The Business Travel Show will host the European launch of WINiT – WomenInTravel – a network of women and men serving as a catalyst to drive change, provide support and educate the public about the benefits of career development, visibility and the promotion of women in the travel, meetings and events industries.
WINiT was founded in January by Michelle (Mick) Lee, a 25 year veteran of the travel industry. Mick has extensive expertise leading travel, events and meetings departments as well as the services, expense management and innovative solutions needs for large global organisations.
WINiT has established a cooperative relationship with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). WINiT intends to partner with existing associations and organisations in order to complement the programming in the industry, furthering the collective growth and promotion of women.
The organisation launch event was held the day before the annual GBTA Conference in Los Angeles on 26 July, 2014 and has already attracted a significant following among business travel, meetings and event management buyers and suppliers with over 1,400 members in its LinkedIn group.
Led by a board of directors and advisory board comprised of key industry executives, WINiT has created programming to develop women of all levels and recently launched the WINiT Pilot Mentor programme to mentor junior and midlevel female professionals in the travel meetings and event management industries. WINiT will also develop targeted training, research, and career development opportunities to support its member base. Many global leaders in the travel and transportation industry are strategic sponsors of WINiT including Business Travel Show exhibitors American Express, Concur and Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
Leaders of WINiT will host a conference session at the Business Travel Show, which takes place 25-26 February 2015 at Olympia Grand in London. The Business Travel Show is Europe’s largest specialised exhibition and conference for the business travel industry. The organisation will also be featured at the show’s official networking events.
“Women make up nearly two thirds of workers in the travel industry, but mostly hold entry and mid-level positions. Women are notably absent in both senior management roles and also in the boardroom. The Business Travel Show is only too happy to show its support for women in the travel industry and is proud to host WINiT’s European launch next February,” commented Business Travel Show sales director Samantha (Sam) Cande.
“We are thrilled to be launching WINiT EMEA at the Business Travel Show. This premier event attracts travel professionals of all levels from around the world. Being able to share our vision and strategic goals with a significant portion of our member and target member base is exciting and critical to our success,” commented Michelle Lee, founder and CEO, WINiT. “There is no cost to join WINiT and the amount of support and engagement from donors and members has been overwhelming.”
