The 2023 Women's Leadership Festival will be a truly magical occasion! In this 2-day conference, we'll be discussing the mythology around women and womanhood, the ways women have been misconstrued, oppressed, and misunderstood. We'll explore the historical significance of goddesses, witches, and magic. And we'll discuss how we can reclaim our myths and our magic to become strong leaders, and lift other women up with us.
You can watch a video of our 2022 event below (our theme was Down the Rabbit Hole). You can expect a similar level of discourse, whimsy, networking, and support at our mammoth 2023 event!
When we sat down to create the Agenda for this event, we asked ourselves the hard questions:
Like, “What if the problem women leaders have isn’t that they don’t know HOW to say no or set boundaries - what if the problem is that they’re ignored when they do?”
And, “What if the problem with women being visible isn’t about a lack of confidence? What if it’s about the threats of physical violence many of them face when the ARE visible?”
This event isn’t about teaching you to have “boundaries” or “more confidence” - in fact, it’s not about teaching you anything at all.
This event is about bringing together women at all levels of leadership - in our communities and businesses - to work together to share their experiences in order to strategically solve the problems we face right now.
Yes, that means the people on stage - but it also means the people in the audience.
We’ll pose a number of questions and use a range of technology (from straightforward “go to the mic” for the extroverts, through to “send the MC your comments and thoughts” for the introverts!) to bring the audience into the conversation.
Our panel discussions then become workshops, where you have the opportunity to work with a group of women to pull together strategic action plans about what we're going to do next.
The idea is to not only create connections and relationships - but to create the opportunity for women to work together towards collaboratively creating real solutions.
THE EVENT →
Down The Rabbit Hole
NO STUFFY LECTURES
At The 8 Percent, we don’t believe in boring, stuffy events. We believe in experiences, theatrics, and lots of fun — along with in-depth learning. In fact, we believe learning and fun go hand-in-hand!
COME DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
The theme of the Women’s Leadership Festival is: Down the Rabbit Hole. It’s all about delving into serious topics, but also rediscovering a sense of wonder and play. The venue will be decked out with an Alice in Wonderland theme, and there will be fun Wonderland-style activities to keep you engaged.
OUR AIM FOR YOU
Our aim is to build a fun, inclusive atmosphere where you feel relaxed and open, so that you can learn and network.
DISCUSSIONS WITH EXPERTS →
Panels Overview
THE FUTURE OF WORK IS NOW
The Office, Hybrid Models, Remote. How do we go beyond the hype and rhetoric and create models that actually work?
COMPASSION IN THE AGE OF POLARISATION
How we can communicate and find common ground in a world with ever-increasing polarisation and tribal thinking?
WHAT IF THE PROBLEM ISN'T ACTUALLY CONFIDENCE?
The real price of visibility online and in public life for women – it’s not about confidence, but about the effects of discrimination, threats, micro-aggressions, and misogyny.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
What are the real, systemic issues that are holding women back in all areas, including education, healthcare, relationships, and politics.
THE ONLY CERTAINTY IS UNCERTAINTY
As we head into increasingly uncertain economic times, how can women create a stable base for their businesses to weather the coming storm?
THINGS ARE BASICALLY NOT GOOD
The Climate Crisis is real and it’s only getting worse. How can women be at the forefront of systemic environmental change?
Speakers
MEET THE PANELISTS →
Leela Cosgrove Founder & CEO, The 8 Percent Keynote Speaker Panel: What If the Problem Isn't Actually Confidence?
Emma Greyson Award-winning Entrepreneur Panel Host: What If the Problem Isn't Actually Confidence?
Lucy Bloomfield Founder, The Matriarchy Panel Host: Things Are Basically Not Good
Feng Yuan Liu Health Care Specialist Panel Host: Compassion in the Age of Polarisation
BE INSPIRED →
Creative Inspiration Day
Creative Inspiration Day is an additional day of the event for our VIP ticket holders. This day is all about being creative and inspired — hence the name!
On this jam-packed day, we get onto a private bus and visit a variety of places around Melbourne. Creative companies doing great things, social enterprises, art installations, creative workshops — all designed to open new ways of thinking and perceiving.
Our last Creative Inspiration Day was a huge hit, with our attendees feeling lasting impact from getting out of their comfort zone and opening their minds to creativity.
To join us on Creative Inspiration Day, purchase a VIP ticket to the festival. Places are strictly limited, and once they're gone, they're gone!
2022 Event
CHECK OUT THE SPEAKERS, SPONSORS, AND PANELS FROM OUR LAST EVENT →
Join the network that helps you advance your business
For more than a decade, the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) has brought women entrepreneurs together from around the world to help them connect with each other, scale their businesses, and ultimately succeed.
The DWEN community welcomes all levels of entrepreneurs, from start-ups to scale-ups. Joining DWEN will give you access to women entrepreneurs from around the world and valuable resources to grow your business – including the latest technology, access to funding resources, and best practices from a global network of members.
Order your tickets here! The 8 Percent Festival is a non-profit event -- all profits will be donated to a women's charity.
Money Back Guarantee
If you come down with Covid or get sick at the time of the event, we got you! You can choose to either swap your ticket to our 2024 event, or receive a refund.
VIP Ticket
- Priority front-of-house seating at the event - A ticket to the top secret, VIP-only 3rd day - Access to the VIP lounge with catered lunch and snacks - Goodie bag with fun surprises
The 8 Percent acknowledges the First Australians, the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing culture, their contribution and connection to land, waters and community, and we pay our respect to elders past, present and emerging.
