Digital Technology in Heels
3 min leestijd
ONLINE DINNER IN HEELS
March 3, 2022, by Marlis te Hennepe – Integrand Nijmegen
On February 9, the eighth edition of Dinner in Heels took place. This is an event where female technical students can connect with companies in the technical sector to bridge the gap between them. Despite the event being held online due to COVID-19 measures, it was a great success. For this article, we interviewed one of the organizers of Dinner in Heels: Annelisse Timar, and a participant in the event: Lidewij te Hennepe.
The Program
The online edition of Dinner in heels began with an opening speech by the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of SparkOptimus, Alexandra Jankovich. According to Annelisse, she is a great role model for female students in technical fields: “Alexandra founded a major tech company and is therefore a very inspiring woman.” After the event’s kickoff, the four participating companies gave presentations, and the participants worked on cases in groups. Following a well-deserved break and a giveaway, the event continued. Annelisse explains: “In the online program the participants were using, ‘booths’ were created. Each booth was hosted by a company where participants could ask questions. The participants could then choose which booth they wanted to join.” The students were able to have brief conversations with all the companies. According to Lidewij, the entire day was very educational: “Even though everything was online, I learned a lot. I found it very inspiring to see all the possibilities I have for the future.”
Organization
Over the past six months, Annelisse has been busy organizing Diner op Hakken. She shares: “You learn a lot about everything that goes into organizing such an event. Especially in the weeks leading up to ‘the big day,’ it was sometimes very hectic. It was a very valuable learning experience because you have to handle everything yourself from the start. As a result, I’ve become even better at planning.” In the months leading up to the event, she focused on offline promotion. This included designing the goodies, flyers, and banner, as well as putting together the gift package that was sent to everyone at home. She adds: “I thought it was amazing to see that we had such great physical promotional materials. It made the event even more enjoyable.”
Although the event was initially intended to take place in person, it was decided in January to host it online instead. Annelisse found this unfortunate but noted that it also had an advantage: “Because the event was online, all 45 participants could attend. It was particularly nice that only 20 participants had to cancel, for example, due to quarantine.” The fact that the event was online was also appreciated by Lidewij, who shared: “I thought it was easy to ask questions because the participants were placed in small groups at virtual tables. This made starting conversations much easier.”
Why Dinner in Heels?
Dinner in Heels is one of the few events in the Netherlands specifically focused on women in technology. According to Annelisse, this makes it particularly valuable to contribute to the event: “As a female technical student, it is a great opportunity to connect with technical companies. The entire day is also tailored to the participants.” There are no men involved in organizing the event. While this might sound unusual, there is a good reason for it: “Women often feel more comfortable presenting themselves in front of a company when only women are involved,” Annelisse explained. “That’s why we ensure the event focuses solely on women. Highlighting and promoting women in technical roles is one of the most important reasons for organizing Dinner in Heels.”
Lidewij shared another reason why she was enthusiastic about participating: “After three years of project work mainly with guys, this was a refreshing change,” she said with a laugh.
Technology on Heels
Are you feeling inspired and would you like to participate in a similar event? On June 3, 2022, the next edition of Technology on Heels, the sister event of Dinner in Heels, will take place. Check out the Instagram page of Technology on Heels for more information!
