One is a journalist from Germany who believes in bringing attention to injustices through her reporting. The other is a catalyst for change within the meeting industry.

Together, Kerstin Wünsch and Carina Bauer (MPI U.K. & Ireland Chapter) have succeeded in raising awareness of the plight of women in the meeting industry through the education platform known as She Means Business, but there’s still much work to be done.

Now entering its third year, She Means Business is growing in scope, impact and its presence both in Europe and the U.S., yet the challenges that women face continue to inspire Wünsch and Bauer to forge ahead.

“As a journalist, justice means a lot to me,” says Wünsch, editor in chief of tw tagungswirtschaft, a Frankfurt-based meeting industry publication. “What I thought was that diversity is such a big issue, especially diversity for women. There was all this demographic change taking place and I started to look at the meeting industry, which is mainly female. But not so much in management. I saw gaps and knew I had to do something.”

Wünsch reached out to Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, which organizes the largest trade shows for the meeting industry, and discussed two upcoming issues on diversity and demographic change, suggesting a survey on women in the meeting industry. After the results came in, “Both of us thought we had to do something,” Wünsch says.

Bauer was equally motivated to take action.

 “It has long been noticeable that while women are in the majority in the meeting industry, they are in the minority in leadership positions,” Bauer says. “This is not a new phenomenon, but in the 21st century and with equality and diversity and inclusion at the top of the debate, we wanted to play our part in highlighting the challenges that women face, but more importantly help to introduce solutions. The best way to do this is to bring people together for open conversation, collaboration and learning.”

And so, the seeds were planted for what would become She Means Business.

Today, She Means Business will be a key education component of the IMEX trade show in Frankfurt for the third year and at the U.S. show, IMEX America in Las Vegas, for the second year. MPI, a strategic partner with IMEX, is playing a role in developing and presenting the education program.

But before She Means Business launched, Wünsch (and Bauer) introduced the Pink Hour at IMEX in Frankfurt, laying the foundation for a focus on women’s issues at the show. The Pink Hour coincided with a salary survey of women in the industry and came during the evolution of the #MeToo movement.

“The success of (Pink Hour) highlighted the sheer extent of the appetite among female business event professionals for an in-depth conversation into the role of women in business events,” Bauer says.

“The success of (Pink Hour) highlighted the sheer extent of the appetite among female business event professionals for an in-depth conversation into the role of women in business events,” Bauer says. “The results of a survey we ran together with tw tagungswirtschaft magazine found that almost 80 percent of respondents wanted platforms to meet and to exchange ideas. That’s when we knew we had a job to do. We wanted to deliver an interactive event that promoted collaboration and shared experiences between women at all levels of the industry—and this led to the creation of She Means Business.”

The survey, which was sent out on International Women’s Day 2017, drew immediate response, with more than 3,000 people clicking on the link and 900 women answering.

“These 900 women told us they didn’t feel equally treated like their male colleagues when it comes to salary and career perspectives,” Wünsch says. “This was the moment when Carina and I thought of the job to do.”

That 2017 survey showed that more than 60 percent of women in the meeting and event profession loved their job, but only three in 10 believed they are treated equally to men in terms of salary. The survey also showed that six in 10 believed their career prospects are not equal to opportunities open to men.

That 2017 survey showed that more than 60 percent of women in the meeting and event profession loved their job, but only three in 10 believed they are treated equally to men in terms of salary. The survey also showed that six in 10 believed their career prospects are not equal to opportunities open to men. Career perspectives are also considered to be unjust: Only four women out of 10 believed that their prospects of a career are identical to those of their male colleagues. Additionally, nearly 64 percent of the women were convinced that the meeting industry needs more female leadership.

By the time of the next IMEX gathering in Frankfurt, She Means Business was the focus of an afternoon of education on the day before the trade show floor opened.

With keynote speakers such as Major Nicola Baumann, one of Germany’s only three female Eurofighter pilots; Laura Winterling, a former astronaut instructor and CEO of the European Astronaut Centre; and Karin Nordmeyer, chair of the United Nations’ Women National Committee, the half-day session highlighted women business leaders from a range of backgrounds, including tech and finance, who shared their personal perspectives on issues including empowering women in the workplace, eradicating the gender pay gap and increasing leadership positions held by women.

“We knew there would be a good reception to She Means Business—and we’ve been delighted with the sheer momentum and success so far,” Bauer says. “The key to the event lies in the wisdom, experience and inspirational attitude of our speakers, as well as the shared learning of the participants.

