Association Voice
Women in
exhibitions
Emma Barrett, MD of Broadway
Events and an AEO Council
member is on a mission to
empower women through
mentorship and support
While the pandemic continues to
punctuate our thoughts, our work
and the headlines, the fight for gender
equality in the workplace remains an
important one.
There have been pockets of genderbased
conversations happening in
the events world for as long as I can
remember and while progress felt
slow for a long time, there are positive
signs of acceleration, with more people
stepping up to do their bit.
The case for mentorship
Five years ago, I joined the AEO on the
promise of mentorship.
Since then I have become a more
confident businesswoman, unlocking
potential I never knew I had. It
was a huge catalyst in building my
professional network and giving me
access to leader-ship opportunities
equal to some of the most established
male-run organisers in the country.
I am now a proud AEO council
52 — September
member, with a mission to empower
other women to rise through the ranks.
The opportunities are there – we just
have to be bold and accept them.
The value of your network
Over the years, through AEO
mentorship, working groups and a
myriad of networking events, I have
built and have been surrounded by a
network of people who help me grow,
who I share ideas with, and who I can
call up for a chat when I’ve had a tough
day. We’ve all seen a few of those lately.
When things felt particularly
challenging just the other week, I called
Soraya Gadelrab (a member of the
AEO development board and president
of Women in Exhibitions Network)
and said, ‘Today has been tough’. She
responded empathetically but also
practically – ‘Completely understand –
let’s work through the solutions…’
Paying it forward
Having hugely benefited from various
opportunities I put myself forward for,
the time is now to pay it forward. There
are so many talented women in the
industry who simply need mentorship to
realise their potential.
Mentorship is something that will be
available to all members of the Women
in Exhibitions Network.
Opportunities available
There are a variety of campaigns and
initiatives set up to empower women
in the industry. I am proud to be a
founding partner and vice president of
the Women in Exhibitions Network.
This network was launched in 2018,
by Oana Cipca from MECC Maastricht,
to support the con-tinued professional
development of women working in
exhibitions, providing opportunities for
them to meet and network.
The mission?
To empower women whilst helping
to nurture leaders. It’s about positive
sustainable change and championing
the next generation of female leaders to
create a more balanced and effec-tive
board room.
There are now Chapters in Germany,
UK and the Middle East. Every region
might have a slightly different approach,
but we all have the same end goal:
to promote women in the exhibition
industry for career growth, encouraging
them to step up and dare greatly.
We want to engage as many women
in the industry as possible through
the Network. It is open to venues,
organisers and suppliers across the
board, and is accessible by the most
junior to the most senior.
For 2020-2021 the Women in Exhibitions
Network plans to focus on the following
4 initiatives:
» Raising Awareness
» Networking
» Mentoring
» Training & Development
There is still lots of work to be done
to make our industry more equal and
inclusive but change is coming and it’s
exciting to see.
Aside: On the subject of diversity and
inclusion, the AEO is taking an active
role in pushing forward conversations
about diversity through its relevant
working groups.
These conversations will focus on
gender, race, disability and LGBT
communities. More coming down the
line soon.
For more information, visit:
www.womeninexhibitions.com