8 March, 2024

CELEBRATING THE WOMEN BEHIND IT’S THE SHIP

Ahoy, Shipmates! As we gear up to celebrate International Women’s Day, we couldn’t think of a better way to honour the occasion than by spotlighting the incredible female crew members who keep the party rocking aboard IT’S THE SHIP. Did you know that a whopping 60% of the IT’S THE SHIP crew are women? That’s right, from the decks to the dance floors, these fierce ladies are the backbone of our floating party.

In this special feature, we’re shining a light on three remarkable women who bring their passion, dedication, and a whole lot of girl power to IT’S THE SHIP: Clarice, Joanne, and Samira. Let’s meet the leading ladies behind the scenes!

Clarice

Clarice is the driving force behind the success of IT’S THE SHIP as our Project Lead. With her sharp organizational skills and unwavering determination, she ensures that every aspect of the event runs smoothly from start to finish. From coordinating operations to managing the team, Clarice is the captain of our ship’s success.

Joanne

Meet Joanne, our head of marketing! With years of experience in the music and entertainment industry, Joanne knows how to make waves and get the party started whether it’s on the dance floor or in the digital realm. From crafting killer campaigns to connecting shipmates from all around the world, she’s the ultimate hype queen.

Samira

Say hello to Samira, our project lead and resident superstar of IT’S THE SHIP. With her finger on the pulse of the music scene, Samira has grown to work alongside a growing list of the world’s most acclaimed artists. From curating star-studded lineups to programming epic experiences, Samira’s passion for excellence shines through in every aspect of our ship. Samira ensures that every moment on IT’S THE SHIP is nothing short of legendary.

ITS: ⁠How did you get involved with IT’S THE SHIP?

C: Funny story, started my journey as a finance executive back in 2016, kid you not, fresh out of college, I was thrown into the deep end immediately. When I stumbled on my first IT’S THE SHIP back in 2016 as a member of the hospitality team, I was shooked. Never have I experienced a crazy cruise party on a Ship. That opened my eyes to what entertainment should be. Fast forward 8 years later we brought the first Halloween charter to life.

J: Having been working in the music label for over 13 years, I was looking for a change and wanted to dip my toes into the live events industry. I was introduced to Livescape and there was an instant spark! I joined the team in 2017 and boy did I shit myself. Never have I experienced anything like it let alone work on something this scale. Over the years, I’ve seen its growth and how it has impacted so many people whether directly or indirectly in such a positive way.  It takes a special breed of people to work on an event like this and I’ve never been more proud to be a part of it.

S: By pure chance! I was out one night at Pisco when I got talking to a former Livescape member, mind you, I had just moved back to KL at that point and coming off the end of my funemployement break where I spent quite sometime touring, being behind the scenes with a few artists. He then asked if I was free in a couple of weeks to help his Artist team onboard IT’S THE SHIP Singapore, to which I thought – hell yeah, nothing sounds more fun than a 24/7 cruise party, I’d be honoured to work! BOY, was I thrown into the deep end, having worked land festivals, nothing comes CLOSE to a cruise festival but it was one the best experiences I’ve ever had, I slept for about 28 hours when I got home 4 days later. After that freelance stint, I took on a full-time role as Artist Manager for IT’S THE SHIP.

ITS: ⁠What do you find most rewarding about working on IT’S THE SHIP?

C: The team. Working with like-minded peeps definitely helped me find my place in the team. Imagine working 24/7 round the clock with no sleep and having a team to back you up – hits different. Working as the Project Lead leading the brands and execution team of over 100 people with the core team and freelancers ain’t easy. What you see on the ship is just surface level, but the team had to pull all their might, blood, sweat and tears to make it happen. Working alongside the superstars was my most rewarding thing and pulling a show with tremendous feedback is the highlight of IT’S THE SHIP.

J: The people behind Livescape definitely. It’s been very refreshing to be working with a passionate bunch of individuals. I love that IT’S THE SHIP celebrates individuality and coupled with a dash of craziness, we’re able to provide shipmates with a unique experience of its own. We’ve been lucky to have had shipmates and artists share how much fun they’ve had, some might even say life-changing, and that alone is a testament to the blood, sweat, and tears we pour into it.

