With the tourism industry’s first Gender Equality Lab, the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) is bringing together staff, managers and HR professionals in Berlin on 25 September 2026. Together, they aim to develop concrete approaches to fair career opportunities, modern leadership and equal collaboration.

The Gender Equality Lab is part of the “LEAD³ – Learn. Empower. Advance. Develop.” project run by the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE). The project is supported by the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) and the German Travel Association (DRV).

“My aim is to ensure that women are not only heard and seen, but actively involved – in the tourism industry, academia, public administration and politics. This is the only way to achieve development that is supported by all,” explains Claudia Brözel, professor at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development and project lead for LEAD³.

“The crucial question is not whether companies fundamentally support gender equality, but whether their structures actually enable fair opportunities. The Gender Equality Lab therefore focuses precisely on the areas where decisions are made: leadership, human resources development and corporate culture,” says Sven Liebert, Secretary-General of the BTW.

“Gender equality is not just a women’s issue. True equality of opportunity can only be achieved if both women and men get involved. Managers in particular – regardless of gender – bear responsibility when it comes to human resources, corporate culture and equal development opportunities,” explains Achim Wehrmann, Chief Executive of the DRV. “The Gender Equality Lab offers exactly the right framework for discussing and initiating change together.”

The Gender Equality Lab combines scientific facts and findings with self-reflection, the exchange of experiences and collaborative work on concrete solutions within participants’ own organisations. The focus is on the influence of unconscious biases and traditional role models, as well as power, communication and decision-making structures within organisations, alongside concrete steps towards fair opportunities, modern leadership and equal collaboration. Furthermore, the programme addresses the importance of financial literacy and wealth creation from a gender perspective.

The programme is explicitly aimed at people of all genders and from various roles within the tourism industry. Lasting change can only be achieved if employees, managers and HR professionals take joint responsibility, regardless of their gender.

The tourism industry’s Gender Equality Lab will take place on Friday, 25 September 2026, from 10 am to 4 pm at Chamäleon Reisen, Pannwitzstraße 25, 13403 Berlin. 

Participation is free of charge, but places are limited. Chamäleon Reisen is providing the venue and refreshments. 

Further information and registration: EMPOWher.today. 

Note to editorial teams: If you are interested in attending as a member of the media, please email Laura.Selenz(at)hnee.de.

About LEAD³

LEAD³ stands for Learn. Empower. Advance. Develop. The project is being implemented by the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development and supports 36 women in the tourism sector through individual coaching, assists 12 companies with structural change, and fosters dialogue within the industry each year through initiatives such as the Gender Equality Lab. The project runs until October 2028 and is funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) as part of the programme “Shaping the Transformation of Work through Social Partnership”, co-financed by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Press contacts

LEAD³ / Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development:
Head of Public Relations at LEAD³: Laura Selenz, telephone: +49 160 9970 2298, email: Laura.Selenz(at)hnee.de

Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW): Nicole von Stockert, Head of Communications, telephone: +49 30 72625260, email: vstockert@btw.de.

German Travel Association (DRV): Kerstin Heinen, Press Officer, telephone: +49 30 28406-56, email: heinen@drv.de.