A look at what companies can do to advance the careers of the women who run the industry.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Read online 👩‍💼Women Are Everywhere in Events — Except at the Top. Why? A look at what companies can do to advance the careers of the women who run the industry.   David McMillin, Skift Meetings Head of Content August 18th, 2026 When I think about the most influential voices in my career, there is one common thread: They are all women. Carolyn Clark took a chance on me shortly after I graduated from college before eventually hiring me at PCMA. Michelle Russell taught me the difference between developing “content” and crafting a meaningful narrative at Convene. And Deborah Sexton taught me how to be serious about innovation without taking myself too seriously. Despite these personal role models, the reality is that getting a coveted seat at the table is insanely difficult for women in the events industry. In fact, only 16% of the industry’s senior-level titles are occupied by women, according to research from IBTM. Skift Meetings’ Andrea Doyle digs into the problem with insights from our recent webinar. Head below for the full recap of the conversation with Monique Ruff-Bell, chief program and strategy officer at TED, and Elaine Lou Cartas, a business and executive coach. Plus, we have the full rundown on the biggest 2027 dates in the industry and a look at how Vendelux is reframing the value of event participation. — David McMillin       DON’T MISS OUT Skift Meetings Forum The people who shaped your career were rarely the ones running the show. They were the ones who taught you how. The 2026 agenda includes Own Your Ascent, a session on the deliberate moves senior planners make to build careers as business leaders, alongside voices from Time, FIFA World Cup 26, and MathWorks. September 22 at the Javits Center. APPLY TO ATTEND             WEBINAR Did you miss last week’s webinar? No worries. We’ve got you covered with a free on-demand recording featuring insights from Elaine Lou Cartas and Monique Ruff-Bell on how to accelerate women leaders in the industry. Sponsored by Visit Atlantic City. WATCH NOW             FEATURED STORIES The Case for Treating Events Like a Sales Pipeline By Andrea Doyle Event budgets are one of the least accountable lines in marketing spend, and that's getting harder to defend as budgets tighten. Vendelux’s bet is to borrow the discipline sales teams already run on — a system of record — and apply it to deciding which events are worth showing up to. GET THE STORY Skift Meetings’ 2027 Global Meetings Industry Events Calendar By Barbara Scofidio If travel budget requests are due soon, this is the list to count on. GET THE STORY Why Aren’t More Women Seen as Business Leaders in the Meetings Industry? By Andrea Doyle The events industry doesn’t have a talent problem among women. It has a nobody’s-vouching-for-them problem. GET THE STORY             WORTH YOUR TIME Five things worth your time today. Prepare for the demise of the gold-silver-bronze approach to selling event sponsorships. Learn how LA’s convention center expansion is attracting bigger piece of business. Find out why airlines and hoteliers have their eyes on an under-the-radar Caribbean island.** Update your contract to better reflect the potential damages if a hotel decides to walk away from your program. Protect your attendees and your organization with these conference safety guidelines. ** A sponsored message from Pure Grenada.             SKIFT PICK: TRANSLATING TRAVEL TRENDS FOR MEETINGS A Florida Resort Cut Its Group Business in Half. It Also More Than Doubled the Rate. When The Boca Raton dropped the Waldorf Astoria name in 2021, it walked away from the loyalty program, reservations tech, and group sales machine that come with a big brand. It’s a risky move, but Skift’s Sean O’Neill points out that it paid off in a big way — as in an average daily rate jumping from approximately $390 before the pandemic to $980 today. It’s doing it all with a significantly lower reliance on group business. If you’ve booked a marquee resort before and found the block harder to fill, the dates less flexible, or the rate less negotiable than it used to be, you may be watching ownership deliberately rebalance the mix away from group business. The shift is worth factoring into your RFP timeline for in-demand properties that may be holding out hope that more of their rooms are going to go to some of those high-end super-spenders instead of your group. Book further out, and keep a backup destination in your back pocket.             Skift Meetings Toolkit Great events are built on strategy, innovation, and the right resources. The Skift Meetings Toolkit is your go-to hub for best practices in managing meetings and events. EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT             Thanks for being a regular reader. We are switching to a new email platform. Why? This change will allow for better delivery, and more engaging newsletters. Please take a moment to add this new email address to your contacts to ensure you continue receiving your newsletters without interruption. During this transition, these emails might land in your promotions or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss out, please move this newsletter to your primary inbox.       1    DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 Skift 35 W 31st St. New York, New York 10001, United States