To mark International Women’s Day 2018, the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) hosted the EEAA 2018 International Women’s Breakfast at Doltone House Hyde Park in Sydney on 8 March. The association’s annual event celebrated the contribution women make to the Australian business events industry. EEAA chief executive, Joyce DiMascio, said women fulfil many and varied roles across event operations and logistics, sales and marketing, AV and design, security and WHS and many other areas – and it was important to recognise this impact. At the event, EEAA collected donations of clothing for the charity, Fitted for Work, which ‘dresses’ women who are returning to work after hardship. “Our responsibility as an Association is to create a culture in our industry that recognises talent and importantly, fosters equal opportunity,” says EEAA president, Spiro Anemogiannis. City of Sydney councillor Christine Forster; Pier One GM, Kim Mahaffy; strategist, consultant and author, Jane Mathews; director of the Australian Chamber Business Leaders Council, Paul Nicolaou; and The M Agency founder and MD, Emma Triggs were on stage to shed light on their personal stories. Councillor Christine Forster delivered the keynote address, which was followed by a panel discussion.
Forster said the industry’s importance could not be underestimated. “It is vital to Sydney’s economic, cultural and social life,” says Forster.
“The exhibition and events industry is playing a vital role in realising the goals that I’ve made my own priorities in my time as a Sydney councillor: it is attracting investment, people and ideas to the city I love,” adds Forster.
DiMascio also reinforced the important role men can play in creating environments in which women can flourish. “This is not just a breakfast for women. If we want to continue to attract talent – women and men – it’s important that we create an industry that values and respects those who are part of it,” adds DiMascio. Mahaffy, focuses on creating workplace cultures that support the individual and foster entrepreneurialism in young people. Strategist, consultant and author, Jane Mathews is best known for her book, Midlife Manifesto, which encourages and inspires women to take control of their lives. Nicolaou works with business leaders around the country and across all industries, and is a strong advocate for promoting women to leadership roles. Through the Australian Chamber, Nicolaou creates many opportunities for women leaders to share their expertise and knowledge. Triggs is passionate about the role of mentoring in the career development of young people, while Cesarano is also a strong advocate and mentor for women in business events and was on stage to welcome guests to the venue.
The work of the association and its members is a testament to the Power of Exhibitions as a driver of the economy and in particular economic development, trade and export, employment, visitation and knowledge sharing. The EY study, entitled The Value of Business Events to Australia, shows that in 2013-14 there were 2,157 exhibitions staged in Australia, attracting 9.3m visitors and over 65,000 exhibitors. The total direct expenditure from exhibitions was AUD$3.1bn (US$2.4) and these events contributed direct value add of AUD$1.5bn and generated over 21,000 full time equivalent jobs. The International Women’s Day themes this year were ‘#PressforProgress’ and ‘Leave no woman behind’. With the findings from the World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report revealing that gender parity is over 200 years away – there has never been a more important time to keep moivated and ‘#PressforProgress’. Read more about EEAA. 
