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WORTH’s Empower Her event aims to inspire women of Whistler’s recreation, tourism and hospitality industries

Non-profit to host panel discussion and networking evening at the Hilton on Thursday, May 4
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The Whistler panel discussion and networking mingle on May 4 is the fourth and final of WORTH’s B.C.-wide Empower Her event series, for women working in recreation, tourism and hospitality.

When Joanna Jagger launched the first-ever Empower Her event in Vancouver a few years ago, word quickly spread up the Sea to Sky highway.

Theresa Lambert, then-general manager of the Nita Lake Lodge, gave Jagger a ring. “She said, ‘Hey, why are we only doing this event in Vancouver? We want it up in Whistler,’” explained Clea Cosmann, director of events at WORTH (Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality).

That phone call “signified that there was a need for this sort of community building around the province,” said Cosmann. It also led to the second-ever Empower Her event, which drew more than 120 attendees to the Nita Lake Lodge in the fall of 2018, and lit the fuse that turned those grassroots, one-off events into WORTH. The volunteer-run non-profit was incorporated in 2018, becoming the sole society in B.C. focused on helping women in the recreation, tourism and hospitality industries advance their careers.

WORTH aspires “to develop a community of confident women who are able to accelerate into leadership roles in these industries,” said Cosmann. “That’s based on challenges we see across the board—we’ve just gone through this pandemic, and obviously things like the labour shortage is such a concern that we’re still dealing with, especially in communities like Whistler. The reason why we do what we do is to invigorate those who are still in the hospitality industry, and also making sure that we’re retaining women.”

WORTH finally makes its return to Whistler next week when its Empower Her event kicks off at the Hilton Resort and Spa on Thursday evening, May 4. It’s the fourth and final event in a sold-out series that also stopped in Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver this year.

The event will begin with a networking mingle at 5:30 p.m., before the hour-long panel discussion gets underway at 6:30.

The four-woman panel will include locals Jackie Dickinson, Whistler Community Services Society executive director, and Priyanka Lewis, CEO of Brickworks, alongside profitable hospitality strategist Caroline Bagnall and Veronica Smith, senior IT director of hospitality and retail for Vail Resorts. Liza Walli, general manager at the Brew Creek Centre, will host the discussion.

Though women make up the majority of B.C.’s workforce in all three of these industries, “as you get higher up into managerial positions, that percentage gets less and less,” said Cosmann. “Less than 20 per cent are in general management roles and less than eight per cent are in board positions. I want the women who attend these events to walk away inspired by the panellists that they listen to and that are paving the way and removing barriers for women that want to succeed in these industries, and to walk away having it feel like a celebration of our industries and feeling inspired.”

After a 30-minute Q&A session with panellists, attendees can network for another hour before making their way to Stonesedge for an after party at 9 p.m.

That night cap is a first for WORTH, said Cosmann, stemming from a partnership it has inked with Gibbons for the upcoming event.

“We know in Whistler people like to have a good time,” said Cosmann. But for her, “the networking part of it is so important.” That’s the portion of the evening where women who are still up-and-coming in their industries can meet major players in their field, she said. “There’s such high-calibre people in the room that it can be completely door-opening for them,” Cosmann added.

An online silent auction in conjunction with the event will also raise funds for WORTH, with bidding now open to both attendees and the general public. In addition to hosting events, WORTH provides leadership resources like skills training and a mentorship program.

General admission tickets for Thursday evening’s event are $50, or $40 for students. Cosmann said the venue’s capacity could accommodate up to 200 people, but expects to see the crowd fall somewhere within the 100-to-150 range. Tickets are available for purchase at worthassociation.com/empower-her-whistler-2023. Organizers are offering a discount for Pique readers: use the code Pique25 for 25-per-cent off ticket costs.