Here's what we learnt from last year's amazing day of talks, debates and beauty treatments...
Marie Claire's @Work Live 2016 event is right around the corner and if our 2015 event is anything to go by, we're all in for a treat.
Marie Claire @Work Live 2015 was a day of game-changing talks, practical advice, invaluable mentoring and hands-on workshops – all packed into one bespoke event designed to take your career and working life to the next level.
First up was an illuminating debate on tech chaired by MC's very own Editor In Chief Trish Halpin. 'Always On: Is Technology Our Friend Or Foe?' was the topic of the morning and the panel was made up of TV presenter Claudia Winkleman, Made.Com co-founder Chloe Macintosh, Lady Geek’s Lucie Sarif and Decoded's Kathryn Parsons. You can read up on the highlights of their talk here.
This was followed by beauty and fashion masterclasses from the Marie Claire team, talks on how to succeed in starting your own business and how to make money from your writing, tips on how to be a better negotiator and improving your CV, and a keynote speech by the amazing Miriam González Durántez.
Here's what we learned from the day... 1. 230 amazing women came to our hugely successful event on Saturday. From getting top beauty tips to learning how to boost your CV and be a top negotiator, our event at BAFTA covered all the bases for those looking for inspiration, advice and skills on advancing your career, changing direction or setting out on your own. 2. Creating a work wardrobe doesn't need to be hard work. The talented Marie Claire fashion team delivered a masterclass on how to build a great work wardobe around staple pieces from Karen Millen, whether you work in a corporate or creative environment. So you don't need to own an endless supply of clothes to look great at work - hurrah.
3. The beauty pop-up stands were a huge success. There were perfect brows at the Benefit brow bar, adorable braids at the blow LTD stand, skin consultations from Balance Me and gorgeous manis from Prettly. 4. How to be a super-savvy entrepreneur. Very Exclusive's Sarah Curran, founder of Halpern PR, Jenny Halpern Prince, Propercorn founder,Cassandra Stavrou and co-founder of Balance Me, Clare Hopkins gave their top tips on how to grow your idea into a booming business. Jenny Halpern-Prince says, 'You don't have to be an academic or a super strategist to be an entrepreneur, you just need drive.' Read more about their top tips from the day here.
5. How to be a fearless negotiator. Annabel Shorter at Scotwork gave us her top tips on moving forward in your career with greater confidence and self-worth. Best way to resolve a conflict? You should always try to persuade before you negotiate. 6. You can look good at work even after a lunchtime gym session. Thanks to top hairdresser George Northwood and MC's beauty team, we got the lowdown on how to quickly and easily primp ourselves before getting back to work. George's top tip - 'After the gym, tie your hair back in a bun - it's a safe way to tidy your hair and look slick without having to worry about it.' And thanks to Benefit's Lisa Potter-Dixon, we now know that bronzer should be applied in a figure of 3. 7. Switching off from technology can be a good thing. ‘I think everyone is way too ‘on’, says Claudia Winkleman at our tech debate. ‘Some people, if they haven't Instagrammed or tweeted about an experience, they act like it hasn't happened.’
‘I've got really annoyed with the Apple Watch,’ says Made.Com co-founder Chloe Macintosh. ‘We’d just started to get a balance, and learnt how to put our phones away - and now here it is actually strapped onto our wrists. I'm addressing my balance, I've got a bad reputation at home for always having my eyes on something else.’
8. You can make a living from writing if you're dedicated enough. Speaking at our talk entitled 'A Writer's Life: Making it pay', Sunday Times bestselling author Tasmina Perry says, 'People ask how do you write a book? Be really dedicated. Put your bum on a seat and write.'
9. The average amount of time someone looks at your CV is 8.8 seconds. This scary fact comes from Melanie Nicholas, MD of The Lighthouse Company at our talk on CVs in a social world - so it's important to make sure yours stands out.
10. Miriam González Durántez is even more inspiring than we first thought. The lawyer, mother and wife of former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg delivered an amazingly inspiring keynote speech. She is campaigning for women to give 60 minutes of our time each year to visit a school and offer career advice to young girls.
She said, '80% of young girls say Beyonce is their role model – but not because she’s cool and she dresses well, they say she's an amazing singer and she works hard. But there are 3.5 billion women in the world and one Beyonce. So I think we have room for a few more role models, don’t you?’
It's not too late to get tickets for our 2016 MC@Work Live event on 23 April 2016, with inspiring speakers, tutorials and workshops.
Photography by Caroline Furneaux