Rising Stars chats with SIP Global Manager, Pauline De Pins
24 April 2023
Rising Stars had a chance to jump on a call with the SIP Global Manager, Pauline de Pins and ask some questions about our new Rising Stars home on the platform...
So Pauline – can you tell us what is SIP and what does SIP stand for?
SIP is the new Pernod Ricard brand dedicated to Trade Advocacy. It's a platform that we've built to ensure we can become a proper ally for all the hospitality members. Specifically, it stands for Share, Inspire, Pioneer.
Originally it was created in Germany in 2020, where they started to build from the ground creating events, bringing together so many different profiles from the hospitality industry with the strong beliefs that everybody had something to bring to the table. It worked so well that from here it was elevated to a global level with footprints in China, Greece, France, Dubai and more markets.
And so is SIP just in the virtual world? Or does it exist in real life?
It does absolutely exist on both sides online and in the real world.
Online it is where you can find all the great content featuring hospo personalities from around the world – just as a big media platform. It’s also a hub where you can also find trainings, events, initiatives, and a huge calendar of trade events available for you to register and participate in.
But it's also a platform living in real life through SIP sessions that are industry events where you have discussion panels, workshops or simply drinks and networking moments. SIP also participates at key global events during trade shows.
So whether virtually or in real life SIP engages with the hospitality members who are passionate about the industry, forward thinkers, creative, eager to learn to go the extra-mile and progress their Industry. From bartender to bouncer, from night mayor to F&B manager.
Is SIP just brand propaganda for Pernod Ricard – how is everything curated?
No of course not - and I mean it was a big step for Pernod Ricard - that’s to say we SIP; we're leading with an industry first approach and brands second. With SIP there is really this idea of thinking first about the needs of the hospitality community and what matters to them, from staff recruitment issues to self-branding challenges, the impact of AI on bar design or tips to create more diverse venues, not just pushing our brands.
To make sure we would achieve this, we teamed up with three key experts of the industry to define our editorial. Sandrae Lawrence who is the co-founder of The Cocktail Lovers, a very famous magazine in the UK. She has over 10 years of experience in this bar industry and she's an incredible source of knowledge. On the other side, we teamed up with Mirik Milan, former Night Mayor based in Amsterdam between 2012 & 2018 and Lutz Leichsenring – founder of Club Commission (a platform supporting Berlin Club Culture since 2001), both of them co-founder of VibeLab (Night time culture & advocacy platform)
With the help of these three people, we’re making sure that when we're talking, it's relevant and it's really useful for our community. So certainly, it's indeed not just Pernod Ricard propaganda!
Can I use SIP to build my network or to increase my profile?
Yes, more than ever. For two reasons - one, because this platform is global, giving you access to peers all over the world sharing their views, challenges. The whole idea behind SIP is to build this Global network and try to offer as much as possible, possibilities to go beyond your local circle of people.
Second, because we're not speaking exclusively to bars, it's also your opportunity to connect with people from this industry, but maybe from different sectors: nightclubs, festival, hotels, restaurant, & media. We figured some challenges really are the same across the board, and it’s interesting to address them as a community, explore how they are being handled in different sides of the business, because they might have also very good insights on any challenges you're facing
If I'm just starting out in hospitality and right now, maybe I’m a barback or running service on the floor - What would you recommend are the best attributes of the SIP platform for me starting out?
So I'd say #1 obviously attend any of the SIP events that pop up in your area. This is always the best way to start to start by learning and engaging. Learning from different experts and personalities, starting to build your network.
You can also go online, on join-sip.com and tick on your profile what are your key interests and needs. Then you will get access to personalised content. So if you're just starting out, we might share you content more related to the basics of cocktail making and the basics of service. If you're more expert, maybe some topics around business, staff management. Then you can absolutely leverage all the trainings offered and especially if you're a beginner, I would definitely recommend starting with Bar Smarts.
Yes, Bar Smarts is part of the Marriott development programming.
It's a very comprehensive and accessible training and fits nicely alongside the “Bar World Of Tomorrrow” programme exploring sustainability.
Meanwhile, if you seeking more advanced trainings maybe our programme such as PBT [Professional Bar Training], the first fully accredited online education programme created specifically for bar professionals is going to be very relevant with the proper management skills being brought to the table.
What if I've been in the bar industry for a long time. I've had lots of trainings. I've had lots of brand sessions. I feel very skilled as a bartender. How can SIP bring me to the next level?
So, I'd say there are two ways to see it: or what you're looking to achieve is still to progress your development journey and what you're looking for is a proper certification of your skills. And if it's the case, we have the right programme with PBT that is certified by the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality and accredited by Ofqual, covering advanced bartender skills (level 2 certificate) and management skills (level 4 certificate), so extremely interesting.
On the other hand, if you think “I'm already extremely skilled and what I'm interested in right now is less my own career but more about how can I support my team, my industry”, then SIP is also the right solution provider as our philosophy is to provide a space for the Community, opening up discussions online and offline to talk about the most pressing issues of the industry and see how as a collective we can address them and make sure we find solutions. Typically, you can find on SIP content covering topics such as Building safer space, The future of flavours, The importance of night time economy, Reinventing hospitality through AI & Metaverse etc.
By virtue that we're all here reading this article today, we're already enrolled on SIP as part of Rising Stars which is great - Is there anywhere else that we can follow SIP, is it on Instagram or Facebook? Where could we connect?
Well yes – we are also on Instagram, @joinsip_global
So if I was to summarize two key messages for SIP….
The philosophy behind SIP is really to think that everybody has something to bring to the table. So whether you're extremely advanced or a newcomer in this industry, you have something for sure that is interesting. We really believe everybody can learn from each other and there is always something new to explore. And so that's really the mindset of SIP – creating that space and headroom for further development, no matter what your level of expertise.
And my second point is around, I think we SIP, we're really making it easy for hospitality members to find everything they need when they want to get more involved in this industry, so it's just one portal where you find all the trainings, all the events of this industry, all the brand initiatives of Pernod Ricard. If you're looking to get involved in competitions, if you would like to be part of grant or bursary programmes, it’s all there.
SHARE
INSPIRE
PIONEER
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