Event Marketer and MRD December 2021 - 49

once you get into the business, that's
where it happens. It's a unique area to
work in. And a lot of people in business
and corporations and companies don't
look at it for what it is. They think, " You
plan menus, you put the centerpiece on
the table. " They don't have the perspective
of everything we do. Whether you're a
man in events or a woman in events, it's
an event marketer's challenge.
WHITNEY EICHINGER: The pandemic
has shown that events are immensely
important and being together is so
important and being able to showcase,
whether it's a product or a big announcement
for your company or whatever the
reason you're coming together for the
event, is so very important. And I think
that doesn't change dependent on the
gender. I think we're all lucky, probably,
in our positions to be respected for what
we do. And it makes me even more proud
that leadership can trust us and has realized
how important events are.
AMY TEAL: When you're in events, a lot
eventmarketer.com
of the senior managers that you're working
with are men. You're telling them
what to do and giving guidance on how
they should be doing things, even though
they may be the president or the ceo. I
know I'm in a lucky position where I feel
very respected in what I do, but it's not
always the case for other women.
ERIKA JACKSON: I concur with what
Amy is saying, especially working within
a traditionally male-dominated field,
sometimes there's the challenge of being
taken seriously, or really understanding
that I am the subject matter expert. What
I'm saying really should hold more weight
than what you may think. This is my
expertise, so listen to me. Navigating that
path sometimes can be challenging.
CAITLIN SPINWEBER: It also depends
on what industry you're in. Automotive
is a very male-dominated industry and
on our marketing team, we're mostly
women. It's an interesting dynamic to
be surrounded by such powerful women
that are very respectful of one another
and to have a leader who's fantastic and
very supportive. And so, when you do
get into those other spaces, outside of the
team, you have to remember that that's
not what the whole industry looks like.
I think it's smart for all of us to find the
spaces where we feel supported and where
we have female leaders ahead of us who
can help us grow, because that's the only
way it's going to change is if we grow our
own people.
KELLY KNOWLEN: I lead a team of
mostly women, though we recently hired
a man on our team, which is great. But
for me, it's leading a team and making
sure that I set the example for my team as
another female leader in our organization.
There's a responsibility that you carry as
a leader, right? To bring everybody up
and face those unique challenges. That
rests on you a little bit to do that. We have
some incredible female leaders in our
organization, and I feel so fortunate to be
one of them and to have had a long career
with Hilton. And I want to set that example
for others to follow and know they can
DECEMBER 2021 EVENT MARKETER
49
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Event Marketer and MRD December 2021

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