Support female delegates at events

February 11, 2025

In the latest report in our Thought Leadership series – and the third in a series on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) – we asked how a travel management company (TMC) can better support female business travellers and event delegates. Explore these best practice tips on supporting female delegates attending conferences, meetings, exhibitions or business events.

A TMC can provide all the information that allows clients to make informed choices

The actual location of the event is the absolute starting point. If a corporation is running events in countries deemed more challenging on the safety front for women, it’s a TMC’s job to explain what the government messaging is for that destination and what to do when travelling to those areas.
The TMC also makes sure the client and their delegates have the correct documentation to travel to that country. This avoids them being put in a difficult situation. And, if the event is in a remote destination, can delegates have somebody meet and greet them at the airport? Are the taxis at the airport safe? All these factors need to be considered and the TMC’s part in that is integral.
Getting ahead of potential situations is crucial. Spirits at events, conferences etc can be high. So it’s worth creating an environment that can avoid people overstepping the mark and keeps everyone safe.
That can include the choice of hotel locations and room allocations. For a large-scale event you might be working with a number of hotels to accommodate all your delegates. And your TMC can work with a risk manager to deem which are the best ones for different group demographics.
Risk groups are then categorised and you can ensure the highest risk are in the safest environment. Work with your TMC to categorise whether a hotel is on-site, a ten-minute walk away, whether delegates have to get public transport between the hotel and event venue, whether the routes are safe etc.
Of course, there are different maturity levels within companies that are holding events. For some, it’s their first time and a TMC can provide additional risk guidance. At the other end of the spectrum there are clients who have been holding the same event for 20 years and have risk managers all over it, plus delegates who are regular travellers.
One of Reed & Mackay’s USPs is exceptional, personalised service, which gives an additional layer of reassurance, from our traveller tracking to 24/7 Incident Management Unit. People want their event or conference experience to not just mirror, but be an elevated experience of, their own personal travel. So that expectation level of safety reassurance is going to become much higher.
Another quick tip for event delegates. When you’re travelling for events, it’s quite common to keep your badge or lanyard on outside a conference location. This contains personal information, so take your badge off as soon as you leave the venue.