Exhibition News Summer 2023 | Page 49

WOMEN IN EXHIBITIONS

Gender split To ensure change , she wants to see exhibitions businesses being frank and open about their gender divide and hopes that honesty and transparency will lead to improvement .

“ I can ’ t talk about other people ’ s businesses , but people should be willing to publish what the split of men and women in their business is . There shouldn ’ t be anywhere to hide and I think it would be interesting to see what that would look like .

“ You can ’ t be getting a full picture of your customers , if you only have white men on a board , only white women as well . You don ’ t know what other ethnically diverse groups want from your company . So , I it just doesn ’ t make any sense to me .”

Opportunities The key to Shapiro ’ s work with WIE will be creating networking opportunities and connections that open the doors to level up the playing field .

“ I want to see more opportunities for women in c-suite roles , because those roles aren ’ t generally advertised ,” she says . “ They ’ re headhunted from other people doing those jobs .

“ You have to build a personal profile , and you eventually get asked to do things . But it ’ s hard and tiring work . And you ’ re putting yourself out there in a place that you don ’ t always want to be , so you have to be quite thick skinned .

“ How do we get women into group event director ,

Women in Exhibitions

portfolio director levels ? I want to be opening doors for women .

“ If I can help one woman push against an open door , rather than against a closed door , then I will feel like I ’ ve achieved something . Because every door I ’ ve pushed against , I felt like it ’ s been closed .”

Support In practical terms there are various ways to support women within the workplace , Shapiro says .

“ Having family-friendly policies is ever increasingly important . A woman coming back from maternity leave has juggled more things than any of the men in the office , doing it all on one hour ’ s sleep . Different skills are being learned juggling a family that you may not be able to write down on a CV .

“ Being flexible with working hours and hybrid working . At the end of the day , if people do the job that they ’ ve been employed to , does it matter really where they do it ? It ’ s important that you spend time with your team , but there ’ s got to be give and take .”

Team To effect real change , everyone in the industry regardless of gender or job role needs to play a part she says .

“ As an industry , we ’ re in this together . That means everyone of every gender , and every shape and size of organisation . Perhaps you are a man leading a large organisation and need to fully understand the make-up of your workforce and the culture of the organisation ? Perhaps you are a woman running your own organisation , tasked with lifting women around you ?”

Training , networking and mentoring for women to ensure they can develop the critical skills and confidence needed for future roles is key .

This is where she hopes WIE can really make a difference in advising companies and employees as the industry moves to a more equitable position .

Promotion Shapiro believes that promoting commitments to equity , such as being a member of WIE and shouting about inclusive initiatives , is valuable marketing for any business .

“ It ’ s good for other women to know if you ’ re applying for a job that you ’ re not going into a company that ’ s men heavy . You should tell people that as part of your recruitment process . Because what that means to women joining your business . Tell them you advocate for women , you are aware that there is a problem and aware that you have to keep on your toes about it .

“ If you ’ ve gone out of your way to join [ WIE ] use it to your advantage .”

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