
Empowering Women to Lead the Future of AV
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About the Programme
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Who Should Apply?
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Benefits and Outcomes
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Programme Agenda
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Pricing
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Apply Now
About Rise AV Elevate Programme
The Rise AV Elevate Programme is a high-impact leadership development initiative designed to build the next generation of senior women leaders in the AV industry.
This structured six-week programme is specifically for the women on your team who are already making an impact, managing people, stepping into leadership, or currently leading without having had the tools or support to lead confidently.
What You’ll Gain
- Lead with authenticity: Build greater self-awareness and lead with clarity and confidence
- Communicate with impact: Strengthen trust, influence, and relationships
- Break internal barriers: Overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome
- Navigate real-world challenges: Resolve conflict, align teams, and manage with direction
- Lead with resilience: Develop a purposeful, adaptable leadership style that lasts
Key leadership topics synopsis:
- Leading from Strength: Discovering Your Personal Leadership Impact
- Uncover and leverage your innate strengths to cultivate an authentic and impactful leadership presence.
- Understand how your unique style influences team dynamics and shapes engagement, enabling you to maximise your natural talents.
- Fuelling Performance: Inspiring and Motivating Your Team
- Apply Daniel Pink's model of Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose to unlock your team's intrinsic drive and sustained engagement.
- Equip yourself with practical strategies to create an environment where individuals are motivated to excel and contribute meaningfully.
- Mastering Powerful Conversations: Delivering Impactful Feedback
- Develop the confidence and skill to engage in 'real conversations,' including utilising the Radical Candour framework for honest and helpful feedback.
- Using your impact, learn to transform challenging discussions into opportunities for growth, strengthening trust and accountability within your team.
- Leading to Thrive in Change: Navigating Ambiguity and Transition
- Equip yourself to effectively guide your team through periods of organisational change and uncertainty.
- Develop strategies to build resilience, maintain morale, and foster adaptability, ensuring your team thrives in an ever-evolving landscape.
Our goal is to fast-track your career trajectory, expand your influence, and drive impactful change across the AV industry.
Programme Format
An intensive six-week journey combines:
- Virtual and In-person Experiences: A dynamic learning environment that fits your schedule.
- Real-World Challenges: Apply your skills directly to business-relevant problems.
- Expert Mentorship: Guidance from seasoned AV leaders to accelerate your growth.
Key Dates:
- Register Interest: Your chance to apply before applications open
- Applications Open: 18th May
- Applications Close: 17th July
- Programme Launch Call (Delegates & Mentors): 27 October
- First In-Person Events: 4-5 November, 9 - 5pm, Shure Rose Centre London
- Active Learning Sessions: 5 November – 8 December (online, managed by your Jedi)
- Final In-Person Event: 9 December, 9:00am–5:00pm, Neat London Experience Centre
This programme is specifically tailored for mid-level women managers ready to elevate their careers and influence within the AV industry.
Who Should Apply?
- You're currently in a management role, managing teams, aspiring to transition into leadership, or a leader who doesn't feel she deserves her place at the table.
- Anyone from within the AV, Production, Residential AV, or Live Events sectors.
- Eager to significantly grow your influence, confidence, and career trajectory.
- Self-nominated or nominated by your organisation – both pathways are welcome!
- Working in any role within the industry, including (but not limited to): Engineering, Project Management, Sales & Marketing, HR and Finance, Consulting, Events Production, Manufacturing & Distribution.
IMPORTANT:
- We welcome women from outside the UK, but please note that you will be required to attend the two in-person events at your own expense. These are not remotely accessible. A major pillar of this programme is community; this can only be done in person.
- We are hoping to expand globally soon!
The Rise AV Elevate Programme delivers tangible benefits for you, your organisation, and the wider AV industry.
For You: Personal Growth and Career Advancement
- Develop Practical Leadership Skills: Master key areas such as leading from strength, inspiring and motivating your team, profit and loss (P&L) management, performance management, navigating ambiguity and transition, and effective feedback.
