Advantage brings women across the industry together for inaugural Women in Business Lunch

Held at The Folly in Central London on Friday 6 November, the inaugural event brought together a wealth of experience, perspectives and ideas from within the promotional merchandise industry.

The afternoon was designed to give guests the chance to step away from the usual pace of working life, spend time together and have some of the conversations that do not always find their way into the working day.

Over a relaxed three-course lunch, speaker, coach and workplace wellbeing specialist Danielle Lyons led an interactive session entitled The Folly of Doing It All: Leading Without Losing Yourself.

Danielle explored the expectations women often place on themselves, the pressure of juggling competing priorities, the things that give and drain our energy, the importance of boundaries and the value of recognising that not everything has to be carried alone.

The session quickly became a shared conversation, with guests reflecting on their own experiences and discovering just how much common ground there was around the table.

From managing demanding workloads and responsibilities to family life, confidence, expectations and the tendency to keep saying yes, the discussions were open, honest and often reassuringly familiar.

One of the strongest themes of the afternoon was the value of simply having the space to talk.

Women from across the Advantage community shared experiences, exchanged ideas, listened to one another and offered different perspectives. There was a huge amount of knowledge and experience around the table, together with a recognition that many of the pressures and challenges discussed were widely shared.

Some had known each other for years, while others were meeting for the first time, but there was a real generosity to the conversations throughout the day.

It was also a reflection of the wider Advantage spirit, independent businesses coming together, sharing what they know and recognising the value of supporting and learning from one another.

Melissa Chevin commented:

“What struck me most was how openly everyone shared.

“There was such a wealth of experience around the table, but what really stood out was the generosity of the conversation. Danielle gave us some genuinely thought-provoking starting points, and from there the discussion developed very naturally as people shared their own experiences and perspectives.

“Again and again, you could see that recognition of ‘yes, I know exactly what you mean’, even between people whose day-to-day lives might look quite different.

“That is one of the things I love about Advantage. People are incredibly willing to share, help one another and learn from each other, and Friday felt very much in that spirit.

“It was a really special group to spend the afternoon with, and we are very grateful to everyone who came and contributed so openly.”

Danielle Lyons added:

“Women are often incredibly capable and accustomed to managing multiple demands, both professionally and personally. But somewhere amongst all of those roles, looking after ourselves can easily fall to the bottom of the list.

“The afternoon was an opportunity to challenge some of those expectations, think about what we actually need and recognise that sometimes positive change isn’t about doing more, it’s about giving ourselves permission to do things differently.

“I also loved seeing women who may sometimes find themselves competing professionally coming together to encourage and support one another. There is enormous value in collaboration.”

Feedback following the event has been extremely positive, with guests reflecting on the openness of the discussions, the shared experiences around the table and the value of taking time to connect with other women within the Advantage community.

Following the response to the inaugural lunch, Advantage Buying Group is now considering how the event could become a regular part of its future programme.