Meg Bergin is creating safe nightlife spaces for women in Dublin, and we love her for it
After a slew of incidents surrounding women’s safety in night club settings, Meg Bergin created The Girl’s Room and The Spotlight Sessions, bringing a special kind of much needed energy to the nightlife space for women and nonbinary people.
Back in January of 2022, after one too many incidents surrounding women’s safety in night club settings, Meg Bergin decided to stop hoping for improvement and set about creating it. Five months later, the inaugural Girl’s Room event was held, and a safe, open space for women and nonbinary people was born.
On top of that, last year, Meg also launched curated, a platform dedicated to connecting and celebrating Dublin’s creative scene. So, between booking spaces, vendors and DJs, and curating gigs, exhibitions and showcases, this is one multi-hyphenate Irish creative who, quite literally, works tirelessly to bring people together and shine that gorgeous golden spotlight on all of those around her.
To put it simply, Meg Bergin is someone who gets things done.
We caught up with the organiser extraordinaire to talk about carving out a successful niche, working in a male-dominated industry, and detaching yourself from external validation…
What is really beautiful about The Girl’s Room is how diverse it is, you see so many different people from all backgrounds and walks of life mingling and connecting. It’s a very healing and unifying environment
How would you describe The Girls Room to someone who’s never heard of it?
I would describe the Girl’s Room as a community. An open, loving space for women and nonbinary people to express themselves freely, connect and have fun!
How did it come to be, why did you want to put the energy into starting The Girls Room up?
I was motivated to start The Girl’s Room for two main reasons. One being the amount of incidents regarding women’s safety, particularly in the context of nightlife. I had the idea back in January 2022. I felt it was a needed space – not as a solution, but an outlet. To give us our power back. To have this space to express ourselves freely, center our joy amidst the fear and anxiety we consistently face for simply existing.
Secondly, I wanted to build a community. There weren’t many spaces for women to come together, make friends and connect with new people. What is really beautiful about The Girl’s Room is how diverse it is, you see so many different people from all backgrounds and walks of life mingling and connecting – where they probably wouldn’t cross paths otherwise. It’s a very healing and unifying environment too. I think it’s fair to say we are conditioned to internalised misogyny – the idea that we are competing with one another or that we must perform for the male gaze – and this space is a massive f*ck you to that ideology.
At the centre of The Girl’s Room is safety, both physical and emotional, and community.
I had no prior experience working in events, I was totally new to the space. I was learning as I go – and still am! It’s given me confidence to be a beginner in so many other areas of my life too and helped me to spend less time thinking and more time just doing and trying things out. It has changed my world completely, to be honest.
Could you paint a picture of what these events are like? What’s the reception been like?
The Girl’s Room feels like a massive gaff party or a reunion. It looks and feels completely different to a regular nightclub experience. Since our first event in June 2022 it was evident people at our events feel much more comfortable and secure to dress how they want, dance how they want, kiss who they want, and to be fully present, which is a massive deal when you think of how hyper aware we might need to be in a typical nightlife context.
Some people hop up on stage to have their main character moment while others enjoy the chill-out areas where we have pop up shops from female and nonbinary-owned businesses at each event. It feels like everyone has a familiarity and a level of care and consideration for each other which is just so lovely!
You organise all of the promo, book the spaces, vendors and DJs, and run the socials — what’s involved in the creation of The Girls Room?
A lot! Exactly as you said, there are a lot of moving parts with The Girl’s Room. We also do promo shoots for each of our events based on the theme. I invite people who have attended the events to take part in the shoots and work with BabyGirlFilms (a.k.a. Nicola O’Reilly) to bring the visions to life. These shoots have become synonymous with Girl’s Room now and are so much fun to direct and be involved in, it really shines through in the end results!
Everything is projection. There is no need to attach yourself to external praise, validation or lack thereof. People’s perception of you is a reflection of their internal world. Focus on being more of what you want to see in the world.
Would you say it’s a male-dominated industry? What’s your experience been like working in that space?
It is for sure heavily male-dominated. It’s funny though, I sort of exist within a little bubble where most of the people I work alongside are women or nonbinary because I made it my mission from the beginning to build a strong network from the start. I really wanted to create opportunities and prioritise working with people who are more often marginalised in the industry.
