The Network of Women in Events’ second annual survey reveals signs of progress on safety and inclusion in the events industry. But harassment, unclear reporting routes and career consequences remain a reality for too many women. The question is no longer simply whether the industry is becoming safer. It is whether the systems designed to keep people safe are keeping pace.
The events industry is changing. The question is whether it is changing quickly enough. That tension sits at the heart of The Big Survey 2026, The Network of Women in Events’ second annual study, produced in collaboration with UN Women UK and Ipsos as the research partner.
86% of women described the events industry as safe or mostly safe, while 36% said safety and inclusion had improved over the past two years. Just six percent felt it had worsened. Yet 80% of women surveyed said they had experienced harassment on site at an event. But the headline figures tell only part of the story. 61% did not report their most significant incident, while 19% said they had left a role or turned down work because of safety or harassment concerns. The findings suggest that, while many women feel the industry is broadly safe, significant challenges around harassment, reporting and its impact on careers remain. The question is no longer simply whether the industry is becoming safer. It is whether the systems surrounding that progress are keeping pace.
A WORKPLACE UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Events are fast-moving, temporary and unpredictable workplaces. People work late, travel, stay in hotels and move between venues alongside changing teams of employees, freelancers, suppliers, clients and audiences. That flexibility can create gaps in accountability. According to The Big Survey, 80% of women have experienced harassment on site at an event. Comments about appearance, catcalling or whistling were reported by 62% of respondents, while 62% had experienced sexist or misogynistic remarks. 45% had experienced verbal sexual harassment, 33% unwanted physical contact and 6% sexual assault. In total, 27 women reported experiencing sexual assault on site at an event. For an industry built around creating safe experiences for audiences, the figures raise an uncomfortable question: what does that experience look like for the people behind the scenes?
WHEN WORK DOESN’T END
The challenge extends beyond the venue. 40% of respondents said they had experienced an incident outside working hours while travelling to or from a job or staying away for work. Yet only 59% understood that an employer’s or client’s duty of care can extend beyond traditional working hours. A crew member may be off the clock, but they are still travelling because of work. A freelancer staying in a hotel is still away because of work. Safeguarding must reflect that reality.
THE REPORTING GAP
Perhaps the most important finding is what happens after an incident. 61% of women did not report their most significant experience. Half felt it was not serious enough to report. More than a third worried about the impact on their career or future work. A quarter did not know how or where to report it, while the same proportion feared repercussions. One in four believed their company would protect the perpetrator over them, while 19% did not think they would be believed.
There is also uncertainty about what happens after a report. 83% do not know what happens to a perpetrator following a report. Only 51% know their employer has a formal harassment policy, while 36% do not know whether one exists. Of those aware of a policy, just 38% believe it is genuinely enforced. Having a policy, the findings suggest, is not the same as having a trusted reporting culture.
FREELANCERS FACE LESS PROTECTION
38% of respondents are freelancers or run their own businesses. Their exposure to harassment is similar to employed women: 81% of freelancers experienced on site harassment, compared with 79% of employed women surveyed. Their access to reporting systems, however, is dramatically different. Only 28% of freelance and self-employed respondents know of a clear reporting process, compared with 64% of employed women. For freelancers, there may be no HR department, internal reporting mechanism or obvious safeguarding contact.
If experienced professionals are leaving roles or turning down work because they do not feel safe, the consequences extend to recruitment, retention and the future talent pipeline.
PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO ACT
For the first time, The Big Survey also invited men to participate, capturing their experiences as witnesses and allies. Across all respondents, 64% had witnessed harassment or inappropriate behaviour towards a colleague, and 89% of those witnesses said they took action – whether by supporting the person afterwards, intervening directly or reporting what had happened. The findings suggest the industry may not have a willingness problem, but rather a confidence and infrastructure problem. People are seeing what is happening and are prepared to act. The next step is ensuring they have the training, confidence and processes to intervene effectively.
A CLEAR APPETITE FOR CHANGE
One of the survey’s most striking findings is that 98% of respondents said they would use or consider using an independent, confidential reporting body for the events industry. NOWIE is calling for an independent, confidential reporting route for the events industry, drawing on models such as the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA), as well as stronger internal reporting mechanisms. NOWIE is also exploring what events can learn from other creative industries, including initiatives such as the ScreenSkills passport, which provides a more consistent and portable approach to training for freelancers and contractors moving between productions and employers. The aim is not necessarily to reinvent the wheel, but to understand which models already working elsewhere in the creative industries could be adapted for events.
PROGRESS BUT WORK TO BE DONE
The findings also contain encouraging signs. 36% of respondents said safety and inclusion had improved over the past two years, while only six percent said it had worsened. 56% agreed that events remain a good career choice for women, compared with nine percent who disagreed. This year, the message is clearer: most women value their careers in events, and there are encouraging signs around perceptions of safety and inclusion. But too many are still navigating an environment where harassment regularly happens, reporting routes are unclear and the outcome of a report is often invisible.
The data tells us that people are willing to act. What is missing is the infrastructure to make that action safe, consistent and effective. There needs to be greater accountability for organisers and suppliers when it comes to keeping women safe. That means clear safeguarding policies, appropriate training and reporting routes that people know and trust.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The industry has spent years talking about diversity, inclusion and culture. The Big Survey suggests the conversation is becoming more practical. What happens when someone reports? Who do they report to? Does the process work for contractors and casual staff?
What happens when an incident takes place in a hotel, on the journey home or outside traditional working hours? These are operational questions requiring practical answers. The findings contain encouraging signs, but progress must be matched by the infrastructure required to protect the people working within the industry. The direction may be right, but the pace and what the industry does next is the question.
The Big Survey 2026 was conducted by NOWIE between 17 June and 28 July 2026 and received 519 anonymous responses. The survey was developed with NOWIE’s Expert Panel, with Ipsos as research partner, and produced in collaboration with UN Women UK.
Words: Cat Kevern
Photo: NOWIE
