This year’s invitees convene to talk 2026 forecasting, multigenerational superpowers and strategic career moves
Bozoma Saint John, one of the most influential chief marketers in recent history, might have lent her vast expertise to the contestants on NBC’s series “On Brand with Jimmy Fallon,” but her presence in prime time is yet another reminder of the disruption the marketing industry sorely needs as women continue to chip away at the glass ceiling.
If you’re new here, you might be thinking: Event Marketer editors, my entire team is made up of rockstar women. I see women as strategic thinkers, balancing budgets, owning logistics, collaborating across orgs. I see more women taking the stage at industry awards shows than ever before…
…But the fact is, in the nearly 20 years since we published our first Women in Events Special Report, the ratio of male to female executives (where the buck often stops) hasn’t changed much. IBTM’s “Event Management Gender Equality Report” from 2022 found that women make up 77 percent of the event workforce, yet only 16 percent hold leadership roles. In our own “Women in Events Career Progression and Satisfaction Report” last year, 62.5 percent of the women respondents said they report to a woman, but only 26 percent said their ceo is one.
The challenges for women continue to be unique. Our 2024 report explored the invisible work most often shouldered by women, from team building to training, to managing personalities. And this year, women in events say they are standing at the precipice of a new era of innovation. Artificial intelligence is accelerating aspects of producing events, but it’s also requiring women to accelerate their exploration and growth of these skills while delivering on the demand for more human-centric moments.
Professional development is critical, but there is also a perception challenge to tackle in the coming years. Elevate Global’s “ElevateHER” report found that 92 percent of men believe women have equal access to training and development in the industry, compared to 62 percent of women. Interestingly enough, our 2013 “Career Progression and Satisfaction Report” highlighted this disparity, with respondents identifying workloads and the availability of job training and education as the areas of most dissatisfaction.
The good news is that women are recognizing the roles of mentorship and sponsorship in career progression, and they’re going all in. According to the “ElevateHER” data, nearly 39 percent of women in the industry report they don’t have access to strong mentorship opportunities. And yet, they attend networking events 30 percent more often than men, which is where Event Marketer’s Women in Events program comes in.
Indeed, for nearly two decades, we’ve convened women for the annual Women in Events roundtable and meetups—opportunities to tackle challenges, share strategic thinking, discuss the secret sauce that women bring to the industry and explore research. This year, we wanted to see where women in events see the industry heading, and spoiler alert, mentorship is critical.
Meet the Women:
• Keri Ibbitson, Director-Scientific Engagements and Events, Danaher
• Meredith Diehn, SVP-Marketing, Goodwipes
• Shanise Anderson, Director-Global Equity and Brand Experience, Neutrogena
• Ashley Jex Wagner, Head of Live Experiences, Supercell
• Becky Katz Davis, Head of Consumer Communications and Events, Uber
• Jenn Cammarota, Associate Director-Partnership Activation, Verizon
The Conversation:
• Women in Events 2025 Roundtable
This story appeared in the Fall 2025 issue
