NOWIE, the UK’s leading professional network for women in the events industry, has launched the fourth cohort of Level Up, its flagship mentoring and professional development programme, with a launch event at Riverside East.
The event also welcomed ABPCO as a new partner, supporting the launch and future Level Up activity, and marked NOWIE's second year of partnership with Arena.
Founded in 2013 as The Network of Women in Events, NOWIE has just celebrated its first birthday as a Community Interest Company (CIC) and has grown into a network of more than 10,000 members working across the events industry. The organisation focuses on supporting professional development, improving representation and helping to create a more inclusive events sector through networking, mentoring and advocacy.
Level Up is a six-month mentoring programme that connects mid-career professionals with experienced industry leaders. The programme is designed to offer practical support, shared learning, and real-world insight, helping participants build confidence and progress their careers.
This year’s mentors include Amanda Edgcumbe, director and founder of Powwow Events; Matt Wilson, CRO at Sitka; Liz Madden, director at NoNonsense Group; Laura Lewis, senior operations manager at IMEX; and Sam Hickson, first team operations manager at London City Lionesses.
“Level Up is about sharing knowledge, experience and opportunity across the industry,” said Cat Kevern, managing director, NOWIE. “Working with incredible companies such as Arena and ABPCO reflects the collaborative approach we believe is essential to supporting women and strengthening the events sector as a whole.”
The launch event brought together professionals from across the industry, highlighting NOWIE’s ongoing work to create clearer career pathways and accessible learning opportunities for women at all stages of their careers.
Reflecting on the partnership, Arena highlighted the importance of long-term support for industry talent.
“Supporting initiatives like Level Up fits closely with Arena’s commitment to development and encouraging knowledge-sharing across the events industry,” said Ross Robertson, managing director, Arena UK & Europe. “Our partnership with NOWIE has continued to grow over the past two years, and this programme is a natural next step.”
ABPCO’s involvement signals closer collaboration across organisers, producers and professional bodies, with plans already in place to work together beyond the launch.
“The work NOWIE are doing aligns closely with everything we are striving for at APBCO” said Katie Bolton, ABPCO representative. “We’re pleased to support the launch and look forward to working with NOWIE on future initiatives.”
