The first meeting of the recently introduced 'Women in Exhibitions Network' took place on 16 March at MECC Maastricht in Holland.
Women from five different countries (see above picture) – all working in the exhibitions industry (including Deputy Editor of CMW and EW) – met amid the buzz of MECC Maastricht’s annual international art fair, TEFAF Maastricht, which ran from the 10-18 March.
An initiative of Oana Cipca of MECC Maastricht, the Women in Exhibitions Network aims to enhance the visibility of the impact women bring in this industry, and to give them a voice. The network focuses on the personal development of women in the exhibitions industry.
Manon van de Beuken, head of Fair Operations TEFAF; Mariska Dreschler and Annette Bos from RAI Amsterdam; and international empowerment speaker, Lucinda Douglas, gave back-to-back presentations.
After an interactive session and a visit around TEFAF, the day ended with an informal dinner.
Oana Cipca said: “I am very pleased with the many enthusiastic responses to our first meeting and I hope that we have made a start with a network where women working in the exhibitions industry can meet, learn, inspire and strengthen each other. Looking forward to our next get-together in Verona in May.”
Women in Exhibitions Network
The focus of Women in Exhibitions Network includes educational and leadership programmes, best practices stories, knowledge sharing and easy access to a professional international network that helps one another. Topics include future market trends, examples of successful women, challenges women face in the work place, issues facing female leaders, inspirational stories and market insights.
For those interested in joining the Women in Exhibitions Network, please email Oana Cipca at o.cipca@mecc.nl.
TEFAF 2018
TEFAF Maastricht 2018, which ran from the 10-18 March, hosted around 68,000 visitors during the course of the fair. For the first time, the opening was spread over two days: an Early Access Day on 8 March and a Preview Day on 9 March. Welcoming over 100 new museums, the 2018 edition hosted over 12,000 visitors during the first two days, with 5,000 attending the Early Access Day.
TEFAF Maastricht 2019 will take place from 16–24 March 2019, with Early Access Day and Preview Day taking place on 14 and 15 March 2019, respectively.
The next TEFAF Fair is TEFAF New York Spring 2018, taking place at the Park Avenue Armory, New York City, from 4-8 May 2018; with Early Access Day on the 3 May. The 2018 exhibitor list and tickets for the Fair are available now via www.tefaf.com.
