Five great reasons to register for the Women in Tech Festival
Tickets are booking fast
The Computing and CRN Women in Tech Festival is booking fast, and no wonder. The festival brings together some of the brightest and most influential women to connect, share their stories, celebrate success and build for the future.
Read on for five excellent reasons to book your tickets to this flagship event.
1) We're going to help you get a pay rise
"You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas."
Not my words but those of Gloria, one of the few "real world" characters in the movie hit of the summer "Barbie." These words (which I'm surprised to find myself typing) are taken from a much longer monologue on the impossibility of being a woman, and they communicate perfectly the challenge that women often experience when it comes to negotiating a pay rise.
The gender pay gap is cumulative. Data suggests that women working in junior tech roles quickly fall behind their male colleagues. Because pay rises come in percentage increments the gap then increases over time. Conventional wisdom has it that one of the reasons the gender pay gap in tech is stubbornly persistent is that women are simply too shy to ask for more money or don't value themselves as highly as their male colleagues. That conventional wisdom is increasingly being called into question by more recent studies suggesting that women do ask for more money - they're just less likely to get it.
Gloria nails the problem. When women ask for more money they're viewed as pushy in a way that men simply aren't.
A keynote from Rupal Patel, CEO, Consultant, Executive Advisor, Best-selling Author, and International Speaker will help you to increase your chances of successfully negotiating a pay rise by focusing on the big picture and being seen and heard on your terms without apology or qualification.
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2) We'll help you build your network
Some women love building professional networks. They find that networks of women, both inside their companies and outside of them, can provide fresh perspectives, help with problem solving, offer advice, help make further connections and introductions and above all offer solidarity, companionship and friendship. In technology, the chances are there aren't many women in the room in the normal course of a working day. It's nice to spend at least some time in an environment where you aren't the only person who looks like you.
It can be a challenge though. Some women, particularly those who are introverted and don't enjoy pushing themselves forward, detest small talk and crave solitude after the stresses of the working day.
The Festival not only provides a chance to meet with and chat to lots of women at every stage of a tech career and help build those all important networks; we also have an interactive session on creating networks with international speaker, trainer and coach Olivia Schofield. The session promises to turn everything you think about networking on its head.
Learn how a small twist of the mind can create a whole new attitude.
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3) We're going beyond gender
That women are under represented in tech isn't news, but there is more than one type of bias feeding the homogeneity of thought that is limiting UK tech. Intersectionality is, depending on your politics and how much time you spend on Twitter, a logical way to explain how prejudices relating to ethnicity, class or gender can intersect and overlap to the detriment of those at the intersection - or grievance- and identity politics-driven, neo-Marxist claptrap that threatens us all.
Whatever your views on these theories, our sessions on topics such as socio-economic barriers and creating a more inclusive culture for those with neurodivergent traits will inform, educate and inspire.
Lesley Salmon, global CIO at Kellogg's, will be talking about her own background, career journey and what her team is doing to lift equity in Kellogg's IT; a panel discussion chaired by Computing editor Tom Allen will discuss how conditions such as ADHD are influenced by hormonal fluctuations; and how accommodations for neurodivergent individuals can benefit everyone in an office environment.
Patricia Gestoso, global director of customer support & operations at BIOVIA, will be talking about a new front that women are going to have to fight on - the impact of generative AI on roles more likely to be filled by women, and on how to build a successful, resilient and sustainable tech career.
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4) Mentoring
Just about every woman who has ever been interviewed for Computing emphasises the importance of mentoring - both from the perspective of the mentee and and the mentor.
Mentors can really make a difference to professional development by helping you to develop and polish communication and leadership skills and helping you define goals and strategies. Ideally, women should have multiple mentors at different levels within a company and also as part of your professional network. Mentors from different companies and industries can offer fresh perspectives.
Mentors can often turn into sponsors which is another crucial component of progression to leadership. Who's putting your name forward in meetings when you aren't in the room?
One of the highlights of Women in Tech Festival 2022 was the opportunity to book a mentoring session, and we're running the same programme this year. Don't miss out on a chance to spend time talking over your challenges with a female leader who is likely to be able to offer some new ideas and valuable advice and meet other women who could be mentors of the future.
Maybe you can act as a source of advice to younger women at the Festival? Even if you're only a couple of years into your career, you'll still have advice that can be useful for someone starting out.
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5) Fabulous fringe events
It may not be as well known as the one at the Edinburgh Festival but the Women in Tech Festival also has a fringe. Before registration, Lucy Eden from Be in your Element, in partnership with HSBC, will be running a workshop on mindfulness and the Emotional Freedom Technique.
This is a great technique that everyone can ‘tap' into, and you will be taken through it step by step in a holistic manner suited to the early hour of the day. The session will equip you with the tools to use as and when required. The workshop will also give attendees a few minutes of grounding, breathwork and chair yoga moves which you can use at home, at work or anywhere else you need them.
Join us at this year's Women in Tech Festival on Tuesday 31st October in London; the meeting place for women working in tech, those who aspire to and for any tech organisation wanting to enhance diversity, make unrivalled connections, and empower and cultivate women leaders.
Individual delegates will have opportunities to connect with mentors and access practical advice on how to progress their careers.
Click here to find out more and register now.
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