Women's Conference
Saturday 7 November 2026
University of Exeter, Penryn Campus
IWN’s Women’s Conference is a day for women to come together, learn, connect, share experiences and explore some of the issues shaping our lives. Each year we bring together women from across Cornwall and beyond alongside grassroots organisations, speakers, facilitators, professionals and partners to be part of conversations that don’t always happen in the same room.
From work and leadership to health, inequality, creativity, confidence, enterprise and women’s rights, the focus changes each year, but women’s voices and experiences remain at the heart of the day.
Conference Overview
No two IWN Women’s Conferences are exactly the same. Each year is shaped around a different theme, reflecting the conversations happening within our communities and some of the wider issues affecting women.
The day brings together keynote speakers, interactive workshops, facilitated discussions and opportunities to connect, with women’s experiences and voices at the heart of the programme.
We bring community perspectives together with professional expertise, research and practical learning, creating a space where women can hear different perspectives, ask questions, share what they know and take something useful away.
Workshops
Our workshops are designed to give women the chance to take part, not just listen.
Topics change each year alongside the conference theme and have included everything from work, enterprise and financial wellbeing to health, creativity, leadership, confidence, identity and women’s rights.
We work with facilitators to create sessions that make room for discussion, reflection, practical activities and shared learning. Some might give you new knowledge or tools; others might challenge the way you think about something or start a conversation you want to continue.
Connection & Networking
Some of the most valuable conversations at our conferences happen between the sessions.
You might meet someone doing something you’ve been thinking about yourself, discover an organisation you didn’t know existed, make a useful professional connection, find a new collaborator — or simply sit down with someone whose experiences are very different from your own.
We deliberately bring together women from different communities, professions, backgrounds and stages of life. You don’t need to arrive knowing anyone. There will be plenty of opportunities throughout the day to meet people, talk and connect.
Is This Conference for Me?
You don’t need to run a business, hold a senior position or have “leader” in your job title to belong at an IWN Women’s Conference.
Our conferences are for women from all walks of life — whether you’re working, studying, caring for others, building something of your own, changing direction, leading in your community, looking for new opportunities or simply interested in the conversations we’re having.
We also welcome community organisations, professionals, employers, researchers, decision-makers and allies who want to listen, learn, contribute and connect.
Come with your experiences, your questions and your ideas.
Call for Speakers & Workshop Facilitators
Share Your Knowledge & Experience
Each year we invite women with different knowledge, professional expertise and lived experience to contribute to our conference.
We’re interested in speakers and facilitators who can bring fresh perspectives, practical learning and thoughtful conversations to the issues affecting women’s lives.
You might be a practitioner, researcher, community leader, creative, entrepreneur or someone with lived experience and something important to share. We particularly welcome voices and perspectives that are often underrepresented in mainstream conferences.
If you’re interested in contributing to a future IWN Women’s Conference, we’d love to hear from you.
Please submit your expression of interest here.
Support the Women's Conference
Our sponsors and partners help us create an inclusive, high-quality conference while keeping it financially accessible to women from different circumstances and communities.
Your support helps us bring together women who might not otherwise find themselves in the same room alongside grassroots organisations, speakers, professionals, employers and decision-makers for a day of learning, connection and conversation.
By supporting the IWN Women’s Conference, your organisation is investing in women’s voices, opportunities and equality in Cornwall.
Interested in supporting a future conference? We’d love to talk.
Click on the Facebook post to view pictures from our inaugural Women's conference 2023.