shesaid.so — a global network for women in the music industry — set up shop in Portugal’s southernmost region for a four-day conference on collaboration, diversity, inclusion and growth for female-identifying professionals in the music industry. Here’s what went down.
In early October, the first international conference by and for the shesaid.so community took place in Portimão, Portugal. Called MEETSSS, the conference celebrated five years of shesaid.so, the global network of women in the music industry founded by Andreea Magdalina. Open to all genders, the gathering embodied the network’s core values of collaboration, community, diversity, and inclusion, with a focus on personal and professional growth for female-identifying professionals in the music industry. Topics like diversity, intersectionality, sustainability, mental health and wellbeing, the wage gap, public speaking, and sustainability were covered through panels, workshops, and one-on-one exchanges.
A few men joined a few hundred women from all over the globe, representing companies like Google, Facebook, Resident Advisor, YouTube, Sony, Mixmag, Beatport, Sónar, Spotify, and Live Nation. Managers, agents, professional speakers, and activists from all sectors of the industry came to participate alongside an international group of legal, PR, marketing, wellness, and life experts/coaches. It was a diverse crowd, but everyone came with the same goals: to connect, listen, learn, and be inspired.
Workshops on public speaking and building self-confidence were informative and helpful, and a discussion on the wage gap explored knowing your worth and valuing your skillset. Mentorship supported by YouTube Music discussed the importance of supporting one another via mentorship, with an emphasis on making knowledge more accessible and understanding how information travels across generations. A panel on mental health through an intersectional lens — hosted by Pioneer DJ, Spotify, and Resident Advisor — gave insider perspectives on company culture, as well as Spotify’s internal programs, which focus on mental health for employees.
Resident Advisor hosted an Exchange Podcast with Georgia Taglietti (Head of Communication, International Media & PR at Sonar Festival/shesaid.so Barcelona Director) and Martha (DJ/producer/host at RA & NTS) which shed light on Georgia’s incredible career. Building a constructive discourse around the challenges and triumphs of working within the industry, the power of knowledge, continuous learning, mentorship, and the future of technology as it relates to music, this was just one of the many remarkable learning experiences that occurred during this four-day meeting of minds.
All in all, MEETSSS was four incredible days of making new friends, eating delicious food, and gaining wisdom from so many amazing people. We’re looking forward to being back in 2020.