Women 1st, the initiative that aims to increase the number of women working in senior positions in hospitality and the wider tourism and visitor economy sector, will hold its third annual conference at the Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square in London on 3 July 2014.
‘unlocking your potential’
The theme of this year’s conference, which is aimed at emerging female leaders and future talent, is ‘unlocking your potential’. The event will feature a number of high-profile keynote speakers, along with two panel sessions with senior leaders and a choice of interactive workshops to help delegates boost their careers, confidence and charisma.
Speakers already confirmed for the event include: editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post UK and global editorial director for HuffPost Lifestyle, Carla Buzasi; women’s empowerment guru and Women 1st patron, Lynne Franks; and psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopolous, who has appeared on television and radio programmes as diverse as “Big Brother” and BBC News.
Last year’s Women 1st’s Conference attracted over 150 delegates and boasted speakers including: Susan Gambardella, vice president, global account team for Coca Cola; Jill Easterbrook, director of developing businesses at Tesco, and Margaret Hodge MP.
Valuable networking opportunities
Simone Roche, director of Women 1st, said: “The Women 1st Conference is our flagship event and we’ve had fantastic feedback from delegates over the past two years.
“Our research shows that a lack of networking opportunities is one of the biggest barriers to women progressing in our industries and that’s why events like our conference are so important. This is a brilliant opportunity for women in hospitality to meet people and make new contacts, hear first-hand advice from senior leaders, and boost their own skills and confidence.
“The conference isn’t just for women either. Anyone with an interest in the diversity agenda is welcome to attend. We’d love to see more men this year and they’re sure to find it a thought-provoking event!”
Women 1st will be announcing more speakers in the coming weeks and details will be posted on the event’s webpage.
Tickets are available to book now at www.women1st.co.uk/conference. Women 1st has also announced an early bird offer for the event. Tickets can be purchased for the special price of £299 plus VAT (normally £349) when booking before 31 March 2014.
About Women 1st
Women 1st is the thought leadership, training and mentoring programme for the UK’s visitor economy. It was developed by People 1st, the leading skills and workforce development charity for employers in the hospitality, tourism, leisure, travel, passenger transport and retail industries.
Whilst nearly 60 percent of the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism workforce is female, only six percent of director level positions are held by women. In the passenger transport industry, women make up just 25 percent of the whole workforce. Since its inception in 2009, Women 1st has supported over 1,000 women and its programmes are available throughout the United Kingdom.
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