A business conference set up in 2016 to celebrate International Women’s Day is returning to Sunderland this year – and tickets sold out within two weeks of being released.
The annual event is the brainchild of Louise Kennedy of Oculus HR, and Sharon MacArthur from Red Handbag Consulting. They wanted to create an event that would inspire women at all stages of their careers – from those starting out to those who have already grown a successful business.
With the support of Jeni Banks (Sunderland Software City) and Cheryl Holmstrom (University of Sunderland) the conference has grown year-on-year, with over 200 people now registered for the 2018 event. The event was first held in Newcastle but relocated to Sunderland last year.
The celebration – which is free to attend – is being held this year at Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland, with a range of high profile speakers lined up to speak. The speakers come from a range of backgrounds, but all have stories that showcase the importance of women at work and what can be achieved by stepping outside of your comfort zone.
Louise Kennedy said: “This year our event is themed around ‘I’m a woman, what’s your superpower?’. We want people to know that success is what they think it looks like, it’s different for everyone. Success does not necessarily mean money in the bank, it could be achieving a particular lifestyle or simply enjoying what you are doing. Our speakers encapsulate that.”
The speakers for the event include Naomi Morrow (Sunderland Software City), Kevin Haynes (Greggs), Sarah Greenwell (Big Little Toys), Allison Raper (Teesdale Cheesemakers) Adrienne Dickson (Doggie Dinner) and Julia Austin (Tyne Bank Brewery Ltd). The event is being sponsored by Greggs, Natwest, Northern Print Solutions and Hope Street Xchange.
Rebecca Robinson, Manager at Hope Street Xchange, said: “We’re honoured to be welcoming this fantastic event for the second year in a row. International Women’s Day 2017 was the first event held when our building opened, and we’re thrilled to be able to support it for another year. Many of our tenants are women in business and we thrive on being able to help them grow and achieve their goals.”
The sell-out event is taking place from 08.30-14.00 on Thursday 8th March. If you have not managed to get a ticket you can still take part in the discussion on the day using the hashtag #IWD2018.