19 Creative Ways to Empower Women at Events

Danielle Gibson Events holds a regular event series called Take Time to Toast, which is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and toasting accomplishments of those in nontraditional work roles. The February edition, held at Stable Cafe in San Francisco, had a "Galentine’s Day" theme.

A “Collaboration Station” featured a bag for each attendee, each of which was hand-calligraphed by Blushtype with her name, title, and business. Next to the wall was a candy station by CandyClub with branded valentines that included phrases such as “I want to take time to toast you” or "You're the best* thing in my life (*besides Rosé).” Guests were encouraged to fill a small candy bag and write a card to another attendee. 

“Some attendees also took this opportunity to drop their business cards into the bags and spread the word of their own business,” said Shaina Braun, an event coordinator at Danielle Gibson Events. “It was a nice icebreaker to start the event and a great way to get to know the other women in attendance. At the end of the night, each attendee brought their bag home with them and got to open up lots of love and girl-power messages.”

Sophia Amoruso’s company Girlboss hosted the second Girlboss Rally at Industria Studios in New York in November. The event brought together top female entrepreneurs including Ashley Graham, Elaine Welteroth, Leandra Medine, and Whitney Wolfe, plus 600 attendees from 14 countries. Decor from the Gathery included a pink-lit hallway with hanging signs that said “No-Shame Zone,” “Start Your Own Shit,” and other inspiring phrases.

The sold-out Girlboss rally also had inspirational phrases on the walls from prominent women such as Beyoncé and Maya Angelou.

At Refinery29’s 29Rooms in New York in Los Angeles, illustrator Jen Mussari designed hand-painted punching bags and gloves for a “The Future Is Female” installation. Electronic music artist Madame Gandhi created beats in the space that guests could turn on by punching the bags.

The Los Angeles edition of Refinery29's 29Rooms in December also featured messages of women's empowerment. A room from entertainer Lilly Singh presented women as superheroes and addressed the cycle of girl-on-girl hate. Refinery29 staffers acted as models for the painted work. Attendees were also invited to enter a phone booth and call a female friend to spread a message of love.

Both the New York and Los Angeles editions of 29Rooms collaborated with Planned Parenthood on a large-scale installation called “Bright Future,” which used bright neon signage to highlight women’s healthcare issues. Guests could also listen to stories from people who’ve been touched by the organization, as well as pledge their support.

Miami-based retail shop and event space Sparkle and Shine Darling hosted a female-focused event in January 2016. The Vision Board Soiree invited 200 women to create their own motivational vision boards with photos, quotes, magazine cutouts, and more. The boutique was transformed into a creative space meant to empower women of all ages, and guests could snack on cookies featuring phrases such as “She believed she could, so she did.”

In December in Los Angeles, AwesomenessTV and Gatorade welcomed local high school girls to a motivational workout class led by celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, actress Lea Michele, World Cup champion Julie Foundy, and TV host Rachel DeMita. The women led a conversation about how playing sports shaped who they are today, and workout area featured colorful lockers adorned with the phrase “Sisters in Sweat.”

Held in NeueHouse Hollywood in February, the Makers Conference drew advocates for women’s rights from the tech, entertainment, business, and nonprofit fields. The 2018 edition featured discussions on the Time’s Up movement, the power of creating a collective group, and a speech by Hillary Clinton. Speakers—including executive producer of Divided States of Women at Vox Media Liz Plank (left) and Emmy-winning screenwriter Lena Waithe—held discussions underneath a stage backdrop that displayed the conference’s theme of “Raise Your Voice.”

To celebrate the premiere of The Handmaid's Tale in April 2017, Hulu showcased an interactive public art installation at the High Line in New York. Designed by graphic artists Paula Scher and Abbott Miller, the multimedia installation was produced by Civic Entertainment Group and fabricated by Duggal Visual Solutions. It featured a red-and-black color scheme with illustrations of handmaid silhouettes, along with hanging light fixtures resembling the white hats the title characters wear in the series. As passersby grabbed novels, the piece was deconstructed to reveal messages of female empowerment and anti-authoritarian resistance.