- Receive Targeted Coaching and Personalised Development: Tailored guidance to address your specific needs and goals.
- Create a Personal Leadership Toolkit: Develop practical resources that you can apply immediately in your role.
- Forge a Powerful Cross-Industry Network: Connect with an invaluable cohort of peers and industry leaders.
- Gain Access to Senior Industry Mentors: Learn from the best and expand your professional circle.
For Your Organisation: Strengthened Leadership and Performance
- Invest in High-Potential Future Leaders: Nurture your top talent for senior roles.
- Strengthen Leadership Pipelines: Cultivate diverse, well-equipped talent ready for advancement.
- Improve Business Performance: Improve overall organisational effectiveness through enhanced leadership capabilities.
- This is a heavily discounted programme, specifically tailored to women in AV.
For the Industry: Driving Diversity and Community
- Drive gender diversity in leadership across AV sectors.
- Build a network of empowered women changing the face of AV.
- Demonstrate your commitment to inclusive industry growth.
What You’ll Walk Away With
- A personalised leadership development plan, built during the programme.
- A toolkit of strategies and frameworks for day-to-day leadership.
- Access to a lasting network of peers and mentors.
- Continued support through check-ins and informal mentor touchpoints.
- Structured post-programme reviews at 6 and 12 months to track progress and impact.
For Employers – Ongoing Support & Lasting ROI
- Immediate business impact through applied projects.
- Greater retention of emerging leaders.
- Reduced cost and time in filling senior roles.
- Improved engagement and loyalty from delegates who feel seen, invested in, and supported.
- As an employer, you’ll receive support and guidance to continue your delegate’s development through in-house programmes, follow-on coaching, or future Rise AV opportunities.
AV-Specific Outcomes
- Industry mentorship from senior AV professionals.
- Cross-functional networking across integration, live events, residential, and manufacturing.
- Contextualised learning for AV: leading in technical spaces, managing complex project environments, and influencing across matrixed structures.
Programme Agenda and Timelines:
This programme features a dynamic mix of learning formats designed for deep engagement and practical, measurable outcomes.
The full agenda can be downloaded from here.
Programme Duration: October – December 2026 (~6 weeks)
Mock Programme:
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Week |
Activity |
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Week 1 |
27 October - Online Session
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Weeks 2–4 |
4-5 November, Shure Rose Centre, London.Build Your Leadership Strength Two full-day in-person events Day 1: Purpose: To strengthen your leadership capability and confidence by developing four essential leadership skills critical for success in today’s environment:
This immersive day combines practical learning with interactive sessions to ensure you not only understand these concepts but also feel confident applying them within your role. Day 2: • Recap and extended discussion • Being Commercially Savvy: Finance for Non-Finance Managers • PDP session with peer discussion and refinement • Presenting with Impact and Presence, delivered by a professional actor and communications specialist • Group planning session to align on collaboration over the following four weeks Real World Challenge: Apply and Sharpen Your Skills Virtual, weekly one-hour sessions. Building on the foundations from the in-person events, the cohort will split into five groups, each focusing on one of the key leadership topics.
This structure ensures that learning is immediately applied to real situations, helping you deepen your leadership skills while contributing to solutions that can benefit the wider industry. |
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Week 5 |
Virtual progress check-in• Individual development focus • Reflection on leadership growth • Mentor and facilitator feedback |
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Week 6 |
9 December, Neat Experience Centre London.Final In-Person Event: Present, Connect and Celebrate This end-of-programme event reunites the cohort for an engaging and interactive day, focusing on sharing learning, building connections, and celebrating achievements. Key elements include:
This event marks both the culmination of the programme and a launchpad for ongoing impact beyond the cohort. |
Understanding the Jedi's Role
Each learning group is strategically matched with an experienced Mentor (Jedi), a senior AV leader of any gender who is dedicated to your success. They will:
- Attend key sessions to provide continuity and gain valuable insights.
