In Part 1 of our 2-part Women in Event Tech series, we looked to the past and the evolution of events, event tech, their convergence, and how women-led initiatives and innovations have moved the industry forward. We also looked at how EventBuilder has been a player in the virtual events space since the beginning. Join us for Part 2 as we stop to take a look around at the now, then we'll look to the future and how the women who lead EventBuilder are shaping its direction.
While traditionally, women in business and tech fields are underrepresented, it's not all bad news. We’re seeing some promising trends:
(Source)
- Women's earnings have begun outpacing men's when it comes to high-skill jobs.
- 40% of US businesses are owned by women, and 64% of new women-owned businesses are being started by women of color.
- There's been a 24% increase in representation of women in the C-suite over the past five years.
- 26% of computing jobs are held by women.
- 43% of Americans believe women create a safer, more respectful workplace.
In 2016, Lauren Meyer, Renee Conlee, and Robin Houser took the reins and the lead in strengthening our event management services and, later, our software product. Because event management services have always been at the core of what we do, and our software product was created to provide integrated webinar and virtual events functionality for Microsoft Teams and Teams Live Events, EventBuilder was ideally positioned to evolve with the widespread adoption of Microsoft's business collaboration software.
When virtual event tech stepped into the spotlight during 2020's stay-at-home orders, companies sought event technology software and services to help them transition. EventBuilder was prepared with already-in-place security, data gathering, engagement tools, scale, performance stability, experienced staff for event management and technical support, as well as strong leadership to guide the company and our customers through uncharted territory. With the easing of restrictions and wide-scale vaccine availability in 2021, our development team, led by CTO Robin Houser, stayed ahead of the curve to ensure our software was again ready to go with in-person and hybrid event functionality in place when our customers needed it.
Our history, combined with our forward-focused initiatives to stay on top of the event and event tech industry's needs, creates a culture of continually striving to give the people who trust us very good reasons to do so:
- WOB/WOSB Certified - We hold a certification as a Women Owned Business and Women Owned Small Business.
- ISO Certifications - EventBuilder is ISO 27001 (Security Information Management System) and ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management System) certified, ensuring we have established protocols for handling sensitive company and customer information.
- WCAG 2.1 AA Compliant - Insights and input from people with disabilities make us all stronger. Our software recently passed WCAG Level 2.1 AA Accessibility Compliance.
- 24/5 Support - As we've grown, so has our ability to support international customers. We have event managers available to support all international time zones, as well as 24/5 Customer Care. That event in Paris starting at 2:00 am Pacific? Fully supported.
Under the leadership of Lauren, Renée, and Robin, we continued approaching the growth of our company and industry with a keen eye on what makes EventBuilder unique:
- 100% Women-owned and led.
- 42 people work full and part time at EventBuilder.
- 88% of our employees are women.
- 18% of our employees are BIPOC.
- We are an all-remote workforce, and always have been.
- During the pandemic, EventBuilder hired ten employees, giving quarantined workers opportunities to earn and stay safe.
- Our employee retention rate is very high. (Nobody leaves, really.)
- In addition to our all-women leadership team, EventBuilder has women employed in every level of business: management, product development, creative, customer support, and event management services.
- Our defining characteristic and driving force: Compassion for our customers, each other, and ourselves.
- We are purposeful and intentional in our relationships with colleagues and customers, and we work together to ensure mutual respect, acceptance, and caring.
- EventBuilder maintains a judgment-free learning zone. We're allowed to be human.
- The EventBuilder team supports each other in every way. We ensure that events are covered so we won't miss important personal milestones. No one feels abandoned, stuck, or isolated.
- We are honest and practice integrity with our customers and each other.
- We like to karaoke together. The company that sings together stays together, even virtually.
As event professionals look toward hybrid events and conferences, expanded webinar programming, and virtual summits, the industry is poised to experience significant growth. In a recent survey conducted by EventMB, 71% of event planners indicated they will maintain and refine a digital strategy with the goal of maintaining their virtual audiences moving forward. Hybrid events offer attendees a choice of how they want to consume content and create new opportunities for event pros to generate leads and increase event ROI.
By offering event management services, multiple presentation options (webinar, streaming, on-demand, simulated-live and in-person event modes), EventBuilder is ready to meet customer needs in the coming months and years.
We're standing tall and leading the way as a women-led company, embracing the future of virtual events, technology, and customer service while staying true to our core values and setting an example.
We know who's watching: