5 more things women in tech want to see at events

Holly Brockwell continues her rundown of the ways technology events must change to be more inclusive

We recently asked the #WomenInTech of Twitter what they'd like to see at conferences and events - not just the ones aimed at them, but all tech events.

They gave us some excellent answers: too many, in fact, for one article. So here's part two: 5 more things to do at your event if you want women in tech to turn up.

1. 360-degree accessibility

You'd hope accessibility at a conference would go without saying, but I've attended enough events with enormous staircases to know otherwise. Still, while accessibility is a basic human requirement rather than specific to women in tech, disability can stack with being female to result in a larger share of burden than disabled men in tech face.

For starters, there's the fact that women's pain isn't taken as seriously, that we're less likely to be diagnosed and therefore might have to ask for accommodations without the required 'piece of paper' to say we're entitled to them, and the fact that women tend to be poorer overall and therefore have less chance to get a fancy electric wheelchair to propel us around your unnecessarily giant event hall.

But 360-degree accessibility is about more than the physical layout of your event - women with disabilities want to be represented on stage, too. That means disabled speakers on panels, and not just panels about disability. As Eleanor Lisney puts it, "The most pressing issues faced by disabled women are the ones faced by most women, except that when you're disabled, it adds another layer of discrimination." And that means disabled women's voices are especially vital to the discourse around women and tech.

To quote software engineer Amelia Ardath, we want to see "actual thought (and a budget) going towards accessibility, not just just the minimal effort required to look "presentable". This means talking to #ActuallyDisabled people about their needs, and (*gasp!*) hiring #ActuallyDisabled people to consult."

That last one is crucial - women are so often expected to work for free if they want things to improve. But their labour has value, and if you want talented women with disabilities to be welcome at your event (and I hope it goes without saying that you should), pay them to help you improve your accessibility. They'll flag things that had never even crossed your mind, I guarantee it.

If women had a pound for every time they'd been asked to speak for free at an event, we wouldn't have a problem.

Frustratingly, event organisers very often charge people megabucks for a ticket to an event, then stiff their speakers on fees. They still find speakers, because some people have imposter syndrome and don't believe their time has worth, some are millionaires (no really, I'm frequently told "but [millionaire] was willing to do it for nothing!"), and some can take time out of their salaried work to be a speaker, hence still getting paid.

But many of us can't, and there needs to be an understanding from event owners that without speakers, you have no event. They seem to get that they have to pay for a venue (one event organiser told me he couldn't pay speakers because the "super cool venue" cost too much - as if that somehow pays my bills), they're more than happy to pay themselves, but somehow speakers - and especially women speakers - are expected to prepare a talk, practice, travel, speak and take questions out of the goodness of our hearts.

Nope.

This issue affects not just speakers but attendees. As game designer Jennifer Scheurle puts it, "I want speakers to be paid and I want them to be paid equally."

UX Designer Fiona McAndrew adds, "[I want] to know that the speakers are being paid, not just the big names. It helps bring up the quality of content and helps with diversity. Why? Because creating a good talk takes time and not everyone has a ton of free leisure time, if they do it is a privilege."

Anthropologist Dr. S.A. Applin would like to see the keynotes given equally by men and women, including speaking time and "not giving women the bad slots in the early AM or the end of the day on the last day" (amen).

Finally, we'd like to see some consideration for people with less capital when setting ticket prices. Specifically, says TTW Consulting, "lower registration fees, especially for freelancers & startups who don't yet have big budgets."

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5 more things women in tech want to see at events

Holly Brockwell continues her rundown of the ways technology events must change to be more inclusive

3. Quiet areas

Going to a bustling conference can be a sensory nightmare for introverts, people with autism, and anyone who can't stand hearing "network" used as a verb.

It really, really helps if events have quiet chill-out zones, or lower-energy spaces where people can rest, catch up and recharge (both literally and metaphorically - the USB chargers in the Female Quotient lounge at the Cannes Lions festival were much appreciated).

Wherever possible, it's good to encourage attendees to do some self-care - something we've already argued is especially vital for women in tech.

Edtech user experience expert Fiona MacNeill wants to see "A quiet space. This is so oft overlooked but all of my fave conferences have had them. Sometimes including things to try out, e.g. colouring, jigsaw puzzles, Lego, even a boxing speed ball or punch bag. Defragmentation zone!"

The Women in Tech Festival UK will have a Mindfulness Zone with guided sessions to help attendees relax, a Nutrition Zone for learning how best to nourish your body, a Yoga Zone for easing those overworked muscles, and a Zen Den for just... sitting quietly.

While we're on the topic of seating, a little advice: for the love of everything, put your panellists on "normal chairs, not those high ones that let everyone see up your skirt." We shouldn't even have to say it, and yet here we are, dangling our legs like schoolchildren and trying to keep our knees closed while three betrousered white guys manspread for England beside us.

4. More inclusive food and drink

First of all, let's stop basing tech events around alcohol. Not only is it crappy for people who don't drink, it also encourages all kinds of problematic behaviour, as we'll discuss in more detail in an upcoming article.

But there's also the issue of inclusivity for vegan and vegetarian diets, halal, kosher, and allergies - especially when the event is at a venue that does its own catering. The organisers often throw their hands up and say it's up to the venue - but if someone's paid for a ticket to your event, it's your responsibility.

Fiona MacNeill says she'd really like to see "better awareness of food arrangements," adding "I don't eat pork, and at recent events I've gone to, the pork sandwich is touching a veggie sandwich and I can't then eat the veggie sandwich." End result? Hungry attendee and a wasted sandwich. Not good.

We're not saying you have to bus in a buffet of every type of cuisine in the world, but if you're hosting an event and there's only cow's milk at the coffee station, you're doing it wrong.

5. Proper moderation

Is there anything more infuriating than being halfway through a really valid, salient point and being cut off by some fool who didn't even understand the question?

We want to see panel moderators doing their jobs: that is, stopping people (often men) interrupting women as they speak, encouraging panel members to get equal airtime in answering questions, and only fielding audience questions that are appropriate and respectful.

The Female Quotient lounge at Cannes again had a brilliant solution for this:

Can we get one of these for every office, conference and panel? pic.twitter.com/uELoMTRxz9

— Holly Brockwell 🌈 (@holly) June 20, 2019

But it shouldn't be needed, because that's what moderators are there for.

They're also there for cutting off that guy in the audience when he's "asking a question" that's actually a five-minute monologue on how much he knows about everything, appended with "what are your thoughts on that?" so that it technically counts. No one wants to hear it, guy. NO ONE.