- Coach and Guide the Group Challenge: Help you navigate real-world problems.
- Share Strategic Insight and Lived Experience: Offer invaluable wisdom from their careers.
- Help Expand Your Professional Network: Open doors to new connections.
These mentors provide essential support, inspiration, and practical guidance throughout your Rise AV Elevate journey.
This is a premium, career-defining opportunity typically valued at around £3,000 per delegate. Thanks to the generous support of our partners and sponsors, we're able to offer it at a heavily subsidised rate.
Tiered Pricing
To make this opportunity accessible to businesses of all sizes, we offer tiered pricing based on your company's employee count or annual revenue:
- £550 per delegate – Small Business:
- Fewer than 50 employees OR annual revenue between £1 million and under £10 million
- £750 per delegate – Medium Business:
- Between 50 and 250 employees OR annual revenue between £10 million and £50 million
- £950 per delegate – Large Business:
- Over 250 employees OR annual revenue exceeding £50 million
Funding Your Participation
The delegates' employer typically covers fees, as this programme is a valuable investment in their professional development. Most companies have an annual learning and development (L&D) budget specifically for opportunities like this.
If you're interested in applying but are unsure about how to approach your employer regarding funding, or if you will need to self-fund and the fee is an obstacle for you, please don't hesitate to email Deborah at Rachael@rise-av.com. She can provide guidance and support to help you secure your spot.
Why There's a Fee
The fee for this programme isn't just about covering costs; it plays a vital role in ensuring a high-quality experience and participant commitment. Your investment directly supports:
- Expert Facilitation: Access to leading professionals and thought leaders in the field.
- Professional Resources: High-quality, up-to-date materials and tools to enhance your learning.
- Premium Events: Engaging and impactful in-person and virtual experiences.
This investment demonstrates the true value of the programme and ensures delegates are fully committed to making the most of this exceptional opportunity.
Ready to Elevate Your Career?
You can register your interest and be the first to know when applications open below.
- Programme places are on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Limited to 35 delegates to ensure a personalised and impactful experience.
- Open to self-nominated or employer-nominated women leaders.
- This is a UK programme because we host three in-person events, which are the foundation of the programme.
- We welcome women from outside the UK, but please note that you will be required to attend the three in-person events at the end at your own expense. These are not remotely accessible.
- A modest programme fee reflects the exceptional value and ensures participant commitment.
- Once we receive your application, you will receive an invoice with 14 days to pay. Your place is only confirmed once payment is received.
Key dates for 2026.
- Register Interest: Your chance to apply before applications open
- Applications Open: 18th May
- Applications Close: 17th July
- Programme Launch Call (Delegates & Mentors): 27 October
- First In-Person Events: 4-5 November, 9 - 5pm, Shure Rose Centre London
- Active Learning Sessions: 5 November – 8 December (online, managed by your Jedi)
- Final In-Person Event: 9 December, 9:00am–5:00pm, Neat London Experience Centre
NB: All dates are subject to change.
Our Elevate Jedis
Senior commercial leader with an international remit and a track record of driving growth, leading high-performing teams, and delivering results across the AV and technology sectors. Martine brings a straight-talking, real-world perspective to mentoring, alongside a formal qualification in performance coaching.
Gary is a 30-year veteran of the AV industry and, at different times, has worked at SIs, as a Consultant, at a manufacturer, and as an end-user. People development is his passion; alongside his current role as the Head of AV at University of the Arts London he's setting up a coaching and counselling business.
Ready to Elevate Your Career?
Applications are closed, but you can register your interest, and you will be the first to know when applications open!
Good to know...
- Limited to 35 delegates to ensure a personalised and impactful experience.
- Open to self-nominated or employer-nominated women leaders.
- A modest programme fee reflects the exceptional value and ensures participant commitment.