The Venus Vinifera team (from left) Becky Kanthvongsa, Caitlin Baker, Lucy Pallet-Jones and Dash Rumble. Photo: Cassie Abraham.
Venus Vinifera is back with another Subject Matters Symposium, broaching the subjects that hospo workers need to talk about.
Last year’s program focussed on women in business, women in alcohol and diversity and inclusion. This time around, the Venus Vinifera team is drawing on the results of an industry survey of the issues most important to hospitality workers.
The all-day symposium will cover topics ranging from Choose Your Own Adventure to Bush Tukka – using native ingredients and how to support First Nations producers.
Venus Vinifera founder Caitlin Baker said the Beyond the Floor panel session would give real-life examples of how to build a lasting career in hospitality in ways you might never have dreamed of.
“We’re seeing that young people aren’t really choosing to make hospitality their career. So how do we inspire these people and how do we get them to see the possibilities?” she said.
“We want to show a lot of different options and talk to people who have found success.”
One such example is Daisy Tully, who started out serving drinks on the floor and is now the general manager of Sydney’s MUCHO group, managing six venues, hundreds of staff and a huge business.
Hannah Costello will be sharing how her experiences of building a social enterprise has improved her experience of hospitality. Photo: Supplied.
A panellist in the session titled The Sh*t They Don’t Teach You is Canberra local Hannah Costello, one half of the duo behind social enterprise Stepping Stone Cafe.
She said she was looking forward to discussing the good and the bad at this event.
“I think this symposium is a chance to sit down and talk about the adversity and challenges [faced by people in the industry] but also the really amazing things that can come out of a career in hospitality,” she said.
She explained that when she was starting out as a chef she struggled to find resources or support from her colleagues.
“People in management positions just seemed to be really tired and burnt out. So they didn’t make a career in hospitality look that appealing. And on the outside, there was a message that hospitality isn’t a real career path, it’s just something you do during uni while you’re working out what you want to do with your life,” she said.
“But when I realised I could use my skills to create positive change in my community, I just kind of bunkered down and thought ‘how can I make this work?’.”
Ms Costello will share how combining social enterprise goals with a hospitality business model has created new ways of thinking about management and allowing employees voices to be heard.
This will be the second Subject Matters Symposium, with more panels, sessions and opportunities to network. Photo: Supplied/Venus Vinifera.
Other specialist sessions will focus on having difficult conversations, setting boundaries, knowing your rights at work and chatting about money.
“Money is really hard to talk about, especially for women, there’s a lot of stigma about it. We want to break that barrier and help people get more confident,” Ms Baker said.
A pop-up terrace will serve drinks and snacks from Bar Rochford, Such and Such, Waypoint Tea, Unscripted Fermentation and more. The idea is to provide a safe space where attendees can gather, chat and relax between sessions. Tickets to the event also give attendees entry to Symposium knock-offs at Such and Such.
This second symposium is an ambitious program, but Ms Baker said they were grateful for the support of sponsors MYMYMY Architects, Spirits Platform, A by Adina and Heaps Normal.
The Subject Matters Symposium will be held on 27 July, with sessions running between 10 am and 5 pm at The Vault at Dairy Road. Find out more about the featured panellists and buy your ticket at Venus Vinifera’s website. Follow Venus Vinifera on Instagram.
