ORLANDO, Fla. — As Women’s History Month shines a spotlight on the achievements and impact of women across the country, research continues to show the power of connection in advancing women’s careers.
What You Need To Know
More than 80% of professional women at the manager level and above say they have used networking to advance their careers, and research shows women with a close inner circle are 2.5 times more likely to land leadership roles
Despite the benefits, women in the U.S. are 28% less likely than men to have a strong professional network, according to LinkedIn data
Orlando-based The Dinner Party Project founder Dana Marie Roquemore has hosted more than 1,000 dinner gatherings since 2014 to help women build meaningful connections
The organization’s annual Women Lead Orlando event brings hundreds of women together each March, with proceeds benefiting Harbor House of Central Florida, which supports domestic violence victims
Data from a Chief study reveals more than 80% of professional women at the manager level and above report using networking to advance their careers. More than 70% say they have used networking to achieve organizational goals.
Research published in the Harvard Business Review shows that women with a close inner circle of female peers are 2.5X more likely to land leadership roles with greater pay and authority. However, women in the United States are 28% less likely than men to have a strong professional network, according to LinkedIn data.
Despite the potential benefits, many women face unique challenges when building those connections. In Orlando, one group is working to change that — one dinner at a time.
“Human connection is more important than ever. There’s nothing like sitting around the table in person, sharing a meal together, sitting across, looking at somebody’s eyes,” said Dana Marie Roquemore, founder of the The Dinner Party Project.
Twelve years ago, Roquemore returned to Orlando from a sabbatical, ready to start something new.
“And so around that time, a friend asked me, ‘What brings you joy and what brings you life?’ And I thought about, well, if I could do anything that I wanted to, I probably would throw dinner parties for a living,” she said.
What began as the idea of having dinner with strangers grew into something much larger. Roquemore founded The Dinner Party Project to help people connect over a meal and open the door to new opportunities.
“It’s about that connection, about different people doing amazing things in the city and hearing their stories and hearing what they’re doing. And a big part of it is just walking away, feeling encouraged,” she said.
Since 2014, Roquemore has hosted more than 1,000 dinner parties, helping thousands of women connect and build professional networks.
About 10 years ago, Beth Hobart attended one of those dinners. Hobart has been selling residential real estate for 21 years and was looking to expand her network and create new connections.
“It makes me so happy to know that I’m able to help another woman who is, you know, just trying to make their way. I mean, I had a lot of help and a lot of mentors when I was starting my business. So, for me to be able to give back and help, I mean, that is the most rewarding thing to me,” Hobart said.
Each March, the organization hosts “Women Lead Orlando,” a dinner event that brings together hundreds of women from across Central Florida for an evening focused on meaningful connection.
“It’s huge. And I think to have something like the Dinner Party project where women specifically can get together and talk and meet and mingle, it kind of takes a lot of the pressure off in some ways. But also, it just it makes for a really unique and special experience,” said Avery Fields, an executive assistant at Mainframe Real Estate.
Fields and Hobart met at Women Lead Orlando two years ago.
“When I met her, it was very easy to have a conversation with her. Like, have you ever met somebody and just hit it off like you’ve known this person forever. So I knew when she was looking for an opportunity, a place to work. When did you told me she was looking? I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, send your resume.’ I don’t even need to look at the resume because I already felt comfortable with her,” Hobart said.
Today, Fields has been working as Hobart’s executive assistant for nearly two years, helping sell properties, including a historic townhome in Lake Eola Heights.
“I love meeting people that are just natural connectors. And I think that’s what Dana is. And I also think that I, I do that as well. And I know Beth does that. So, to have someone think of me when they hear, you know, oh, this person’s looking for a job, that just I felt incredibly honored,” Fields said.
Roquemore said that sense of belonging is central to the mission.
“Well, that’s really what we’re all about is, is you can sit with us, you know, we want people to feel included. People to feel welcomed around the dinner party project table,” she said.
The 8th Annual Women Lead Orlando dinner will take place on Thursday, March 26, at the Great Southern Box. Proceeds from the event will benefit Harbor House of Central Florida, a nonprofit organization that helps victims of domestic violence.