Exhibition News December 2022 | Page 28

DIVERSITY

On par

What ’ s changed and what still needs to be done to achieve true parity for women in the events industry asks Claire Menzies , chairwoman of Istoria Group

The events and exhibitions industry has always been well-represented by both genders , making us somewhat ahead of the game . This pleasing fact , however , is surface-deep and risks masking what still remains to be done . A quick visual check of the preparation stages for any major show , for example , underlines

how classic gender roles predominate . Men build stands and women decorate them . Men generally make up the majority of crews and women the majority of office workers – except at the highest ownership / management levels , which are still a mostly-male preserve .
Does this matter ? Yes ,
Claire Menzies
“ Equality makes us all more civilised ”
28 — December