“Our inspirational speakers—women who’ve achieved success, often overcoming the odds, in all different sorts of careers—are the key to the event’s success. We know that nothing beats hearing about someone’s experience first-hand, and when it’s a Eurofighter pilot in the German Air Force, a physicist-turned-astronaut instructor for the European Space Agency or even the chairwoman of the UN Women National Committee, they all have fantastic stories to share.”

Bauer believes there is a huge appetite for women at all levels to learn from each other and profit from an environment in which they can share experiences.

“Young women in the industry need positive role models in order to be able picture themselves in senior positions,” she says. “This is at least half of the battle.”

The program expanded to IMEX America in Las Vegas last year and was well received. Dr. Mara Catherine Harvey, a senior manager at UBS Switzerland AG and head of Global UHNW wealth management business across Germany, Austria and Italy, delivered the opening keynote, saying a new narrative is needed for women in business.

“It shows that no matter where you are in the world, this debate remains important,” Bauer says. “The value of the program is to bring together stories and role models from outside, as well as inside the industry, and I believe this brings a real differentiator and merit to the event. In terms of development, we would like to see the program develop to have a more inclusive conversation with men and appeal to men in the industry. At the end of the day, we will only affect positive change if we include everyone in the industry in the debate and the solution.”

There clearly is more work to do in bringing attention to how women can advance and gain more of a foothold in senior leadership in the meeting industry, as well as in other businesses.

Wünsch and Bauer point to a “grim picture,” Bauer says, a World Economic Forum report (Global Gender Gap Report 2018) that projected it would take 202 years for men and women to reach economic parity.

“As an industry we must “As an industry we must continue to discuss, ask questions, challenge preconceptions and push forward for change,” Bauer says. “It’s only by meeting and collaborating, and including men at the center of that conversation, that we can make an impact for women in the industry.”

“As an industry we must “As an industry we must continue to discuss, ask questions, challenge preconceptions and push forward for change,” Bauer says. “It’s only by meeting and collaborating, and including men at the center of that conversation, that we can make an impact for women in the industry.”

Wünsch says that before the gender gap can close, access to education, work, health and politics are among the areas that must be addressed.

“Do we need another 100 years to close the gender gap?” she says. “I would be more than happy to say in five years we don't need the conference anymore because we’re all on an equal level. But it’s clear at this point we do need a bit longer. We have to go step by step.”

Wünsch is in the process of securing keynote speakers for this year’s program in Frankfurt, and the names in discussion are impressive. But much of the program is in place and MPI will be engaged in the delivery.

“Connecting our industry’s women with strategic tools, next practices, new ideas and, most importantly, each other has always been a critical part of MPI’s strategic vision, and She Means Business has become a key avenue for these vital connections,” says Jessie States, CMP, CMM, director of the MPI Academy. “As a woman who has relied on women role models and mentors for career advancement, encouragement, knowledge and support, I know the importance of connecting women to each other for inspiration, ideation and advancement. As we work to create networks of women who elevate and support one another, we provide opportunities for women to advance into more strategic roles at their organizations and within the meeting industry.”

The success has resonated with Bauer and Wünsch as well.

“It’s very important to me personally and also to the IMEX team,” Bauer says. “As a business our mission is to unite and advance the meeting industry, and this is one of the key issues that we believe needs to be tackled in order to achieve that goal. We believe that it is not only the right thing to do but will also help to grow and develop the industry. Put simply, it’s better business to have diverse teams, ideas and leadership.”

She says initiatives such as MPI’s Women in Leadership certification have made an impact to highlight the importance of this issue.

“The fact that we are talking about women in leadership and taking this issue seriously across the industry is something that we are proud to have contributed towards,” Bauer says.

Wünsch says she was just hoping she could write a story that would impact her readers.

“Never did I imagine She Means Business would become this big,” she says. “When I started, as a journalist, I had a topic and I started to research. Now we have this forum and we need this forum. It was the right thing to do.

“We had women tell us how inspired they were after the programs. She Means Business is not for me; She Means Business is for [women]. You cannot do something like this on your own and I don’t want to do it on my own because I love the idea of a diverse international team. But it does mean a lot to me.”

Follow The Meeting Professional throughout 2020, as each issue will include coverage of diversity and inclusion in the meeting industry.

Get Involved

International Women’s Day is March 8. This year’s theme is “An equal world is an enabled world” (#IWD2020, #EachforEqual). Learn more and get involved.

Ready to create an action and development plan that advances your career, your leadership and your influence? Find out about MPI’s Women in Leadership: Executive Skills certificate program.

And join the MyMPI “MPI Women” community if you’re interested in advancing women’s leadership initiatives and sharing ideas and best practices for career advancement.