The WORTH Leadership Summit: A success beyond our wildest dreams

*Photo Credit: Vision Event Photography*

On May 13, 2024, the WORTH Leadership Summit made history by hosting the first-ever gathering of women-identifying leaders and their allies in recreation, tourism, and hospitality in Western Canada.

We are immensely proud to have achieved our goal of sparking dialogues on the critical issues affecting women in the sector. We aimed to have experts speak on a variety of topics, including burnout, sexual harassment, the pay gap, speaking up, and dismantling barriers. We wanted to inspire women with topics from the C-suite, including career acceleration, values and ambition.

And we nailed it.

The day opened with an inspirational and educational welcome from Musqueam Elder Mary Point, followed by a thought-provoking fireside chat on leading with purpose featuring Heather McCrory. Our morning plenary featured a panel full of wisdom from the industry's busiest “Bosses of the Business,”; Lorraine Lowe, Teresa Ryder, Ingrid Jarrett, Anna Grolle, and Robyn McVicker, moderated by Shiva Reddy from CBC.

Here are some event highlights:

Throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to participate in various sessions tailored to address key challenges and opportunities within the industry.

The “Triple Threat” breakout was bursting at the seams (literally) as attendees crowded in to hear hospitality rockstar, Makenzie Chilton’s presentation on career success; Stacey Forrester disrupted the sector with her leadership in protective spaces, highlighting the importance of organizations like Good Night Out; and our girls in finance, Natasha Jeshani, Sophie Warwick, Ayesha Howitt, and Puneet Kochar covered all things “NetWORTH” to close the pay gap and ensure women are paid what they are worth.

At lunch, Honourable Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sport, shared her leadership, words and kudos. It still blows our mind that the GOVERNMENT continues to support and fund our work.

In the afternoon Hassel Aviles joined us from Toronto to share her award-winning work with Not 9 to 5 Org; Trina Prior presented Minerva BC’s much-needed research on “Dismantling Barriers to Gender Equity;” and in the fan favourite “Speaking Up: Finding Your Voice Even When it Shakes,” survey respondents described Trina Notman, Lizzy Ojo Martens, Shobna Kannusamy, and Richelle Akimow’s session as "revolutionary," "empowering," "energizing," "emotional" (in a good way!), "powerful," "forever ingrained in my memory," "one of the best conference sessions I ever attended," and "my best experience ever."

Mandy Farmer of Accent Inns, closed the day with her rousing keynote on rebellious strategies for outstanding leadership, radically enriching the lives of 265 women and allies in the process.

WORTH surprised its’ audience and two recipients with a scholarship on stage.

For all of us at WORTH Association, the highlight came when we surprised Sara Alaviyeh and Maria Fernanda Bohorquez Diaz, recipients of the bursaries to attend the Summit, with an additional $1000 scholarship each, in recognition of their continued excellence in tourism and hospitality. Here’s what they had to say:

“I am honoured and delighted to have won the WORTH Summit scholarship. Now that I am nearing the finish line in my academic path, over the past year and a half, my journey has provided me with fabulous knowledge and insight to apply in my professional path. I am so grateful for this powerful organization.”
- Sara Alaviyeh, Master of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Fairleigh Dickinson University

“I am so lucky to be part of an industry that has such inspiring female leaders, who believe in and encourage emerging talents such as me. I knew that moving to Canada was going to be a beautiful adventure, but I never imagined receiving all this love and support.”
- Maria Fernanda Bohorquez Diaz, Postgraduate Hospitality Marketing, Douglas College

WORTH Association is proud to have awarded over $30,000 in scholarships since its inception. We are dedicated to fostering talent and supporting future leaders in tourism and hospitality, and by providing scholarships, we aim to empower young Women of WORTH, like Sara and Maria, helping them achieve their academic and professional goals. We are thrilled to contribute to their success and eagerly anticipate the positive impact they will have on our sector.

Without our incredible community, this event would not have been possible.

This triumphant Summit would not have been possible without all our partners, delegates, volunteers, and everyone else working behind the scenes to bring about a full day of inspiration, wisdom, leadership, and authentic, enriching moments. With over 30 industry partnerships and attendees representing 100+ businesses across the province, the WORTH Summit showcased the power of our community and we are profoundly grateful for you all.

"May 13th marked the first time I cried at an industry event. The vulnerability and strength shown at the WORTH Leadership Summit left me certain we changed the industry for the better. There’s comfort and connection knowing this day was uniquely ours, a place where emotions are welcome. Thank you for making our Association’s dream come true."
– Joanna Jagger, President and Founder, WORTH Association.

Finally, we’ll leave you with the same powerful words our incredible MC, Empower Her alum and Yes Shef veteran - Chef Siobhan Detkavich wrapped the Summit of our dreams with, “Don’t ever let anyone dim your light, don’t ever let anyone define your WORTH.”

Stay tuned for our 2025 Summit!

We are excited to announce that planning for the 2025 Summit will begin soon. If you have suggestions or recommendations regarding speakers, topics, or partners we should consider for next year, we want to hear from you! Please email us at summit@worthassociation.com.

Visit worthsummit.ca to review the highlights from the 2024 Summit and stay updated on 2025 announcements.

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