Join us for an hour-long discussion with a select group of communications leaders in hospitality to learn how their brands have innovated and pivoted to not only survive, but in many cases thrive. This panel will be moderated by The Boston Globe’s Kara Baskin, who has spent her career writing about food, lifestyle, and culture.

One year into the pandemic and it’s undeniable that the hospitality industry has experienced unique and trying challenges. And yet, one by one, business owners and their teams in this industry are fighting the good fight to be able to meet their customers’ needs thanks in part to their unwavering support. Find out how they did it, what they learned, and how to apply these lessons to your own industry.

About The Panelists:

Nia Grace, founder, owner, and operator of Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen and co-founder of Boston Black Hospitality Coalition

In 2018, Grace became the owner of Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen, a South End institution that has been around for more than 60 years. Just last year, she helped to establish the Boston Black Hospitality Coalition, which was created with the goal of preserving Black-owned restaurants and bars in the Boston area that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Throughout the course of her career, Grace has been a marketer, a business developer, and a hospitality manager.

Danielle McNally, director of marketing of Beauport Hospitality Group

Nicole Russo, president of Nicole Russo Communications

A leading hospitality publicist in New England with more than 20 years’ experience, Russo has helped launch some of the region’s most successful restaurants and chefs to bring them into the national spotlight. Among her current clients she counts Puritan & Company’s Will Gilson, James Beard award-winning chef Lydia Shire and current Hell’s Kitchen Sous Chef Jason Santos, the culinary talent behind Boston’s Citrus & Salt and Buttermilk & Bourbon.

Kelsie Walsh, director of restaurant marketing at Big Night Entertainment Group

With an extensive history working with the best in Boston’s hospitality scene, Walsh joined the Big Night team in 2017 where she was responsible for activating, curating, and managing all branding and marketing for Big Night’s extensive restaurant portfolio. In 2020, Walsh and the Big Night team quickly mobilized to devise a plan after the pandemic paused Big Night’s record-setting pace by developing exciting new endeavors. Walsh worked closely with the team to develop Big Night Ghost Kitchens, a roster of revolutionary delivery-optimized restaurant concepts including Bao Chicka Wow, Wicked Big Burritos Wicked Wings, and Pizzaoki in partnership with world-renowned DJ Steve Aoki. Walsh also assisted with the launch of Where’s the Plan, an organization established to elevate the voices of fellow hospitality workers, as well as charitable initiatives including the B Strong Fund, is a 501(c)(3) carefully designed with the specific intent of helping those Big Night employees most in need.

About PRSA Boston

For more than 70 years, PRSA Boston has served as the gold standard for public relations in Boston by bringing together a diverse group of talented professionals committed to enhancing the practice of public relations through our work, service, and leadership across the region. The Chapter comprises practitioners at all levels who represent public relations firms, independent consultancies, corporations, government agencies, hospitals and health care institutions, professional associations and nonprofit organizations. PRSA Boston also proudly supports public relations education at area universities, extending our mentoring and professional development efforts to six campuses with chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America and others with PR-preparatory curricula and clubs. @PRSABoston #PRSABos

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.