The Australian Hotels Association Victoria celebrated last week’s International Women’s Day with a networking lunch at The Langham, sponsored by Tabcorp.
The AHA (Vic) coordinates the Women’s Network, now in its second year, aiming to create occasions for like-minded women to come together to listen, speak and meet new people.
Encouraging the swapping of stories, garnering of new ideas and celebrating wins by women in the hotel industry, the Network helps members support one another through tough times.
Tabcorp – named Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Federal Government for the third consecutive year – was a natural fit to partner with the AHA for the International Women’s Day event, bringing along many team members.
More than 130 industry professionals listened to speaker Kim Wenn, Tabcorp’s outgoing CIO, who shared insights into the company’s pathway to gender diversity.
Highlight of the day was journalist Shelly Horton, who took the attendees on a journey of the ups and the downs of her career, encouraging the audience to transform their confidence, and speaking of the importance of women supporting women.
The first known Women’s Day was in New York on 28 February 1909. The current date of International Women’s Day stems from the International Socialist Women’s Conference of 1910, and the date became a national holiday in Soviet Russia after women gained the right to vote there, in 1917.
In 1975 the date and occasion was adopted by the United Nations, and has risen to be celebrated in countries around the world.
“We can all make small changes. We can all be women supporting women. We can empower the women in our pubs and the colleagues in our organisations to back ourselves, to be brave and to take risks.” – Kimberley Malcolm, AHA (Vic) senior manager membership & industry engagement
