Dressing up for a dressing down 29th April 2010

I find it amazing peoples attitude to women (from both men and women) who dress up at the Trade shows to help add energy and razzmatazz to what potentially could be a very dull event.

We have been down at the Internet World trade show at Earl’s Court. The Internet is a very male dominated industry being a techy lead industry. Sadly there are not enough women in our industry. A statistic we at UKFast are doing our level best to change. Women in our work place are essential. They are great communicators and organisers, and life would be very dull without the dynamic that mixing men and women together brings.

That being said, why is it that people automatically assume a pretty girl dressed in heels on a stand is not as smart as those around her? It is funny though, there were a few people (mainly women I am sad to say) who got a bit of a shock after making comments like “get yourself a proper job!” That particular comment was addressed to my personal assistant who takes great pleasure in being part of the team at these events and she manages the girls and their taxing schedule. If only they knew. Rachael took the comment on the chin, smiling at the lady as she laid into the commercial director Gail Jones (dressed in shorts too!) “why do you let them do this to you?” Gail simply said, “I want to dress like this. Last year I wore a dress, but but it’s too hot. The shorts are great and I love the atmosphere we create.”

The girls on the stand all work for the UKFast team. Most of whom have just come back from Verbier. They have the toughest job in my opinion. 30 hours in heels is something I know I couldn’t do! I admire their spirit immensely. I make sure I spoil them as much as I can. They work long hours and never grumble. They all have roles with in the business, some in sales, account management, customer care, but they enjoy the responsibility of representing UKFast publicly at all our sponsored events and client facing hospitality.

For me it’s imperative to have people who work for UKFast all year round representing us and not to outsource. The difference between the UKFast Girls on our stand and the others was so evident and the majority of people who came on to our stand commented, showing their surprise and pleasure that the girls all were able to understand their requirements and business needs, talking comfortably on subjects like clustering and load balanced environments.

But I think this is evident when you look at UKFast. We are so different when you take the trouble to look a little closer. This is why in the week Gordon Brown called someone a bigot for all the wrong reasons, sadly there are bigots out there, maybe someone needs to explain the meaning of the word to him, and for those real bigots, you should take the trouble to look a little closer, stop stereotyping and be a little nicer. There is a place for everyone in this world, and I am only glad the ladies said these hurtful comments to the UKFast Girls and not others who may not be as tough or as confident.

As Rachael my PA put it, “If only they knew, I have been in 4 countries in 10 days, they should have a go at trying to manage your diary.”

That being said, even superheros have to sleep, and boy, do they deserve it. To all the Girls on the UKFast stand, especially Laura, thank you for the energy you put into the event, you are amazing! Lads, you weren’t bad either.

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