Is 'Women In Tech' still relevant?

A while ago, we got tagged in a post on LinkedIn where Women In Tech Sweden were questioned on our relevance. The premise of the critique was based on the idea that we needed a new WHY, since conferences was considered a thing of the past. In all fairness, questioning relevance is

For us, Women In Tech has always been a sanctuary for women and non-binary individuals. It’s a deliberate choice: You don’t have to be a superstar or the most famous to stand on any of our stages or to get involved. And the passionate individuals who volunteer their time and commitment to Women In Tech do it primarily because they genuinely want to support the cause, the same WHY as ten years ago, which continues to be relevant today: We still need more women in tech. And we need to actively work towards it.

We’ve also never believed that a famous woman must be in the spotlight or that we, as individuals, must be visible and heard to make an impact. Our most extensive advocacy work happens in dialogue with our partners, often large companies that truly want to drive change in their respective industries and within their organizations. We are incredibly proud of them.

Our partners, of course, pay to be partners with us. Our partner revenues are almost entirely used to organize our annual conference, where we gather 2000 members, usually at Waterfront, for a full day of inspiration and community, which we also livestream. The conference should always be free for our members, just like the additional events we organize together with said partners.

As we navigate our way through the new media, event, and community landscape, we do so with a clear idea of being where our members and partners find us relevant. Many have thoughts and ideas about how Women In Tech could evolve and what Women In Tech could become, and we continually work to ensure our relevance through focus groups and advisory boards. The fact that the organization is a non-profit association and not a joint-stock company is to emphasize and ensure that Women In Tech Sweden is purpose-driven and not created to provide dividends to shareholders.

We don’t know exactly what the future holds for us, but we do know that we have an incredible conference ahead of us in March 2024. And that we do what we can with the resources we have, driven by an idea and a desire to make the world a slightly better place. And that we are truly looking forward to continuing to advance our positions.