As an adventure-seeking, UK expat moving to Australia, Emma Walker found the outdoor adventure market to be a heavily male-targeted industry. Now she’s decided to change that.
Growing up in Wales, Walker was brought up to love the outdoors, even to the point of converting an old van to a camper and taking it on the road to France.
“I was waterskiing at age seven and I guess the thrill of travel and adventure stayed with me into adulthood,” she explained, in a recent interview with Wild.
Working in exhibitions and events, Walker was dismayed to witness the lack of female representation in Australia’s own outdoor events and seeing the issue as a widespread concern throughout the local outdoor sports industry.
As a result, Walker’s now set up an events business, She Went Wild and has just announced the Australian Women’s Adventure Expo, which is due to take place in November this year.
“The outdoor-related events I’ve been to in Australia haven’t promoted the best kind of interactions between visitors and exhibitors, so I also want to change that with my event,” she said. “We’re expecting to see exhibitors of all kinds in attendance, whether they’re offering experiences in hiking, cycling, paragliding and so on, as well as gear and apparel brands, technical courses and even clubs.
“We’ll also be hosting a number of TED-style talks from well-known Australian and international women, which we hope will inspire more people to engage with the outdoors.”
While the event is clearly aimed at the female demographic, Walker is quick to clarify there’s nothing to stop men attending as well.
“The exhibition will have plenty of men attending, and I also expect visitors will have partners and male friends they want to bring with them. In fact, many of the activities are well suited to both men and women.”
She Went Wild has also announced a partnership with the charity One Girl. As a result, five dollars of every ticket sold will be put towards education programs in Sierra Leone and Uganda to improve the lives of young girls.
“So far the reception has been amazing,” Walker said. “It’s just fantastic to see this kind of appetite for a new ideal like this.”
The inaugural Australian Women’s Adventure Expo is due to take place on the 6th of November in Sydney. For further information visit the She Went Wild website or email info@shewentwild.com.