Since 2020, we’ve been celebrating International Women’s Day by sharing the stories of the incredible women shaping Brighton’s hospitality scene.
Two years ago, in 2024, we took these conversations off the screen and into the real world. Partnering with Arcobaleno, we hosted our first in-person Women in Hospitality event. The feedback was clear: our community wanted a dedicated space to connect. Since then, we’ve run our flagship March event alongside smaller quarterly catch-ups.
Since that first meetup, we’ve been partnering with researchers at the University of Brighton to study the power of women-only networks and identify the core challenges women face in our industry.
This week, we’re gathering to discuss their findings and decide what to tackle next. (You can read the full slides here).
We need your voice
If you can’t make it to our in-person event, we still want your input. The research has highlighted 8 key areas where we could focus our energy.
Take a look at the options below—which ones matter most to you?
-
Structured mentorship: Matching women with mentors based on their career stage (early career, management, or ownership).
-
Peer support circles: Small, informal groups to talk through shared challenges together.
-
Regular events & online space: Consistent meetups with guided icebreakers, plus a digital community to stay connected between events.
-
Welcoming new & diverse members: Actively opening doors for newcomers, younger women, and different backgrounds.
-
Training & skills: Practical workshops on confidence, career progression, and real-world case studies.
-
Wellbeing support: Bringing mental health and wellness initiatives into our professional network.
-
Male ally engagement: Creating spaces for men in hospitality to learn how to support their female colleagues.
-
Collective advocacy: Using our combined voice to push for policy and industry change with employers.
How to vote (You get 3 votes!)
You have three votes in total. You can spread them across three different ideas, or put all three votes toward the one initiative you care about most.
-
Option 1: Pop your choices in the comments below (e.g., “2 votes for Option 1, 1 vote for Option 5”).
-
Option 2: Prefer to stay anonymous? Email us at hello@restaurantsbrighton.co.uk. We’ll pass your thoughts to the research team without any of your personal details.
Your insight is what drives this network forward. Thank you for helping us shape what comes next!