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Australian Venue Co. promotes a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through programs like AVC Pride for LGBTQIA+ support, Her Hospo for empowering women, and a First Nations Committee for reconciliation. The Safe Spaces initiative ensures welcoming, respectful environments in all venues, reflecting AVC’s commitment to community and belonging.
Her Hospo exists to break down the barriers women face in hospitality by providing education, inspiration, and practical support. We empower women to see hospitality — especially operations — not as a steppingstone, but as a long-term, fulfilling career. By understanding the challenges and updating our policies, we are driving real change toward true gender equality in the industry.
Key Pillars
Education – Our education pillar seeks to build the skills and confidence of our emerging leaders and foster productive allyship.
Inspiration – Her Hospo inspires women to step beyond their comfort zone and pursue greatness. Our events showcase trailblazing women who challenge gender norms and break barriers.
Empowerment – Our Empowerment pillar amplifies women’s voices and builds community through networking events that foster connections and spotlight areas for industry improvement.
40/40/20
Front of House: Our goal is to achieve gender equality and accelerate the advancement of more women into leadership positions. We strive for gender balance – 40:40:20 (40% men, 40% women and 20% open) in all senior roles within AVC.
Back of House: In our kitchen spaces, we recognise that there is an industry wide imbalance. We are committed to the encouragement of female and nonconforming gender hiring and participation. Whilst this program grows, we aim to reflect the same gender balance in our kitchen management as is in our kitchen teams.
Ambassadors:
17 female Ambassadors across Australia and New Zealand and team is constantly growing!
We mainly look for our Ambassadors to push initiatives and events in our venues and help us learn more about what our venue team members need and how we can better support them.
Our Pride Initiative is driven by our Pride Network, who are working together to deliver education, celebration, respect and community for our LGBTQIA+ community.
Through AVC Pride we will regularly evaluate our social impact and take steps towards positive, progressive and productive change. Our commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion is ongoing. We will regularly review and update our policies, practices, and training programs to ensure they remain effective and relevant
Recent initiatives include Queer101 training hosted by our Diversity Coordinator, celebrating Wear it Purple Day & our annual Big Gay Day Celebration at The Wickham.
With events and workshops, an open and honest forum, and connection with an inspiring network of ambitious women, Her Hospo strengthens the voice and champions the development of our emerging leaders.
By shining a light on the unique challenges & opportunities women in hospitality experience, Her Hospo seeks to foster equity in our industry.
Our Reconciliation Initiative is driven by our newly-formed First Nations Committee, who are working together to deliver initiatives based on respect, education, celebration & reconciliation.
Safe Spaces is part of our diversity program and is designed to ensure that AVC venues and office environments are inclusive spaces where our customers and staff feel welcome and safe. It also aligns with our Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and promotes fair and non-discriminatory behaviour within the workplace to ensure all employees, contractors and patrons are treated equally.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
We are a place free from discrimination, where everyone belongs. We respect and celebrate the diversity of our communities, including people of all cultural and faith backgrounds, classes, gender or sexual identities, ages and abilities and we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming space for all.
