WE Nation Australian chapter celebrates women, diversity and #PressforProgress on International Women’s Day 2018
Close to 100 Live Nation Australia employees from across the Live Nation, Ticketmaster, Secret Sounds and Palais Theatre businesses descended on Etihad Stadium in Melbourne to celebrate women and diversity on International Women’s Day (8 March 2018).
The WE Nation event had a stellar line up of influential women in sports, music and entertainment take part in a panel and Q&A exploring the topic of women and diversity within Australian entertainment.
Rich Moffat (Festival Booker – Groovin’ The Moo) moderated the panel, helping to guide an engaging and informative dialogue.
Highlights included:
Jess and Sarah Hosking (players at Carlton Football Club) discussed their fight against diversity to compete in a male-dominated sport. The sisters spoke positively about the growth of the AFLW can continue to inspire new generations and continue challenging stereotypes.
Sally Balhorn (Founder/Co-Director of Girls Rock! Melbourne) reflected on her own experiences of discrimination in the music industry, advising that “the best way to #PressForProgress is to do it yourself.” She went on to explain how this motivation was what inspired her to form Girls Rock! Melbourne; an organization that aims to empower female, trans and gender non-binary youth in music.
Jemma Wong (Head of Audience Growth at the Australian Football League) revealed that contrary to the general perception of the AFL, around 40% of their employees are women, with a number of women at executive and commissioner level. Jemma stressed the importance of solidarity, imparting the valuable mantra “great women need to support great women.”
Katie Besgrove (Artist Manager and Label Owner) also shared her experiences working in an industry where CEO’s are predominately male, highlighting the need for a fundamental change in the way we talk about achievements in men vs women. When asked how we make change happen, Katie said we need to “talk about, vote and acknowledge achievements” of women.
While the panel acknowledged that there is still a long way to go, as the moving stories of each of the speakers came to light it was apparent that the press for progress is well and truly underway.
Ticketmaster hopes that creating a dialogue about the issues affecting women in the workplace will foster growth both personally and professionally.
Attendees were welcomed by Live Nation Australasia’s CEO Roger Field who set the tone for the event by recognising and applauding the diverse workplaces at all the Live Nation offices which is reflective of the company’s diverse fan and client base.
