What Women’s Day Means to These Planners

March 5, 2025

In honor of International Women’s Day this Saturday, March 8, three members of Prevue’s Advisory Board took a moment to tell us what inspires them as women in the meetings industry.

Themed “Accelerate Action,” International Women’s Day 2025 is “a worldwide call to acknowledge strategies, resources, and activity that positively impact women’s advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation,” as their website states.

We thank our board members for weighing in on their essential roles in the industry.

Anne Gorman, VP Sales & Marketing for Streamline Events says:

“What inspires me is forging a path for the next generation of women coming up in our industry. The commitment, dedication and sacrifice it has taken to be successful in this industry has come at the expense of our personal lives, our families, our health and, often, our sanity.

“I am determined to show women who are starting out in this industry that being successful does not mean you have to give and give and give until there is nothing left. You can say no; you can set boundaries; you can prioritize yourself and your loved ones; and you can have a lovely, full life while also being a successful and respected leader.

Koleen Roach, Director of Meetings & Conference Management for Securian Financial Group told us:

I’m inspired as a woman in the hospitality industry for all the usual reasons including having the opportunity to directly create positive and memorable experiences for key stakeholders and guests, making a meaningful impact on others through high levels of service, and thriving in a dynamic and diverse environment that allows me to interact with people from different cultures and all walks of life while fostering a sense of community.

“But perhaps what inspires me the most is being in an industry that is filled with strong, confident, smart, motivated, and curious women who come together regularly as a community to share ideas and experiences in a way that challenges us to continually enhance our skills, improve our programs through idea and experience sharing, sharing ways to support our teams education and experiences, and just make this world a better place.

“At the end of the day, after the long hours, time away from our families, high stress, running on adrenaline, and going long periods of time without sleep, I think we would all agree this is one of the best careers in the world and very few of us ever consider leaving this industry. Quite the opposite, we want to leave it better than we found it!”

Tracy Wallach, Event Lead for Deerfield Beach, FL-based JM Family Enterprises and Director of Leadership Development for the South Florida Chapter of MPI told us:

“I’m inspired by the younger generation of women who are excelling in this industry, whether it’s in planning, event production, or leadership. The sense of sisterhood in the meetings industry motivates me, and I’m passionate about helping these women recognize their potential to thrive and lead.

“Through mentoring and leading by example, I strive to create an open environment where their ideas and perspectives—whether similar to or different from my own—are valued and encouraged.”