The 70%: Alex Smith
Women make up 77% of the global events workforce, yet hold only 16% of leadership roles. The imbalance is well known, but the women driving this industry forward are still too often overlooked.
The 70% is a weekly series dedicated to changing that. Each instalment profiles a woman whose work, insight, and ambition shape the events sector – from emerging talent to established leaders. Through their stories, we explore the pathways, challenges, and perspectives defining what leadership looks like today.
This week, we meet Alex Smith, head of operations at Seen Presents.
How many years have you been in the events industry?
I started in the events industry 13 years ago following a pivot from theatre production. My love for theatre was sparked by the magic of the craft and the audience reaction – that moment when people collectively connect or react to something, and I love that experiential marketing can create that same kind of emotional engagement. I was lucky enough to transfer those theatre skills into some of the best agencies, working hands-on delivering exceptional projects with global brands, before finding my way into client management and then leadership roles.
After 8 years, I realised my passion lied in the operational framework, strategy and commercial management of running a business, so I’ve spent the last 5 years leaning into operational roles, helping agencies grow and run efficiently. I was really excited to join the team at Seen Presents and be a part of their journey in these early years, bringing my expertise to their next chapter of growth.
How do you balance professional growth with personal commitments and do you think the industry is evolving in terms of work life balance?
We work in a very demanding industry, both in terms of pace and antisocial hours, so it is challenging to achieve a successful work-life balance all the time. I think learning how to prioritise your tasks and then building your personal goals into that same list is key. What we’re busy with day-to-day is always our choice, and the biggest lesson I learnt in my career was to prioritise myself within that list of to-dos just as much as work.
That said, there are always those pressured weeks where a deadline is looming or we’re about to go on site, and in those moments work does dominate; so I strive to balance this by deliberately planning downtime immediately after big projects and doing so in advance to achieve a sense of balance.