AVIXA Women’s Council UK goes from strength to strength

A momentous year for the AVIXA Women’s Council UK included hosting its first event in the north of England, employing motivational speakers from a range of backgrounds, tackling pertinent topics and attracting wider audiences – all with the aim of supporting and empowering women (and men) in the technology and AV industry.

The organisation hosted a mix of face-to-face networking events and webinars. The objective was to make them as inclusive and accessible as possible, with live streaming and recordings available.

In the first five months of the year, the AVIXA Women’s Council UK ran a webinar on Imposter Syndrome, with speaker Jo Hind; a Break the BIAS panel session on International Women’s Day at Crestron Europe’s office in Weybridge; and a Shared Experiences panel session at ISE in Barcelona.

In June, the base of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), at The Spine in Liverpool, was secured as the venue for the first northern event with help from committee members Eric Whittle (Pure AV) and Samantha Bews (LG), who were involved in the AV element of the RCP project. The guest speaker, coach and trainer Debra Stevens, delivered an interactive presentation on the topic of empathetic leadership.

A panel session on Wellness and Workplace Design featured Angela Townsend (SMART Technologies), Cathy Hardman (RCP), Iffat Chaudhry (Whatiff) and Ben Pain (RCP), who discussed the work/life balance, the impact of Covid on building design and the role of AV in the building project planning phase.

The best-attended webinar, with 118 participants, was the Self-Limiting Beliefs – How to Get Out of Our Own Way coaching session in September. The keynote speaker was Monique Wintle-Camp, who raised questions about the way we see ourselves, our assumptions about how the world works and how they hold us back from achieving that of which we’re capable.

In light of the recent global report from AVIXA, Are Women Welcome in AV?, in which research showed that women are hugely underrepresented in the industry, the topic of career building is clearly pertinent and calls for fundamental change. At Midwich TechExpo in October, Biamp sponsored a Career Building Breakfast, which kicked off with Sarah Joyce (AVIXA) talking about her career journey, followed by a panel session about advancing your career with Sadie Groom (Bubble Agency), Mina Machacek (talent acquisition specialist), Stephen Patterson (Biamp) and Denise O’Keeffe (Woop Jobs).

In November, business coach Martin Purvis hosted the Goal Setting – Transform Your Personal and Working Life webinar. He provided advice and tips for visualising SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals – whether related to finance, career, family or health and fitness – and then choosing to be accountable by planning and setting deliverables.

The Christmas get-together took place at the Aura Futures office in east London. Naomi Riches MBE, who won a gold medal in rowing at the 2012 Paralympic Games, delivered an inspirational presentation about overcoming adversity. She told how despite being registered blind from the age of eight, and being put into an induced coma following a road accident in 2004, she fought back against the naysayers to achieve her dream.

The next event will be a drinks reception on 1 February following an AXIVA Women’s Council keynote and panel session at ISE 2023 in Barcelona.

The AVIXA Women’s Council UK is always on the lookout for interesting venues, as well as sponsorship to help fund refreshments and contribute to guest speaker fees. To contact the organisation, email AWCUK@avixa.org.