Women’s Lunch 2026

In September, we brought together LGBTQ+ women from across Greater Manchester and beyond for our first LGBTQ+ Women’s Networking Lunch at Beeswing in Manchester. We wanted to create something that felt different from traditional business networking: a relaxed and welcoming space where LGBTQ+ women could meet, make connections and talk openly about work, leadership, ambition and life.

The afternoon included live music, lunch, plenty of time to talk, and brilliant contributions from Dame Jackie Daniel and Jax Effiong. Most importantly, it brought together women from different sectors, backgrounds and stages in their careers.

As one guest told us “I’ve never been to anything quite like it – it was brilliant“, another said “There was a really interesting mix of women, experiences and backgrounds, and it felt much more natural than a traditional networking event”, and a third said“I loved how we started stood up and with the live music it was really friendly and easy. Then moved to sitting so opportunity to speak to someone new.”

Another described it as a “welcoming atmosphere and great opportunity to meet inspirational women”, while someone else left feeling “empowered, excited & with a spring in my step.”

Everyone who gave us feedback rated the event 5 out of 5 overall, and everyone told us they would be very or extremely likely to recommend future events.

People also told us they wanted more opportunities to meet others in the room and to keep those connections going afterwards, with a view to developing a network where LGBTQ+ women actively support each other by sharing knowledge, making introductions, opening doors, mentoring and recommending each other.

That feels very much like what we want to build.

We’re now planning to run these lunches a few times each year, and we’re looking at February for the next one. Keep an eye out for more information coming soon. We’d love to see some familiar faces back, as well as welcoming lots of new ones.

Thanks to our sponsor: