Hosted by Fora, the welcome reception will include light bites, wine, and opening remarks from the FFiH Steering Committee. Guests will also hear from Fora Founders and members of the Legends team, Stephanie Daniel and Shaina Shiwarski, whose company was acquired by Fora.

225 Broadway 23rd Fl
New York, NY 10007

Sponsored by Thayer Investment Partners

Opening Remarks by Female Founders in Hospitality Founder, Nina Kleaveland

Two-minute pitches and asks for the Summit

Moderated by Melissa Maher, Founder of Pinnacle Enterprises Group and featuring:
- Charlie O'Donnell, Author of Founder Unfriendly, veteran VC at Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Union Square Ventures, and First Round Capital, VC Coach, and community builder
- Chelsea Salamone, VP at Thayer Investment Partners
- Stephanie Daniel, GM Legends & VP Strategic Initiatives, Fora

Moderated by Lee Gonzalez, Founder of L&L Hospitality and featuring:
- Sarah Diehl, Empowered Hospitality
- Robin Zeidel, Founder of Zeidel & Associates, PC
- Panelist

Rotate through 4-5 table topics from strategic positioning to long-term growth, capital allocation, and structural decisions.

Fireside chat with a guest speaker moderated by Susan Barry, Founder of Top Floor Podcast and Queen Bee at Hive Marketing

Sponsored by Innovative Travel Marketing

Moderated by Saadiq Rodgers-King, Founder of Saadiq Industries and featuring:
- Stephanie Smith, Founder of Cogwheel Marketing & Analytics
- Kim Bennett, Founder of AtlasGuru
- Katrina Stalcup, Director of Product Operations at Fora Travel

Moderated by Sara Murray, Founder of Murmaid International and featuring:
- Jody Merl, CEO, Innovative Travel Marketing
- Amy Infante, CEO, Gitgo
- Bella Silverberg, GVP B2B Marketing & Communications, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Rotate through 4-5 table topics from tactical execution to tools, scripts, workflows, and day-to-day founder moves.

Wine tasting featuring female producers paired with hors d'oeuvres. Non-alcoholic options will also be available.
- Michele Anderson, Founder of Thirsty Logic, Master of Wine
- Lauren McPhate, Co-owner of Tribeca Wine Merchants, Master of Wine

A few large tables are booked for those who want to continue to connect with FFiH Members. The cost of dinner is not included in your Summit registration fees. All dinners will be ordered a la carte and everyone is responsible for transportation to the restaurant and the cost of what they order. Sign up sheet to be distributed.

Make a plan to follow up with two people.

Preserving brand, culture, and client experience as you grow.

When should you be the face, and when should the company stand alone?

Capital stacks, risk appetite, partnerships, and long-term positioning.

Where to invest attention (and capital) over the next 3–5 years.

How founders balance reach, margin, and brand ownership.

Power dynamics, negotiation leverage, and partnership structures.

When to stay the course vs. reposition the business.

What changes at $1M, $5M, $10M+?

Value-based pricing, retainers, performance models, tiering.

Lead gen systems that actually work in hospitality.

Cash flow implications and operational trade-offs.

Tools for finance, accounting, HR, CRM, and workflow automation.

Entity structure, deductions, planning ahead vs. reacting.

Calendar design, delegation, and protecting deep work.

Quarterly planning frameworks and accountability systems.

Scripts, openers, follow-ups, and confidence hacks.