Picture walking into ExCeL London with 25,000 other business owners. The hall is huge, the noise is constant, and almost without thinking you scan the crowd for someone who looks a bit like you.
Many Muslim women know that feeling well. You might be the only woman in hijab at the seminar. The one not attending the networking drinks. The one quietly working out where and when she'll pray. And very often, the one who has nobody to go with. It's easy to decide that big business events aren't really for people like us, and stay at home.
We'd love to challenge that.
You have every right to be in that room
The feeling of not fitting in is real, but it isn't the whole picture. You've built a business, or you carry real responsibility in someone else's. Your expertise is as valuable on that show floor as anyone's, and you have as much right to the opportunities in it.
Rooms also only change when we show up in them. Every Muslim woman who walks around a show like this with confidence makes it a little easier for the next one. Your presence there matters, for your business and for the women coming after you.
And you never know who's in the room. The supplier who solves the problem you've been stuck on for months. The client you'd never have found online. The collaborator who becomes a friend. Or another sister who almost stayed at home too, and is very glad she didn't.
You won't be on your own, because we'll be there too
MWBN is a proud partner of The Business Show London this year, and we'll be at ExCeL on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 November.
On Wednesday 11 November at 4pm we're hosting a meet and greet. Come and say salaam, meet the MWBN team and other Muslim women in business, and if you come on your own let us help you find other muslim women to walk round with! Follow @mwbn_network on Instagram or sign up to our newsletter for the meeting point closer to the day.
We'd love as many women as possible to come. Bring a friend, a colleague, your business partner or your sister. Or come alone, knowing there'll be familiar faces waiting for you at 4pm.
What's at the show
The Business Show London is one of the world's biggest events for small and medium-sized businesses, now in its 26th year. Across the two days there are more than 500 exhibitors and 200+ speakers. A few tips to make the most of it:
Go with a problem to solve. Exhibitors cover areas like accounting, HR, legal, marketing, recruitment and AI, so you can compare several providers face to face in one afternoon.
Pick your talks in advance. The seminar agenda is live, with keynote speakers from brands including Google, Microsoft, TikTok and Canva. Choose two or three, and plan your prayer times around them.
Book a masterclass. These are small, hands-on sessions where you can ask your own questions.
Try the speed networking. You get one minute to introduce yourself to each person over an hour. MWBN members will recognise it from our one-minute round, and the same rule applies: be specific about who you want to meet. You'll need a show ticket to sign up.
MWBN is coming to London, inshallah
We're also using the show to meet women for something we're very excited about. Inshallah, we'll be starting MWBN groups in London, and we're looking for both members and leaders.
If you've been in business a while and you've been missing a room of Muslim women who understand what that's like, we'd love you to join us. And if you're someone who brings people together naturally, we're looking for women to help lead the new London groups from the very start.
Come and talk to us at the meet and greet, or register your interest at muslimwomensbusinessnetwork.com/membership-application.
Get your free ticket
As partners, we can share free tickets with our community. Register through our link and your place costs nothing.
We'll see you at ExCeL, and we'll look out for you at 4pm on the Wednesday.
