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Alison Church, CMO, Easyfairs
When we talk about career progression, we often focus on ambition, performance and resilience. Those things do matter, but when I look back on my own journey into senior leadership, what stands out just as much are the people who championed me along the way.
None of us builds a career alone. Behind many women who step into bigger roles, take on more responsibility and grow in confidence, there are often key people who saw something in them, backed them and encouraged them to keep going. In my case, those champions have been both women and men, and their support has played a huge part in how I have grown as a leader.
I have also had to work through my own challenges. In the past, I struggled with confidence and had a tendency to be oversensitive, sometimes taking even constructive criticism too personally and letting it knock me more than I should have. That could hold me back. What made a real difference was having strong people around me who helped me see past that, recognise my strengths more clearly and build my confidence over time. That support came from a number of people in my career, including my line manager, and it has been incredibly important in helping me become more resilient and more sure of myself.
Sometimes that support was obvious: a colleague reminding me of what I was good at just when I needed to hear it, or a senior leader giving me visibility and trust before I had fully given it to myself. At other times, it was quieter but just as valuable: people who listened, offered perspective, encouraged me to take the opportunities that were there in front of me, recognised when I was ready to step up and gave me the confidence to do it.
One of the biggest things I have learned is that confidence does not always come first. Sometimes other people believe in us before we fully believe in ourselves. That belief can be hugely powerful. It can help us speak up more, think bigger, recover more quickly from setbacks and say yes to opportunities that feel slightly outside our comfort zone.
I think the same is true of resilience. It is easy to think of resilience as something very individual, as if it means quietly getting on with things and handling every challenge on your own. But for me, resilience has also been built through the people around me. It has grown through trusted voices helping me put difficult moments in perspective, reminding me what I am capable of and not letting one setback feel bigger than it really is.
Of course, every career comes with people who are harder to deal with. We all come across personalities or situations that test us. But one of the most helpful lessons I have learned is not to give those people too much of my energy. They may need to be managed, but they should not take up more space than the people who are actively helping you grow.
For me, a big part of leadership has been learning to recognise my champions and really lean into their support. That does not mean avoiding difficult situations or relying on others to do the work for you. It simply means being open to encouragement, guidance and advocacy when it is there.
If there is one thing I would share with other women building their careers in the event industry, it is this: pay attention to the people who genuinely want to see you succeed. Value them. Learn from them. Let them encourage you. Those relationships can make such a difference, not just to your career, but to your confidence, your resilience and the kind of leader you become.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest strengths of the Women in Exhibitions UK community. It brings together people who champion one another, share their experiences and help others see possibilities they may not yet see in themselves.