S: 6 years on with IT’S THE SHIP, I’ve grown into a more leadership role as Project Lead for IT’S THE SHIP but what I find the most rewarding still remains, and that is being able to play a role in creating unique experiences that become a core memory for our Shipmates, our artists, our community in their lives. After our November charter, we were at the afterparty in Zouk and we saw Shipmates donning the official merchandise and coming up to me, thanking me for the best festival experience of their lives. I’ve gotten heartfelt voice messages from artists after they disembark complimenting the hospitality and experience. And also, getting a wedding invitation to a wedding of 2 shipmates who met onboard..from Shipmates to Soulmates <3

ITS: ⁠How do you feel about being a woman in the events industry, particularly in a role like yours?

C: Guys guys guys, something to note, I am a 5ft woman – being short and sweet is something everyone takes for granted. Working as Lead and in this industry – we work alongside multiple parties. The majority of them are male-dominated. For you to be seen or heard, we as women need to own our shit. With that being said, if we do not “lead”, no one is going to take us seriously. If we do not know what we are doing, fuck we are never getting across the final line.

J: The live event industry has always been male-dominated, and as a female, we’re constantly faced with a fair share of challenges. However, rather than it being a deterrent, it motivates me even more to show our value in our contribution to the industry and let our work speak for itself. Being surrounded by a group of supportive crackheads does also help.

S: It’s a man’s world am I right? Particularly in the electronic scene, we’re no strangers to seeing a lineup for 85%-90% male DJs, represented by mostly male agents, working with male production teams but it’s also been a breath of fresh air seeing a lot more females take on leading roles – I’ve really looked up to women like Dita (Lead Booker for Ismaya), Joanna (Lead Booker for Zouk), Anna, founder of Anna Agency and the list goes on. If anything, it fuels me to do better, to do more, and also push myself to achieve anything for IT’S THE SHIP. Hopefully what we do will also be able to set a standard for aspiring females to not be deterred from our industry either.

ITS: ⁠Have you faced any challenges or obstacles as a woman in your role? How did you overcome them?

C: Being in the early 30s, it is quite unknown to have a female lead leading the entire operations team. Speaking to sponsors and suppliers, if you are not in the “managerial role”, it is hard to get your communication across. What helped me overcome this was building trust with the people I worked with.

J: Yes, I have. I remember a time when I had to inform an artist manager of a set time change and had pushback from it. But I stood firm, and eventually we all agreed.

S: One of the more standout obstacles has been when working with slightly more traditional brands or companies. It is pretty unusual, especially in Asia for a woman, between the age of 24-30, to sit in a managerial role but also it’s 2024, who would’ve thought some people would still hold views over women. However, I was once told, merit over anything and by having thick skin paired with the determination to prove yourself, people will eventually listen.

ITS: Are there any female mentors or role models who have inspired you in your career?

C: Haha I don’t have a particular female mentor I looked up to, but my mentor, Cyril Francis has guided me so far to be a bad bitch. Not forgetting my kickass team who always had my back definitely pushed me further along the lines.

S: The whole Ship team! Our marketing team is led by women, our project lead of executions, Clarice cracks the whip harder than anyone I know, Dita and Joanna – bookers of DWP, WTF and ZoukOut have been huge inspirations to me. They’ve been in the industry at least twice as long as I have and I’m sure has gone through even more back in the day before women were starting to get more and more acknowledgement for our work.

J: I don’t have to look very far. Just being surrounded by my female peers is enough to inspire me. Their strength and resilience continue to be a testament that as females, we will always pull through no matter what.

ITS: What message would you like to share with other female shipmates this International Women’s Day?

C: For all my female shipmates, you know you guys rock it, don’t stop for anything, you can definitely be a bad bitch if you put your mind and soul into it. Keep slaying – PERIOD.

J: To celebrate and empower each other no matter what. It’s not a fight against each other but more on building the foundations for the next generation of female advocates!

S: For all our female Shipmates out there, just remember you’re a boss ass BITCH, in anything you do, if you’re putting yourself wholeheartedly into what you believe in and do your best, no man will come in your way. Except for maybe our fathers :p

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let’s raise a glass to the incredible female crew members of IT’S THE SHIP who keep the party sailing smoothly. Here’s to strong women – may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them… and may we party with them aboard IT’S THE SHIP!

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