The free event, which was held on Thursday night, had been touted as a panel of well-known women sharing their property investment expertise. Its hosts also offered attendees some "great incentives" and investment opportunities.

Geocon's record of sexism and objectifying women was "bloody awful", Ms Cody said. Its managing director, Nick Georgalis, apologised in 2016 after lingerie waitresses were hired to serve drinks to employees at a work party.

ACT Minister for Women Yvette Berry blasted the company in June last year for its "sexualised" marketing campaigns. A promotional video for its new Braddon building, Tryst, featured images of women who looked "semi-unconscious", UnionsACT said.

“Geocon’s treatment of women remain an embarrassment to the people of Canberra," Ms Cody said.

“[Its] approach to advertising devalues women by placing their bodies at the centre of the value proposition, rather than valuing brains, personalities and contribution to the community."

The member for Murrumbidgee threw her support behind a protest, organised by UnionsACT, which was held outside the Tryst building on Thursday afternoon. About 60 people - mostly women but some men - attended.

"It's International Women's Day. We should be celebrating the fact that women work hard, women do things to make themselves be better people, women stand up for the rights of themselves, their families and everyone around them," Ms Cody said at the protest.

"Geocon quash that every time they put a sexist advert up and every time they stand there and sexualise their building sites. Shame on them."

Geocon had alerted police to the protest over concerns that people would diverge on a company sales centre nearby, a spokesperson said. Women working in construction, teaching, nursing, administration, and the public service were among the protest's attendees.

"I do think it's quite concerning that Geocon are wasting police resources on a peaceful, political International Women's Day protest calling out their sexism," women's committee convener Emma Turner said.

No police were seen to have attended the protest.

Nina, who lives in O'Connor, saw the images on Geocon's Tryst building site when she was in Reid for the National Multicultural Festival.

"I thought they were disgusting. Then I thought maybe I was just being a rabid person thinking that they were awful. I saw [UnionsACT's] Facebook site and it showed that other people didn't like them too," she said.

"I thought, 'Good, I'm not alone in this'. This protest has given me a way to say, 'I support you and this isn't right."

The UnionsACT group wanted the sexual imagery used on Geocon's Tryst building site taken down and similar images removed from any other marketing material, UnionsACT president Lyndal Ryan said.

"It might only be a small protest but it should send a message to the people at Geocon who are either completely sexist or don't understand the offence that they are causing," she said.

Geocon is being challenged in the Fair Work Commission by the construction, forestry, maritime, mining and energy union in relation to its enterprise agreement application, a spokesperson said.

The protest was just another example of unions trying to pressure Geocon into doing things their way and had nothing to do with International Women's Day.

"The notion that holding an event to empower women and women standing against it is insane. There are ulterior motives here," the spokesperson said.

"Geocon welcomes discussions on community issues and recognises that varied views will be expressed concerning its marketing initiatives."

Geocon's marketing campaigns complied with advertising standards, the spokesperson said.