In December, more than 500 young people gathered in Los Angeles for the inaugural Teen Vogue Summit: two days of activism and empowerment-theme talks from Hillary Clinton, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Women’s March organizer Paola Mendoza, poet and artist Cleo Wade, film director Ava Duvernay, and more. The event, which was designed and produced by 23 Stories, featured an eye-catching step-and-repeat that evoked buttons with inspiring, inclusive phrases such as "Women's rights are human rights" and "Love wins." 

Sponsor Urban Outfitters teamed up with Teen Vogue editors to create a series of empowering tote bags, shirts, hoodies, and buttons. The products were adorned with phrases such as "Resist the Gaslight" and "This is what a Teen Vogue reader looks like."

Leading up to the December summit, Teen Vogue hosted a series of meet-ups in five cities around the country. Each event had a video booth that asked attendees—most of whom were young women—to explain how they plan to change the world. 

At the Pandora Sounds Like You: Summer concert, held in Los Angeles in July, feminine product brand Always created the Always Empowerment Wall. Guests were invited to write messages of women’s empowerment, then take photos to share on social. Always also activated in the women’s bathroom, placing custom decals on the mirrors and handing out samples.

Mother magazine’s inaugural In Good Company conference took place in September in San Francisco. Designed as a space for creative and entrepreneurial mothers to exchange ideas, collect information, and inspire each other, the event encouraged women to bring their children to the conference. Atlejee designer Suvi Silvanto brought her nine-month-old son, Alfons. “I don’t have to worry if my baby’s accepted or not. That makes it unusual,” Silvanto said.

In addition, a mother’s lounge by Plum Organics gave breastfeeding or pumping mothers a place to relax and decompress. Toys by Shop Bitte were on hand to entertain the kids.

Every year, Essence magazine teams up with event firm AgenC to produce the Black Women in Hollywood Awards. Intended to honor and celebrate Hollywood's most impactful African-American women, the award show is always held during Oscars week and televised on OWN. For the 10th anniversary event in 2017, the heavily-female crowd could recharge and re-glam at the L'Oreal Beauty Bar. Attendees sampled the Infallible Paints collection and left messages on the adjacent mirror about "why they are magic."

In July 2016, more than 100 black women gathered in a replica of the U.S. Senate chamber at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston. The gathering served as a form of “visual protest” of the fact that—at the time—there were no black women in the United States Senate. (California’s Kamala Harris has since been elected.) The attendees of the political gathering, who were asked to “Take Your Seat” and elevate black women's voices, included then-Massachusetts first lady Diane Patrick; faith leader Mariama White Hammond; Higher Heights co-founders Glynda Carr and Kimberly Peeler-Allen; and Sarah-Ann Shaw, the first female African-American reporter to be televised in Boston.

The inaugural Girl Cult festival, created by Galore magazine and Goldenvoice and held in Los Angeles in August, drew 1,500 young attendees for an all-female lineup of panelists and performers. Pre-event materials billed the event as a “festival for kickass women and allies who want to come together and create a new vision.” Organizers aimed to create an environment that was accepting of all races, religions, genders, and sexualities. 

One popular photo op aimed to make attendees (such as Justine Skye, pictured) feel like queens for the day. The area featured a throne and a tiger, with a colorful backdrop that listed sponsor names.

To promote the second season of the Sarah Jessica Parker-led show Divorce in January, HBO partnered with lifestyle brands in New York to deliver fans a week of experiences focused on self-improvement in the new year. The network partnered with experiential marketing agency LeadDog Marketing Group to conceptualize the experiences, ensuring that each one was related to self-improvement and empowerment. For example, DreamDry salon offered guests complimentary blowouts inspired the Parker’s character, Frances.