We categorize the top reasons into three basic categories: time, timing and money. If you’ve ever played female conference speaker bingo, you’ll know that one of the reasons given by event managers for the dearth of female speakers is that the female speakers invited turn down opportunities or cancel in disproportionate numbers. While many reasons for not accepting a speaking engagement are the same for men and women (schedule conflict, etc.) there are some reasons that we seem to hear more from women.
One event manager told us that an intern from Google would sell more tickets than a CEO from an unknown startup… and other event managers tell us this is not an exaggeration. Many events are businesses and so-called Big Names sell tickets. Event managers look for interesting and articulate speakers. Why?Ĭarefully crafting an interesting and diverse speaker slate or panel takes time and effort. Many managers tell us they start with diverse panels and gender-balanced slates, only to end up with an #AllMalePanel on game day. We also work closely with event managers who report back on how their invitations are received.
At Innovation Women, we talk to a lot of women about their speaking engagements and the speaking invitations they receive.
