Profiles
The 70 %
Women make up around 70 % of the global events workforce but their stories are often under-represented. We profile two women leaders at two top UK sporting event venues, Johanna Byrane, head of business development at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, and Julie Coates- Walker, group head of sales, Arena Racing Company
EW – How do you balance professional growth with personal commitments? JB: It’ s all about being super organised – both at work and in family life. I’ ve also learned that I have to be really efficient with my time and any out-of-hours work opportunities are worth my while with a clear outcome. Post-Covid there is much more flexibility around working from home and time in lieu for late finishes or early starts. I’ m lucky enough to work under leadership that promotes a healthy work / life balance and provides me with the autonomy to manage my own time while still ensuring a strong work ethic.
JCW: It is a constant balancing act. The key is setting boundaries, prioritising and learning to delegate. There’ s more awareness in the industry around how important the work-life balance is to prevent burnout, and flexible working is becoming more common. However, events and hospitality will always be a fast-paced, high-energy industry operating seven days a week, so it’ s essential we continue to champion workplace cultures that support this reality.
EW – What advice would you give to young women looking to succeed in the events industry? JB: Go for it! You’ ll never be bored! For operational roles, what some people see as unsociable hours can
work for others and the flexibility can be an added benefit that is often not recognised.
The events industry doesn’ t always have to be front of house. Those supporting functions such as Finance, HR, and Training can also offer wonderful career pathways with ongoing learning available and more structured hours if that is what you prefer.
JCW: Things have definitely changed for the better. There are huge opportunities for women to be successful.
Top left: Johanna Byrane
Bottom left: Julia Coates- Walker
Firstly, don’ t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone when presented with an opportunity – be brave! Second, participate in projects, offer your ideas in meetings and speak up for yourself.
Thirdly, network hard, and build relationships. Lastly, get yourself some comfortable shoes!
EW – How do you handle setbacks? JB: I’ m resilient enough to learn from setbacks, but that doesn’ t stop me from feeling disappointed if targets aren’ t achieved. I’ m lucky to work in an environment that encourages us to make decisions and be brave.
JCW: It can be upsetting when something goes wrong, especially with live events. It is important to keep calm and come up with a solution and a plan of how to do it better next time.
It is important to have a problemsolving mindset, a sense of humour, good communication skills, and a great support network. EW – What changes do you think are still needed to create more opportunities for women in leadership? JB: There’ s definitely been progress, but we still need to see more women actively encouraged and supported into senior roles. Mentoring and visible female role models can make a huge difference.
We also need to keep challenging the assumptions around what leadership looks like; it’ s not always the loudest voice in the room.
JCW: Recognising that women bring valuable and often different perspectives, skills, and strengths to leadership teams is crucial. We need more mentoring and leadership development opportunities. Fair access to opportunities and equal pay are still ongoing battles. EW www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 6 2025 19