Convince your boss

Why your team should be part of IWD Banbury

We’re business owners as well as IWD Banbury curators. We know that when an employee is out of the office the to-do list nearly always gets long not shorter. Event attendance costs businesses twice - in time and money. 

There are loads of great events and conferences out there vying for your company training or business development budgets. We’d like to tell you why we think we should be at the top of the list...

Event overview

International Women’s Day Banbury is a celebration of the fine ladies of Cherwell. A series of arts, community and business events will be held in March 2020 as part of the global IWD campaign to promote gender equality. IWD encourages us all to make a difference - to think globally and act locally. By bringing a globally recognised event to Banbury we hope to empower local women and those that support them. We’re a Oxfordshire-centric, not-for-profit event.

Opportunities for learning and growth

Ada: Talks & discussions

In the theatre, there will be a series of inspirational talks and insightful discussions around four aspects of being a woman today. Each session will begin with a thought-provoking 15-minute talk by a woman immersed in our theme. They'll be sharing their personal stories, knowledge and lessons learnt with the audience. The IWD global 2020 theme - Each for Equal - asks us to "broaden perceptions" so after each talk, a panel discussion will follow. Each session will end with a call to action from each speaker and panellist for the audience to take back into their life and organisation.

Frida: Find your voice: Presence, presentation and empowerment with Cherwell Theatre Company

Your staff can join Cherwell Theatre Company to learn how to their voice and space to feel empowered. During this interactive workshop, you'll discover how professional performers communicate with clarity. CTC Artistic Director Tristan Jackson-Pate will show you how to use your voice, body and breath to help you feel confident, calm and heard, whoever is listening. A must for anyone who teaches, facilitates, presents in a boardroom or a meeting, or ever finds themselves in an interview situation.

Opportunities for networking and new contacts

Ada: Talks & discussions

Our speakers and panellists are a really interesting bunch of decision-makers who will be happy to talk to the audience during the Q&A and in the coffee and lunch breaks. We hope to draw a similarly fantastic audience of likeminded business and community leaders.

Cleopatra: Female founders fair

From 09:00 until 16:00 the public can access a “Female founders fair” full of independently owned and operated organisations from in and around Oxfordshire. There will be a chance to meet the women involve and get to know their products and businesses.

Opportunities to make a difference

Greta: Speed mentoring

We are still asking local business and community members to connect with young people from three local education providers in short "speed-dating" style mentoring sessions. This is an easy way to give back to the local community, meet young people that could be the future of your workplace or future customers, and develop coaching and mentoring skills in your workforce.

Each speed-mentoring session will consist of a 15-minute introduction, 60 minutes of speed mentoring and a 15-minute wrap-up.

Students will speak to mentors for 3 minutes before moving onto the next mentor. During these dynamic interactions, we hope to change perceptions of careers open to women and spark inspirational moments for both mentors and mentees.

Your staff can get involved as a mentor, for a single session (09:30 - 11:00, 11:15 - 12:45 or 13:00 - 14:00) or for the whole day, please fill in our short application form.

Opportunities to reward and recognise

In Banbury, we are lucky enough to have low unemployment levels, but this can mean that as an employer you need to incentivise your team more often. We have three workshops that your staff could attend as part of a reward and recognition programme.

Malala: Yoga

The Mill’s dance studio space will host two yoga sessions, led by Yoga Quota-trained teacher Jackie Balchin. The 90-minute contemporary vinyasa morning practice will be open to all for a small fee. Funds generated from this class will provide a further guided practice for those in the Banbury community that take time for others, but never make time for themselves. IWD Banbury is asking the public to nominate the unsung heroes of our area - the volunteers and carers that make our town a better place. They will have the chance to relax and restore, free of charge, during the afternoon session.

Frida: Beginner’s brush lettering with Illyboo Designs

Illyahna Johnson is a modern calligrapher, illustrator, stationery designer and the founder of Illyboo Designs. She will be teaching the basics of modern brush lettering during this two-hour class. Attendees will build up their skills and leave with their phrase in beautiful script.

Rosa: Help Me Make: Toolbox making with This Girl Makes

Joining IWD Banbury will be This Girl Makes, an on and offline community of designers and makers. You'll be able to drop by, discuss and contribute to a one-off collaborative zine about women makers. Zines are self-published non-profit publications which remix and reinterpret a range of materials. The zine will be printed after the event, using a Riso printer, which is an environmentally friendly alternative to standard printing. This Girl Makes founder and furniture maker Hattie Poppy Speed will be also hosting a practical session where guests can make and personalise a wonderful wooden toolbox to take home.

Date and location

Our main event is on Friday 6th March

Our hosts are The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury’s local independent arts and community venue.

The Mill is located in the heart of Banbury town, and can be accessed easily by public transport.

Cost summary

In order to make our first event as accessible as possible, we have put in place a three-tiered ticketing structure for our whole day of talks & discussions (AKA “Ada”). Our cheapest ticket is £21 and our most expensive is just £33 per person.

Our workshops range from £8 for yoga, £28 for our speaking and presence workshop, through to £38 for our toolbox and lettering workshops (as these involve material costs)

Tickets

You can purchase tickets via our website or directly from The Mill on 01295 279 002 or by emailing  boxoffice@themillartscentre.co.uk.

We’re a not-for-profit event. Whilst our curators and collaborators are supporting the event in kind wherever possible there are inevitable costs to cover, such as insurance and equipment hire. 

Quite simply, if tickets don’t sell we won’t be able to run future events.

By booking a ticket to even one of our events you will help Banbury continue to be part of the global International Women’s Day movement.