Batonnage Forum 2019

The Batonnage Forum this year covered a range of challenging topics including the role of sex and appearance in selling wine, how to present yourself professionally in a work situation, the differences and needs for building not only inclusion and diversity but belonging in our communities, and departing dysfunction.

The Batonnage team has made all of the audio available online so that anyone can listen to the seminars and talks in full.

Vinny Eng, Laura Judson, and myself opened the day’s discussions with a panel seminar on Departing Dysfunction. We looked at the conditions in the wine, food and beverage, and hospitality industry that make inappropriate work situations possible, ways to recognize when you are in a dysfunctional, harmful, or abusive situation, and how we can shift to fostering respectful work situations as a community. The direct link to the audio for our session can be found here: https://www.batonnageforum.com/panel1

Rebecca Hopkins gave a key note address talking through practical tips on how to be taken more seriously in our work environments, discussing simple ways to shift body language and tone to get stronger response, while also exploring the challenges women often face in work communication. The direct link to her session’s audio is here: https://www.batonnageforum.com/womentalk-wholistens

After a lunch break two more sessions happened in the afternoon.

In the first, a panel of people from across the country and industry considered what it takes to foster not only inclusion but belonging for more a more diverse work force. The session was moderated by Nicole Ruiz and included Rebecca Duecy, June Rodil, Akilah Cadet, Bibiana Gonzalez Rave, and Jehan Hakimia as speakers. Here’s the link to that audio: https://www.batonnageforum.com/panel2

The final session of the day considered the role of attire and appearance, as well as behavior in women selling wine asking to what extent women’s sexual attractiveness and general interactions with men inform wine sales and women’s careers. The session was moderated by Sarah Bray and included speakers Jennifer Reichardt, Melissa Sutherland, Monica Samuels, and Karen Williams. The audio for that session is here: https://www.batonnageforum.com/panel3

If you’d like to listen to each session in order, as well as the opening address from Stevie Stacionis, then head straight to this page where all of the audio appears side by side near the bottom of the page: https://www.batonnageforum.com/2019-forum

Cheers!