• March 7, 2025

Accelerating Action: Breaking Barriers for Women in Events

Accelerating Action: Breaking Barriers for Women in Events

Accelerating Action: Breaking Barriers for Women in Events 1024 682 micebook.

At micebook’s International Women’s Day event, a panel featuring Janine Hart (Managing Director, Pure Communications Group), Laura Kelly (Managing Director, Live Recruitment), and Carina Filek (COO, Elevate Global) took the stage to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing women in the events industry—gender equity, pay parity, and diversity.

Moderated by micebook editor Susie Harwood, the session was a solutions-driven conversation aimed at driving meaningful change. Here are some of the key takeaways:

The Pay Gap: Still a Major Issue in a Female-Dominated Industry

One of the most worrying insights was the continued gender pay gap within the events industry, despite it being predominantly female. Data shared from Elevate Global’s “ElevateHer” report and Live Recruitment’s upcoming industry research revealed a significant disparity in salary expectations and leadership representation between men and women.

“67% of men say there are equal opportunities for women to progress into leadership, whereas only 36% of women agree,” said Filek.

Women are also undervaluing themselves when it comes to salary expectations. “Women tend to ask for lower salaries than their male counterparts. We need to be more transparent about salary bands and encourage women to know their worth and negotiate,” explained Kelly.

The panel emphasised salary transparency, fair pay policies, and structured promotion pathways as key solutions to closing the gender pay gap.

Breaking the Leadership Ceiling: The Drop-Off in Female Leaders

While women make up the majority of the events workforce, the number of women in senior leadership roles sharply declines after the age of 45.

“There’s a huge drop-off when women reach their 40s, and by the time you get to the 60+ bracket, men outnumber women more than twofold. We have to address why women are leaving the industry and find ways to retain them,” said Kelly.

A major contributing factor? A lack of structured career pathways and mentorship opportunities for women to advance into leadership roles. “I just want every woman in this room to know—leadership is possible for you. You do NOT have to work 10 times harder than men to get there,” said Hart.

The solution? Proactive mentorship, sponsorship, and leadership programs that provide women with clear progression routes and the confidence to step up.

Bias in Hiring & Promotion: The Need for Fairer Processes

Bias—both unconscious and systemic—remains a major barrier in recruitment, promotions, and pay negotiations.

“The reality is, everyone has biases, whether they realise it or not. In hiring, there are over 10 types of bias that can impact decision-making,” explained Hart.

The events industry needs to implement unbiased hiring practices, such as unconscious bias training for hiring managers, diverse hiring panels, and standardised salary and promotion policies.

Filek shared how Elevate Global has introduced blind candidate profiles for event staffing: “Clients still ask for full-length photos of event staff, which is borderline criminal in this day and age. We now provide blind profiles based on skills alone—removing photos and personal information—to combat unconscious bias.”

The panel encouraged businesses to challenge outdated hiring practices and push for true equity in hiring and promotions.

Mentorship: A Game-Changer for Women in Events

Mentorship emerged as a critical solution to advancing women into leadership. However, 60% of women reported not having access to mentorship programs.

“We all need to be mentors. If you can give just one hour every six weeks, you can change someone’s career trajectory,” said Filek.

Beyond formal mentorship programs, the panel encouraged peer-to-peer support, informal mentoring, and industry-wide initiatives to help women navigate their careers.

“I’ve had female mentors who introduced me into rooms where I deserved to be. That’s the kind of support we need to be giving each other,” said Hart.

Diversity & Inclusion: More Than a Buzzword

The discussion also spotlighted the lack of racial diversity in the events industry, particularly in leadership roles.

“Women of colour face even more barriers. We need to move beyond talking about diversity and create spaces where everyone feels included,” urged Hart.

She shared a shocking example from a recent industry networking event: “Two of my team members—both people of colour—were standing in the bathroom having a conversation, and someone assumed they were toilet attendants. This would NOT have happened if they were white.”

Hart called for more proactive hiring of diverse candidates, stronger inclusion policies in the workplace and challenging bias when it occurs.

How Can YOU #AccelerateAction?

The session ended with a call to action—what can each of us do to drive change in our businesses and the industry?

Here’s what the panel urged attendees to take away:
Push for salary transparency – Know your worth, negotiate, and advocate for clear pay bands.
Be a mentor – Support another woman in the industry, even informally.
Challenge bias – In hiring, promotions, and workplace interactions.
Hold leadership accountable – Diversity & inclusion goals should be measurable and actionable.
Amplify underrepresented voices – Make space for more diverse perspectives.

“Change starts with us. Every single person in this room has the power to make a difference,” concluded Hart.

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