Ormeggio restaurateur Anna Pavoni launched Women and Restaurants (W.A.R) in 2015 to create a place for women to network, share ideas and discuss industry issues.
Four years later, the group has grown considerably, and will host a conference on 19 February in the Sydney CBD.
“I love to go to industry events, but more often than not, these events are arranged around the boys, so I organised something just for us,” Pavoni tells Hospitality. “It’s a small, select and focused group of women who are all in similar positions within their businesses. Females are often behind the scenes running the business, giving the ‘glory’ to the front facing people — it’s a lonely place to be.”
The conference will revolve around the concept of 10 things attendees should be doing in their business according to each of the seven speakers.
Immigration for hospitality (Raul Senise, Andre Burger & Assocaites); finance (Ian Robertson (IACR & CO); HR compliance (Carolyn Ward, R&CA); social media (Bec Jones, NAB), marketing (Julie Manfredi Hughes, Manfredi Enterprises); working smart (Jude Knam) and genuine conversations (Shelly McElroy, Leading Teams) will all be covered at the one-day event.
“The biggest challenge for any restaurateur is the multitude of hats we need to wear,” says Pavoni. “We are expected to know everything from compliance to council rules and regs, accounting, corporate culture, immigration etc.
“These events are so important and beneficial as it helps us create a network of like-minded, absolute industry colleagues — there is honesty and oversharing like only women can dish out! We learn so much, we create a valuable brain trust to refer to and lean on, and we re-validate the importance and validity of what we are doing everyday behind the scenes.”
Tickets are available to female restaurateurs for $100 and include lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and drinks. The conference commences at 12pm.
Contact anna@ormeggio.com.au for invitations and bookings.