Ahead of International Women’s Day 2020, VenueScanner spoke with five leading figures in our industry about their achievements, inspirations and goals for the future.
Gabriella Daroczi, Sales & Marketing Manager
One of your testimonials on LinkedIn is “Gabi would give 200% to any role” – what does it mean to you to have feedback like that?
It makes me very happy that stakeholders I work with can see that when I take on a project, I treat it like it was my very own – not just a task. When I had my marketing agency years ago, I learnt that in order to stand out from the competitive crowd both as a business, and as an individual, 100% is often not enough in hospitality. Every campaign needs a bit of oomph!
You’ve worked in hospitality for many years – how is the industry different now to it was when you started?
It’s coming to 15 years since I’ve been in the industry in London and the digital world made the space so much more competitive, almost perishable if you think about the number of restaurants opening and closing each year – including high street brands. A clever marketer can turn this to their advantage by being switched on and observant; never coming up with a problem, only creative solutions.
The other area I feel changed a lot is the appetite to know exactly what is on our plate and the curiosity of different flavours. The ‘food information for consumer legislation 2014’ has encouraged guests to ask more, and this demand has really forced us internally to be more creative with our dishes when it comes to dietary requirements.
What are the main qualities that you look for in a leader?
Living an inspiring life. Sadly, in the old hospitality days the person who worked the hardest and longest hours was considered a good leader, ‘leading by example’. A leader to me means an energetic person who I can respect and aspire to be, because they live a happy and content life that includes family, friends, hobbies, a healthy lifestyle, and a passion to constantly learn and evolve.
What would your message be to anyone struggling to catch their big break in sales / marketing?
I would quote here from my favourite ever movie, please: “Never give up and never stop believing” – Rocky Balboa. If you feel like you are stuck, yet tried everything in your power already, this might mean you have to side-step before you burn out and consider alternatives to be able to pursue your dreams.
This can mean looking for better positions outside your company, specialising in one area instead of trying to do it all or perhaps accept a role that is not your end goal but with the right company – once you’re through the door and have proven yourself to your bosses, you can ‘create’ your role. How? Just present a solution to the business problem that is backed up by research and numbers (sales and marketing are all about numbers, especially in hospitality!) and outline how you would be the absolute perfect person to make lemonade of those lemons!