I have had male promoters contact me and ask how they can start a women-only club and if I can give them advice on how to get started. To which, I, of course, do not respond.
Simultaneously, however, I have received a lot of support from lads across the creative industry too and even formed some really lovely friendships. An interesting thing to note, at the last curated gig, the audience was majority guys AND it was an all-women lineup. They were not shy about cheering, singing, and bopping along, and even praising and chatting to the artists after the show -–showing genuine appreciation and love. As they should – but that really warmed my heart.
How do you ensure that it will be kept a safe space? Do you have a policy in place? Is this something that people might be able to go along to alone, in the hopes of meeting like-minded people?
In terms of safeguarding, there are a few things I have in place. Firstly, we have a zero-tolerance policy for any and all forms of harassment and discrimination. We also have optional consent bands for people who are open to meeting someone – be that platonically or romantically.
I set up a group chat the week of each event so people can arrange. In that chat, people can also plan their routes home. This is ideal for people coming solo or anyone looking to make some new pals. At each event, there will be a gang of people arriving together who have met at the pre-drinks and some friendships have been formed from it which is so lovely!
Tell me a little about The Spotlight Sessions.
I launched curated last year – somewhat impulsively. I’ve fallen in LOVE with the Irish music scene over the past two years. I’ve attended a lot of local gigs and shows. I’m super passionate about supporting up-and-coming artists and reject entirely the scarcity mindset that can be so prevalent in competitive industries.
curated is a platform that allows me to curate live music showcases, gigs, exhibitions and other kinds of events – open to everyone and all about celebrating and connecting the creative scene. Some really exciting things are coming soon for curated I can’t wait to share!
We had our first Spotlight Sessions showcase back in December 2023 with performances from Rachel Mae Hannon, Wendy Godfrey and Saibhin. It was everything I’d hoped it would be. The audience was attentive, present and so supportive of the artists. When I put on these gigs, I want the crowds to feel connected to the artists and to set a standard that centres love and celebration.
What’s been a highlight for you so far?
There are far too many standout moments to choose one but honestly, aside from specific moments and any accolades, the highlight is the beautiful people I get to connect with through The Girl’s Room and curated. I’ve made my most cherished memories, met my favourite people and had the most unreal experiences. I never expected any of this so I am just super grateful always that I get to do what I love with people I love.
Focus on how your life feels. Less on how it looks to others. If you need to, clear out your Instagram following, spend more time within community meeting people who are relatable and real, spend more time exploring your interests – you create your world, don’t let anybody else determine it for you.
What are your goals from these projects?
My goal for these projects is honestly to keep going. I haven’t got it all figured out and I think there is beauty in that because it leaves the path open to go in so many directions. One thing for sure is that at the forefront, it will always be about love.
You’ve been called ‘a woman who makes other women feel safe’, which is the height of praise. Even on your own social channels, your confidence is infectious — what kind of words of wisdom or advice would you give to a younger person seeking direction?
That is so sweet, thank you! Gosh, when I speak to younger women and girls, I always come back to the same thing. I always felt like a bit of an outsider growing up and even in my early 20s.
The main reflections I would like to share are:
You are not here to be perfect, you are here to be you. Allow yourself to try things, figure yourself out, be a beginner. The sooner you practice showing up as your authentic self (scary, I know) the sooner you will align with opportunities, people and spaces that truly resonate.
Everything is projection. There is no need to attach yourself to external praise, validation or lack thereof. People’s perception of you is a reflection of their internal world. Focus on being more of what you want to see in the world.
Focus on how your life feels, less on how it looks to others. Everything these days is about the aesthetic and while we can appreciate things looking put together, it’s very rarely reality. If you need to, clear out your Instagram following, spend more time within community meeting people who are relatable and real, spend more time exploring your interests – you create your world, don’t let anybody else determine it for you.
Who are some up-and-coming creatives we should have on our radar?
Featured image via YEWTH MAGAZINE//REBECCA EWNETU & LUZDACOSTAPHOTO.
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