Women make up around 70% of the global events workforce, but their stories, leadership, and influence are often underrepresented.
The 70% is a weekly series celebrating the women shaping the events industry. From rising stars to seasoned leaders, each profile shines a light on the career journeys, challenges, and perspectives of women working across all corners of the sector.
In this edition, we speak to Joanna Lunn, sales & marketing manager, Victory Services Club.
How long have you worked in events?
I’ve worked in hospitality my whole career, since I was 18. I started out waitressing and just climbed the ladder from there. I’ve been in events specifically for around 15 years now, starting at Sydney Town Hall for seven years, and then moving to the Victory Services Club where I’ve been for another seven.
How do you balance professional growth with personal commitments, and do you think the industry is evolving in terms of work-life balance?
It’s definitely easier to balance now than it used to be. When you’ve got a good team around you and you empower them to take responsibility for all the events we run – not just their own – it takes the pressure off. You’re not expected to be at every single event, which makes a big difference, especially if you have children – or even if you don’t, we’ve all got lives outside of work.
Ten years ago, it wasn’t like that. I remember being heavily pregnant and still expected to work 12-hour days. That was just the norm in hospitality – you stayed until the end because that’s what you did. But things have changed, particularly post-COVID. There’s more flexibility now, including working from home, which just didn’t happen in hospitality before. I usually work from home one day a week – sometimes two – and it really helps with focus and managing everything.
How do you see the events industry evolving in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion?
There’s definitely more awareness, and HR departments are much more proactive – whether that’s through communications, training, or being scored on DEI internally. At VSC we’ve made real progress, especially around accessibility and inclusive hiring. But we’re not there yet. There’s still more work to do around education and true representation – particularly at senior levels.
I remember having interview training recently, and even those of us with years of experience learned a lot. You realise how unconscious bias can creep in – and how much language and assumptions need to change. We’re better, but we’re still evolving.
What advice would you give to young women looking to enter and succeed in the events industry?
Confidence is everything. If you understand your role and know you’re good at it, back yourself. I see so many talented young women in junior roles, especially in events coordination, and I want them to know they can grow. But it takes support – from leaders who invest in learning, development and giving people opportunities.
We don’t do formal mentoring at the club, but it happens informally. I’ve got an open-door policy, and I’m always there for my team. You’re mentoring without even realising it, and I take real pride in watching them progress – like Daisy, who’s gone from strength to strength and is now a finalist in a Rising Star Award.
How do you handle setbacks and failures?
With a positive mindset and experience. You can’t take things to heart – this industry is too fast-moving and unpredictable for that. You learn to stay calm, deal with the issue, and put things in place so it doesn’t happen again. Recently we had a new client on site, and a contractor started drilling during their livestream. Total nightmare, but the team handled it brilliantly. We sorted it quickly, saved the event, and they’ve already rebooked.
Things will go wrong – that’s the very nature of events – but the key is having the right people in place and learning from it.
What changes do you think are still needed to create more opportunities for women in leadership?
Flexibility is vital, and not just for mums. Everyone needs flexibility at different stages of life. But we also need to close the gender pay gap and address the lack of women in senior roles. Our industry is full of brilliant women, but leadership is still skewed to men. Why is that? Confidence is a big part of it. Men will apply for a role if they can do half of it. Women often feel they have to tick every single box.
There’s also the life stages that women go through – including maternity leave and menopause – that impact confidence. I’ve been through it myself. You come back from mat leave feeling like you’ve got something to prove again. Then you hit your 40s, and menopause hits – brain fog, body changes, all of it – right when you’re aiming for the next step up. It’s tough. But we have so much experience and value at this stage in our careers.
We shouldn’t feel invisible. Things are improving, slowly, but there’s still work to do.
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