The annual Women in Media (WIM) conference, run by students from the University of Manchester, is returning to the University’s Students’ Union on May 4.
In 2022, women made up just 41% of journalists, down from 2022. The conference aims to promote diversity in the industry and inspire the next generation.
The full line-up is yet to be revealed, but announced speakers including journalist Helen Nugent, filmmaker Basma Khalifa, editorial director of HUNGER Magazine Devinder Bains, Radio 1 producer Daisy Jarrett, and entertainment reporter Olivia Marks-Howarth.
University of Manchester alumni on this year’s set of speakers include Poppy Bilderback, who currently works for LADBible, and the creative team behind theatre company So La Flair Theatre.
Panels for the 2024 conference feature professionals from various fields, including the music industry, radio, social media, behind-the-scenes roles in film and television, journalism, and theatre. There will also be workshops on visual storytelling and personal branding.
WIM is supporting two charities as part of their fundraising efforts for the conference.
The first is Refugee Women Connect, a charity working to provide emotional, financial, and legal support to women asylum seekers, refugees, and trafficking survivors in the UK.
The second charity is Manchester Action on Street Health (MASH), who support women sex workers, whose wellbeing is often overlooked by similar organisations.
WIM held fundraising events earlier this month, with a club night at XLR and a glass-painting workshop in the Students’ Union.
The committee this year aimed to host smaller talks before the main conference too, with The Independent’s Isobel Lewis and The Mill’s Mollie Simpson visiting for talks and Q&A sessions in December and February.
Tickets are on sale now for this year’s conference: £8 for University of Manchester students and £10 for those outside of the University. The Students’ Union can subside the cost of tickets through the Access to Recreation Grant.
