ Doing too much with too little. The passion is not the problem. It’s the lack of structure, systems, and digital support behind the scenes.These leaders are running on duct tape and late nights.They’re juggling spreadsheets, Slack channels, registration links, reminders, emails, and engagement metrics — manually. Limited data, limited insights. And AI? Feels like a buzzword without clear tangible applications. That’s why I’m starting this series: 🔹 Short 🔹 Clear 🔹 Actionable tech tips for women’s orgs. No hype. No jargon. Just one useful shift at a time. Because if we’re going to change outcomes, we have to start by lightening the load. 🔧 Today’s Tip: Post-Event Follow-Up Without the Burnout You hosted the event. You showed up, moderated, answered questions, gave everything. And now? You’re staring at the Zoom recording… dreading the recap email. You don't want to lose momentum because the event landed and want to make sure the follow-through does not get buried under everything else. This is where AI can quietly save hours. 💡 Try this with your transcript: If your event platform gave you a transcript (Zoom, Otter, Descript, etc.), use this prompt in ChatGPT (or any other AI tool you like): “I’m pasting a raw transcript from a community event. Please do the following: Remove timestamps, speaker names, and filler phrases (like ‘you’re on mute’) Keep only the real discussion/insight moments Summarize into 2–3 takeaways Write a short, warm follow-up email to attendees” [Insert your transcript excerpt here — ideally 500–1500 words] No rewatching. No rewriting from scratch. Just tweak and send. 🧠 Good follow-up is a growth strategy — not just a nice-to-have. And this is one place where AI can truly take something off your plate. #AIForCommunity #DigitalTools #WomenInLeadership #NonprofitOps #CommunityStrategy