A brand new SLTN event was a smash hit with women from across the licensed trade last month.
Women in Hospitality with SLTN took place in the The Caledonian Edinburgh and brought together women from a wide range of roles and companies to enjoy excellent food, drink and conversation as well as hearing from four top industry speakers.
Kim Toft and Mari Chierchia, co-owners of SLTN Award-winning cocktail bar Daddy Marmalades, spoke to the room about their experiences setting up their own business, from the importance of budgeting to the number of things they had to learn along the way.
“Mari had owned businesses before, I never had,” said Kim.
“And I didn’t realise how much I was going to have to learn, about the legal side of things, the tax side of things.
“I was completely overwhelmed by that. So if (starting your own business) is something you want to do I would say doing your best to pre-empt that so that you don’t feel like you’re completely out of your depth, is quite important.”
Julie Dalton, owner of Mardal, the company behind St Andrews venues The Adamson, The Physician and Hatch, told guests about a career that has spanned different countries as well as the importance of mentoring younger talent in the trade.
“If you merge yourself into the life of hospitality, you meet great people and can really benefit from the skills you learn but also the friends you make,” said Julie.
“I always train by saying ‘what you’re doing now will take you into the future and shape who you are’.”
And Gillian Murray, director of commercial procurement at Tennent’s, took guests through some of the big ‘firsts’ she has encountered in nearly three decades in the industry, from seeing the first women invited to traditionally-male networking events such as golf days to becoming Tennent’s first female director in Scotland when she was appointed sales director.
But she said there is still plenty of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to subjects such as parental leave.
“When I look at the evolution of parental leave – maternity, paternity – in 25 years, it hasn’t really moved that far forward,” she said.
“I think even (now) we’re sometimes having to pick between having a career and having children, and that’s just not a choice.
“When anyone comes to me to have a conversation, male or female, about having children, trying for children, it should always be seen as a positive. It should never be seen as a negative.”
A panel discussion with the speakers followed, covering subjects as disparate as the biggest challenges the speakers had faced, to the importance of having a community within the trade that supports and encourages women.
A Women in Hospitality Facebook group has been launched for that very purpose and is open to all women in the trade.
See the SLTN Women In Hospitality page for details on how to join the group.
Organised by SLTN and hosted by SLTN sales director Amy Knox, the event was sponsored by Tennent’s, who provided wines for the afternoon, and William Grant & Sons, who supplied welcome drinks from Hendrick’s Gin and post-lunch cocktails from The Famous Grouse.
Amy Knox said: “We’re so proud of the success of our first ever Women in Hospitality event.
“The enthusiasm for the event and the passion from everyone in the room on the day just reinforced the importance of creating a forum where women in the trade could come together, support and inspire each other.
“I’d like to thank Tennent’s and William Grant & Sons for their support as well as all four of our amazing speakers, who did an incredible job.
“This was the first Women in Hospitality event, but it won’t be the last. We look forward to sharing details of the next event in the very near future!”
