How to Celebrate International Women’s Day at the Workplace: Ideas & Activities

Companies that celebrate International Women’s Day with meaningful activities see a 23% increase in employee engagement scores that month. It’s not just about marking a date on the calendar, it’s about creating moments that matter.

Every March 8th, workplaces around the globe pause to honor women’s contributions, celebrate progress toward equality, and commit to building more inclusive environments. But let’s be honest: not all celebrations hit the mark. Some feel like checkbox exercises, while others create genuine connection and inspire real change.

Thoughtful planning, inclusive activities, and tools that turn passive attendance into active participation. When you combine meaningful content with interactive presentation software, you transform a standard company event into an experience that resonates long after the day ends.

Ready to plan a celebration that your team will actually remember and appreciate? Let’s explore ideas and activities that work for teams of all sizes, whether you’re together in person, spread across home offices, or navigating the complexities of hybrid events.

Why Workplace Celebrations Matter

Before diving into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” International Women’s Day workplace celebrations serve several important purposes:

They acknowledge contributions: Many women’s achievements at work go unrecognized daily. This day creates space to shine a spotlight on those contributions explicitly.

They educate and raise awareness: Not everyone knows the history of women’s rights movements or understands current challenges women face in the workplace. Good celebrations inform as much as they honor.

They build community: Shared celebrations create bonds across departments, levels, and backgrounds. They remind everyone they’re part of something bigger than their daily tasks.

They demonstrate commitment: Actions speak louder than words. A well-planned celebration shows leadership genuinely values diversity and inclusion, not just in policy documents but in practice.

They inspire action: The best celebrations don’t just reflect on the past, they catalyze future change with concrete commitments and ongoing initiatives.

Creative Ideas for International Women’s Day Celebrations

1. Host an Interactive Panel Discussion

Invite women leaders from different departments or external speakers to share their journeys. If you’re planning the structure of your session, explore the top panel discussion topics to choose themes that spark meaningful conversation. But here’s the twist, make it genuinely interactive.

Use live polls to let the audience submit questions in real time rather than relying only on a few vocal participants. This ensures diverse voices are heard and allows quieter team members to contribute comfortably. You can also use the Q&A slide feature to collect and organize questions by topic, making it easier for panelists to address the most relevant themes.

Before the panel begins, launch a word cloud to gather what matters most to your audience. Ask, “What leadership challenge would you like to hear about?” and watch responses like “work-life balance,” “imposter syndrome,” and “career advancement” grow in real time. Displaying these themes visually creates immediate relevance and shows participants that their input truly shapes the conversation.

To add emotional depth, you can also incorporate powerful Women’s Day quotes to inspire your team during the discussion to spark reflection and meaningful dialogue.

2. Launch a Recognition Campaign

Create opportunities for team members to recognize women colleagues who’ve made a difference. This could be:

• A digital wall where people post appreciation messages
• Video shoutouts collected and compiled into a montage
• A live recognition session during an all-hands meeting

Use an open-ended slide to collect recognition messages throughout the week leading up to March 8th. Ask “Share an appreciation message for a woman colleague who inspired you” and let responses flow in anonymously or with names attached. During your celebration event, display these messages beautifully, creating an emotional moment of collective gratitude.

The key is making recognition specific and meaningful, not generic. “Thank you for your leadership” means less than “Your mentorship helped me navigate that difficult project, and I learned so much from how you handled stakeholder concerns.”

3. Educational Workshops and Skill-Building

Offer sessions that advance both personal and professional growth:

• Negotiation skills workshops
• Leadership development sessions
• Financial literacy and investment basics
• Work-life balance strategies
• Unconscious bias training for all employees

Make these workshops interactive by using quiz slide types throughout. Test knowledge before and after key concepts. You can also use the traffic lights slide to gauge comfort levels: “How confident do you feel negotiating salary? Red (not confident), Yellow (somewhat confident), Green (very confident).” This real-time feedback helps facilitators adjust the session to meet participants where they are.

Make these workshops available to everyone, not just women. Equality advances when everyone understands the challenges and solutions.

4. Create a Storytelling Platform

Stories create connections like nothing else. Give women at your company space to share their experiences:

• “My career journey” presentations during lunch-and-learns
• Written profiles featured on internal communications
• Video interviews that capture diverse perspectives
• Podcast-style conversations about challenges overcome

After each story, use this or that slide to spark reflection and discussion. For example, after a speaker shares their career pivot story, ask “Which is more important for career growth: This (Taking risks and trying new things) or That (Mastering your current role deeply).” Seeing how others vote often surprises people and leads to rich discussions about different paths to success.

