NOWIE’s Big Survey 2026 finds 61% did not report their most significant incident, while almost one in five have left a role or turned down work because of safety or harassment concerns

Four in five women working in the events industry have experienced harassment while working on site at an event, according to new research published by The Network of Women in Events CIC (NOWIE).

The findings are revealed in The Big Survey 2026: Uncovering the Truth: Women’s Realities in the Events Industry, the second edition of NOWIE’s annual research into the experiences of women working across the UK events sector.

Over 500 event professionals completed this year’s survey, including 476 women, with respondents spanning different sectors, seniority levels and employment types. NOWIE developed the survey with its Expert Panel and Ipsos as its research partner.

While 86% of women say the events industry feels safe or mostly safe, the findings reveal a striking contrast between perceptions of safety and women’s lived experiences.

80% of women have experienced harassment on site at an event. The research also found that 61% did not report their most significant incident, while 19% have left a role or turned down work because of safety or harassment concerns.

The research also highlights major gaps in reporting and accountability: 83% did not know what happens to a perpetrator after a report is made, while 98% said they would use or consider using an independent, confidential reporting body.

From evidence to action

Cat Kevern, Managing Director of NOWIE CIC, said:

“This research is about turning lived experiences into action. The events industry is an incredible space to work in, but these findings make it clear that too many women are still navigating unsafe environments, inconsistent reporting structures and a lack of accountability.

There is a really important contradiction in this year’s findings. Most women tell us they feel safe working in events, yet four in five have experienced harassment on site. We don’t want The Big Survey to become an annual exercise where we publish difficult statistics and then come back a year later to see whether anything has changed. The question now is what we do with this evidence.”

The report sets out recommendations for employers, industry and Government, focusing on prevention, clearer and more accountable reporting, access to independent reporting routes, consistent training and ensuring approaches reflect the realities of freelance, temporary and multi-employer event work.

Tabitha Morton, Executive Director of UN Women UK, said:

“What is missing, consistently, is the infrastructure to act on it. That is the gap this report clearly identifies: reporting routes nobody trusts, safeguarding that stops at the office door, and a workforce, freelance, itinerant, public-facing, that existing systems were never built to reach.

We are proud to have supported NOWIE and Ipsos in gathering this evidence, and prouder still that the events industry is choosing to look at itself so directly. Safety is built, not assumed. This report is the basis for building it here. Working together we can make that change!”

Industry-wide support

The Big Survey 2026 has been developed by NOWIE in collaboration with UN Women UK and with Ipsos as research partners, alongside an Expert Panel and Survey Supporters from across the events industry.

Survey Supporters include Ask for Angela CIC, Chloe Richardson, Major Events International (MEI), ResponSec, Trivandi, Tysers Live and The Purple Guide.

James Bulley OBE, CEO and Co-founder of Trivandi, said:

“This industry has given so many of us a career, a community and experiences we’ll never forget. We all share a responsibility to keep it safe, fair and open to everyone who works in it. Trivandi is pleased to support NOWIE’s Big Survey and help turn honest experiences into real evidence that can drive positive change for women in events.”

What happens next

Alongside the report, NOWIE is beginning the development of Safe to Work, an industry-wide programme designed to turn the evidence from The Big Survey into practical action.

Safe to Work will focus on prevention, reporting mechanisms, training, safeguarding responsibility and practical resources, with NOWIE working alongside specialist organisations and different parts of the events industry to develop and test the programme.

Kevern added:

“The Big Survey provides the evidence. Safe to Work will provide the mechanism for change. We don’t want to build this in a room by ourselves. We want to work with the people who understand these environments to identify what good looks like, where responsibility currently falls through the gaps and what practical tools will actually make a difference.”

The findings will be presented at The Big Survey 2026 Insights Launch: What Happens Next? at Church House Westminster on Thursday 15 October 2026, bringing together leaders from events, workplace safety, the VAWG sector and Government to move the conversation from evidence to action.

The full report is available at https://www.nowie.org/big-survey