For the woman with boots on the ground. Trades, IT, oil and gas, manufacturing, construction, engineering, technology, finance, security, first responders, energy, fleet, fabrication, anywhere the numbers are skewed. You don't need a title to belong here.
Holly Pickard has spent over two decades in trades and industry. And for the last year, she has been talking to more than 150 women across Edmonton who are doing this work, often alone, often the only one in the room.
Every conversation pointed to the same gap. There are great organizations helping women get into trades and industry. There are mentorship programs, training pipelines, recruitment initiatives. All of it matters.
But for the women running and owning businesses across trades and other industries, the ones leading crews, signing the contracts, building what comes next, there was no room built specifically for them.
Elevate Women in Industry is that room.
June 24 filled the room. July 29 filled it again. August 26 did it a third time. About 185 seats have been filled across our first three gatherings, with 9 women taking the mic, and we are only getting started.
None of those nights was a launch. They were a sound check. The noise is here to stay, so get used to it. Now it is your turn to add to it.
Photos from August 26 by BeeLoved Studio. July 29 by Timeless Photography Studios.
After our very first meetup, this community told us what it needed. That feedback has shaped everything since. It is why we are building workshops, trainings, and a mentorship program, and why we are planning our first retreat for early November. Details are coming.
None of it is about numbers. It is about support, and about being met as you are, not marketed to. That is the commitment, and it does not change.
A speaker session with three women in industry on mindset, finances, and moving your career forward, followed by open problem solving in the room.
The Spotlight Cabaret, 8217 104 Street NW, Edmonton · 6:00 to 9:00 PM · $25
September puts us on Whyte Avenue. The Spotlight Cabaret is a stage, kitchen and cocktail bar with a nineteen twenties feel, and it holds about 85 people.
It is small enough that you can hear the woman across the table, which is the whole point. Doors at 6:00, and the room is ours until 9:00.
Want your company in this room? Reach out through our LinkedIn page or email Holly directly.
Women already working in trades, IT, oil and gas, manufacturing, construction, engineering, technology, finance, security, first responders, energy, fleet, and fabrication, and any industry next to them. Owners, operators, leaders, tradeswomen, business builders. If you have never had a room to walk into, this is the one. If you are already in it, this is for you.
No. Elevate is for women across industry, on the tools or off. If your work touches trades and industry, you belong here. The room is built for the breadth of women doing this work, not just one role.
A speaker session with women in industry on what it takes to lead, build, and grow, then open problem solving and the connections that come with a room full of people who get it. We meet the last Wednesday of every month. The next room is Wednesday, September 30 in Edmonton, 6:00 PM.
No. The first rooms were how we started. Beyond the meetups, we are building workshops, trainings, a mentorship program, and a retreat this November. The events are a piece of it, not the whole thing.
You hear from us about future sessions, monthly meetups, and what we are building next. No spam, no daily updates, no noise. We respect your inbox.
Yes. Tickets are $25 through Eventbrite. The early rooms were free while we found our footing. Now that we gather at a venue with a proper stage and a kitchen, your ticket covers the room and the setup, and it puts money back into a local Edmonton business that opens its doors to us.
If you or your company want to support Elevate as a sponsor or partner, reach out through our LinkedIn page or email Holly directly to talk about sponsoring an upcoming gathering.
A community, not a one-off event. Built for the women already in it, doing the work, in Edmonton and beyond.
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