You can also use open-ended questions like “What resonated most with this story?” to collect genuine reactions that speakers can read later, creating meaningful feedback loops.

5. Volunteer or Fundraising Initiatives

Connect celebration with concrete action:

• Organize volunteering at women’s shelters or girls’ education programs
• Fundraise for organizations supporting women’s causes
• Partner with women-owned businesses for catering or supplies
• Mentor programs connecting your team with young women in the community

Actions that extend beyond your office walls demonstrate that your commitment to women’s advancement isn’t performative, it’s genuine and ongoing.

6. Film Screening and Discussion

Host a screening of a documentary or film highlighting women’s achievements or challenges, followed by facilitated discussion. Films like “RBG,” “Hidden Figures,” or “She Did That” spark powerful conversations.

Before the screening, use the number slide to test assumptions: “What percentage of Fortune 500 CEOs are women? Guess the number!” This primes viewers to pay attention to statistics mentioned in the film. After watching, use live polls to gather immediate reactions: “What surprised you most?” with multiple choice options, or “How would you rate the film’s impact?” to gauge emotional resonance.

These interactive elements transform passive viewing into active learning, helping messages stick long after credits roll.

7. Reverse Mentoring Sessions

Pair senior leaders with junior women employees for reverse mentoring. The junior employee mentors the senior leader on topics like emerging technologies, social media, or perspectives from younger generations.

This flips traditional power dynamics, demonstrates that everyone has valuable knowledge to share, and creates meaningful cross-level connections.

8. Create Art and Expression Spaces

Not everything needs to be a formal presentation. Consider:

• Art installations where people add their thoughts about women’s contributions
• Poetry or creative writing sessions
• Collaborative mural painting
• Music performances by women artists

Creative expression often reaches people’s hearts in ways that data presentations can’t.

9. Policy Review and Commitment

Use the day to announce concrete policy changes or commitments:

• Updated parental leave policies
• Flexible work arrangements
• Pay equity audits and results
• Career advancement programs specifically addressing gaps
• New initiatives for women in leadership

After announcing new policies, use traffic lights feature to gauge reception: “How do you feel about these policy changes? Green (very positive), Yellow (neutral/want more info), Red (have concerns).” This instant feedback helps you understand reception and identify where you need to provide more clarity or address worries.

Follow up with an open-ended question: “What additional policy change would make the biggest difference for you?” Collect responses anonymously to encourage honest feedback, then actually act on the most common themes. This transforms announcements from one-way broadcasts into genuine dialogues.

10. Virtual Coffee Connections

For remote or hybrid events, organize virtual coffee meetups where small groups discuss topics like:

• Women who inspired them
• Challenges they’ve navigated
• Advice they’d give their younger selves
• Books or resources that shaped their perspectives

Start these sessions with a truth or lie game as an icebreaker. Each person shares two truths and one lie about their career journey, and others guess which is false. This fun activity helps people relax and opens up genuine conversations naturally.

You can also use the word cloud at the end: “In one word, how do you feel after this conversation?” Seeing collective responses like “inspired,” “connected,” and “hopeful” creates a beautiful closing moment that reinforces the value of these intimate discussions.

Conclusion

International Women’s Day workplace celebrations shouldn’t feel obligatory or superficial. When done thoughtfully, they create moments of connection, learning, and inspiration that ripple throughout your organization long after March 8th passes.

The secret isn’t just what you plan, it’s how you execute. Activities become meaningful when everyone can participate, contribute, and feel heard. This is where interactive presentation software transforms good intentions into great experiences.

Whether you’re hosting panels, workshops, recognition ceremonies, or educational sessions, tools like Slidea ensure that audience engagement isn’t an afterthought, it’s built into every moment. From live polls that gather instant feedback to word clouds that visualize collective wisdom, interactivity turns attendance into participation.

FAQs

Q1. How can we celebrate International Women’s Day in a small office?

You can host a short interactive session, run a quiz, create a word cloud of appreciation, or invite team members to share inspiring stories. Even a simple 30-minute activity can make a difference.

Q2. What are good virtual International Women’s Day activities?

Live polls, online quizzes, story-sharing sessions, and panel discussions work well for virtual meetings. Interactive presentation software helps remote teams participate easily.

Q3. How do we make the event inclusive for everyone?

Use simple language, encourage voluntary participation, and include activities that allow anonymous responses. This ensures everyone feels comfortable.

Q4. Why are interactive activities important at workplace events?

Interactive activities improve audience engagement, increase participation, and help employees feel connected instead of passive.

Q5. What tools can help with hybrid International Women’s Day events?

Tools that support live polls, quizzes, word clouds, and real-time participation are ideal. Interactive presentation software like Slidea works well for hybrid events.