By: EDGE Women Speaker Jennifer Fondrevay
I hear it more and more, and it completely baffles me.
Executives and event planners declare “We need more women on the main stage!” Quickly followed by the question: “Where can we find them?!”
I find this conundrum puzzling. I am a female speaker, and I know many other amazing female speakers. There are hundreds of credible women speakers with impressive credentials and expertise -- yet it seems they are hiding in plain sight.
Bizzabo’s (a platform that helps meeting planners manage their events through the cloud) recent survey confirms this reality. For the past five years, their surveys have found that men outnumbered women 2 to 1 as event speakers. Contributing to the limited exposure is the type of events where women can be found. Women are more often speakers at fundraisers, galas or social gatherings, rather than the broader exposure offered by conventions, networking events and conferences. This “speaker status quo” hinders event planners from considering female speakers more because they simply are not seeing them.
The good news is that the industry is wising up. Event planners recognize that having more women on the main stage better reflects the interests of the audience. Hearing women share their stories and expertise provides the unique and more often relatable perspective that women bring to any situation. As many of my male colleagues, who are equally perplexed by the lack of women being sought for the main stage have said, “To have a well-informed perspective, you need to get a perspective -- the more diverse, the better.”
Incorporating female speakers into an event enlivens the agenda with new, relatable and expert voices. Yet the challenge remains: how do we bring forward these female speakers who are hiding in plain sight?
You put this challenge to a group of female speakers and you get one kick-ass solution: EDGE Women Speakers, established to take the guesswork out of finding inspiring and credible female speakers.
Experienced, Dynamic, Global and Entertaining, EDGE Women Speakers have educated and entertained audiences around the world, converting interested listeners into enthusiastic participants in venues ranging from keynote sessions to intimate workshops.
· Do you want practical advice learned in the corporate trenches and the C-Suite?
· Do you want a right & left-brain approach that motivates your audience to think and act differently?
· Do you want a feel-good story that helps people overcome mindset obstacles?
· Do you want your teams to learn techniques that build resilience, discipline creativity and self-compassion?
EDGE women have walked the talk, as leaders in corporations, science, education, fashion and nonprofit organizations. From a New York Times-listed bestselling author to a former C-suite leader published in Harvard Business Review, these credentialed women share their invaluable insights and experience. Appearing on ABC-TV’s “Shark Tank” and contributing to publications such as Crain’s Chicago Business, Forbes, Money, Thrive Global or The Huffington Post, these women have won awards not only for their speaking but in their areas of expertise.
EDGE Women Speakers presents a variety of female speakers with perspectives and experiences that breaks the status quo. They are the fabulous female speakers you may not have heard -- but you will soon.
If you are looking to give your next event a dynamic EDGE, check out EDGE Women Speakers.
#Empowering #Result-oriented #Forward-thinking #Collaborative #Knowledgeable #Problem-solving #Visionary