Paradiso’s Women & Hospitality expo returns to Barcelona at the beginning of June, welcoming up to 400 industry guests from Spain and beyond for two days of female-led round tables, workshops and guest shifts.
Now in its fourth year the event, created by Paradiso co-founder Margarita Sader, promises to be more ambitious than ever, welcoming its most expansive roster of guest speakers and industry figures.
“I’m very excited for this year,” Sader tells Drinks International. “In the first year we only had five speakers, the second year we focused more on spotlighting women from South America, the third year was a bit more international again and now this year we will have some ladies from the first three years plus a few more.
“I’m super happy because I’ve learned so much from each of them and I want them to all meet each other and I’m excited too for the guests to meet them too. The idea has always been to create an event that was a positive celebration. To inspire women, to encourage international networking and to talk about how we can work better and faster, [learning] from people who have been doing it for their whole lives.”
Industry leaders
While the line-up is yet to be confirmed in full, it will feature an international bill of industry leaders including Holly Graham of Tokyo Confidential in Tokyo, Sarah Proietti from Maybe Sammy in Sydney, founder of Buenos Aires’ Cochinchina Inés de los Santos, and Hong Kong-based Beckaly Franks, many of who have appeared at previous editions.
“Initially, we wanted to create a party to inspire more women to come into our industry,” explains Sader. “It’s difficult in Spain and really all of Europe to find women who want to stay in hospitality. So, my goal was to bring industry leaders, who have inspired me in different moments of my life, to Barcelona to inspire more women, to help each other and make our industry work better.”
And for Sader, the goal isn’t just to tool up the service industry, but to offer guests a glimpse into all the opportunities that hospitality can offer.
“The focus has always been growth. I’ve always invited guests that weren’t all working behind the bar. Some were bar owners, others worked in disciplines that collaborate with hospitality.
“I come from a marketing and fashion background and I believe hospitality gives you opportunities to follow all kinds of disciplines. Hospitality is a big enough term that we don’t need to label ourselves. Women can be behind the scenes, front of house, behind the bar, working in accounts, taking pictures, there’s room for everyone and we want to explore how we can work together to make it better for everyone.”
