In advance of the next IMEX show, taking place May 24-26 in Frankfurt, the IMEX Group has released the results of a survey of women in the meetings industry, which it's using to develop content for its first ever Women's Leadership Forum on May 25, it announced today.
Conducted by Susan Sarfati, CEO of High Performance Strategies, and Liz Jackson, president of Jackson Consulting Inc., the survey asked 140 women — including both meeting buyers and suppliers — about their greatest challenges, needs and opportunities.
According to survey respondents, women's greatest challenges in the industry are effective time management, personality — many women, for instance, say they struggle to be assertive in the workplace without appearing too dominant or aggressive — encouraging business ethics, managing and motivating Gen Y workers, staff retention, and making the business case for meetings and events.
Time management also made women's list of most needed competencies, along with better sales and marketing skills, superior financial management skills, better presentation and communication skills, and improved negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
"Now it is not so unusual to see women leading countries throughout the world," Sarfati said. "The meetings industry is reflecting the same dramatic change as it relates to key decision makers and a multitude of new opportunities. The 21st century is indeed the century for women to make a major impact and we need to maximize how we can take advantage of this to move ourselves forward, and the meetings industry overall."
Added Jackson, "By demonstrating how women can overcome barriers and succeed in business — and in life — feel good about themselves and reach beyond their expectations, [the Women's Leadership Forum] will show that women often have more power and potential than they realize. These results make it clear we still have a way to go but they also demonstrate that women's desire and readiness to improve their skills and remain focused on career development is an essential component of a healthy international meetings and events industry."
For more information about the IMEX Women's Leadership Forum, visit www.imex-frankfurt.com/women.html.