NewRoads is holding its 12th annual Girls Night Out in celebration of International Women's Day.
The event will celebrate local women in business with a vendor market featuring Timeless Harmony Spa, Lo & Co., Trends, Trayvino Wines, Market Candle Co., Two Girls One Stage, Sweets by Justine, A Million Mouthfuls, Coconut Village Nails Spa & more.
There will also be a guest speaker, Jennifer Ritter, who will share her experiences as a woman in business.
Ritter, who is president and CEO of the Southlake Foundation, said she plans to have a bigger conversation about shared experiences and obstacles rather than just giving advice.
"By talking authentically about your experience I think there's higher resonance, and maybe that opens up the floor to more honest conversation," she said. "There isn't one path, so because there's so many different paths, the shared experience opens up the door to discussing those."
She will speak on what has helped in her journey and what challenges she has encountered in getting to where she is today.
For Ritter, empowerment has been a key to success.
"Women mentoring and empowering other women is so meaningful and so powerful, a tool as one develops professionally. Because it can open doors. It can help you grow and expand as a professional and as a leader and it can give you courage to succeed and to celebrate failures that lead to learning and ultimately to success," she said.
Equally important on the other side have been the obstacles that she said women in business often face. She referenced women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Gloria Steinem.
"Understanding their journeys can also help you as you continue to try that shatter that glass ceiling. I think it's got fissures in it. I don't think it's completely shattered yet," she said.
Girls Night Out will take place at the NewRoads Performing Arts Centre on March 8 at 6:30 p.m.
There are three different tiers of tickets. For $30 you get access to the event and one drink ticket, $60 you get your ticket and two drink tickets and for $100 you get three drink tickets as well as a pink Girls Night Out sweater.
Money from the event will go toward supporting Girls Inc. of York Region, a local organization that empowers girls aged six to 18 to seek the best quality of life possible.
