More than 450 people from across the property industry attended Women in Estate Agency’s fourth consecutive sell-out event at London’s Shaw Theatre on 5 March.
The event was billed as “Not a Conference”, a title organisers say reflects feedback from previous attendees and the format of the day.
Opening the event, WiEA chair Verona Frankish reflected on the organisation’s growth, noting that its online community now connects around 5,000 members working across the property sector.
“We didn’t set out to create another industry event,” she told the audience. “We set out to create a space where people could be honest about the reality of their careers and ambition, the wins and the wobbles, and where everyone could see what might be possible for them. Today is not just a moment, it is a movement. And it is most definitely not a conference.”
The programme featured a range of speakers from business and the property sector.
Maxine and Darcy Laceby, founders of Absolute Collagen, spoke about building their business together and the challenges involved in growing a company.
A series of short talks under the theme “Mistakes That Made Us” included contributions from Mary Beeton, managing director of Hamptons, Natalie Moore, founder of A Conveyancing, and lettings specialist Hannah McCartan, who discussed key moments and lessons from their careers.
Rightmove, the event’s headline partner, also took part, with Colleen Babcock, head of partner marketing, discussing the role of community and engagement in business. The organisers thanked Rightmove and the event’s other sponsors for their support.
Additional speakers included Sara Cox MBE, a professional rugby referee, and Monica Collings OBE, who delivered the closing keynote.
The event also included announcements about WiEA’s future initiatives. The organisation relaunched its Charter programme as the WiEA Partnership Programme and shared plans for new leadership roadshow training events, including a pilot programme aimed at men in the industry.
WiEA also confirmed a collaboration with Agents Together on the “Walk for Sarah” fundraising event on 12 September in support of Breast Cancer Now, honouring founding board member Sarah Edmundson.
During the event, WiEA introduced the inaugural Spirit of Sarah Award, created to recognise individuals who support others in the sector. The first recipient was Emma Redley of Smart Compliance.
The event concluded with closing remarks from vice chair Kirsty Franks, who thanked attendees as well as the organisation’s volunteer board and regional champions.
“We wanted to put on a show,” she said, “and you absolutely brought it. The energy in that room was extraordinary. But none of this happens without the Board and our Champions who live and breathe this community every single day on a voluntary basis. WiEA exists because people care enough to show up for each other. That is what makes this powerful, and that is what will continue to move our industry forward.”
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