It’s International Women’s Day, and we are thrilled. The hospitality and nightlife industry is known to be for the guys, and there’s this unpopular opinion that guys do better in the industry. Today is a day set aside to celebrate the achievements of women in the industry, and there is no better way for us to do that than to show you how women have been making waves in this space despite the numerous stereotypes.
This celebratory piece spotlights four amazing women who have proven themselves to be forces to reckon with in this male-dominated industry and have had a great impact on Lagos’s nightlife and hospitality industry.
Damilola Mafe
Damilola Mafe, popularly known as Mafe Marvel, is a veteran promoter who has successfully hacked the game. But her journey was neither easy nor predictable. As a Nigerian born in London, Mafe never thought that she’d become a nightlife aficionado when she just moved to Lagos. When she started showing interest in the industry instead of a more traditional profession, her parents tried to dissuade her from it. But as a proper Lagosian who schooled in UNILAG, the centre of opportunities, you can only expect that it must have been difficult for her to follow the will of her parents.
Mafe was introduced to the Nightlife industry during her day at UNILAG and has been on the scene for over 15 years now. Her journey has evolved from being a promoter to working as a GM on several occasions. Mafe now runs The Assembly, which is one of the hottest nightclubs in the city today.
Tobi Hamilton
Let’s talk about a beauty with brains! Miss Hamilton is one woman who has proven that you can do and have it all if you want to. This amazing lady is a business professional and creative entrepreneur who decides what she wants and gets it done. She is a Harvard Business School alumni who also holds an MSc. (distinction) in Strategic Marketing and Competitive Intelligence, as well as a Professional Marketing Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK. It’s certainly safe to say that Miss Hamilton has put her years of study to good use, as she has been doing wonders in the hospitality industry.
Tobi is the Founder and Managing Director of THE HOUSE, a leading social house in Lagos. She owns the renowned marketing agency Hamilton & Hamilton, where she helps other brands execute flawless marketing strategies. Being the goal-getter that she is, Miss Hamilton knew that she could do more in the hospitality space and founded THE TERRACE, a quaint and cosy rooftop just last year and it has been doing so well ever since.
Tracy Nwapa
When you talk about style and class in Lagos, Nigeria, Tracy Nwapa is that girl who will certainly be in your subconscious. Tracy is that girl with fashion, and she knows it, and she has certainly put it to good use, proving herself to be the ultimate entrepreneurial powerhouse.
Being a fashion girly and interior designer, Tracy founded the Interior Culture by Obiageli, an interior decorating firm that offers diverse design services to clients across the country. This interior design and fashion guru went ahead and had an idea to create an interior design showroom with a small cafe highly influenced by Tulum, Mexico. Along the way, she decided to go all out to make a full-blown restaurant, and she certainly met our expectations and exceeded them. This restaurant called Slice Lagos is a stunning spot that has managed to check all the boxes for fine dining in the city. Tracy’s goal when opening this spot was to stand out and offer a unique experience foreign to Lagosians, and she did just that.
Abby Charles
This list is certainly incomplete without featuring the Queen of Nightlife. Abby Charles has been crowned the Queen, and that isn’t a title that one can accomplish in one night. In her 14 years of presence in the hospitality and nightlife realm, Abby has shown her dedication and has left her mark at every club she has worked in. Despite stereotypes that women cannot excel in the nightlife industry, Abby has focused on her vision to prove that she can do everything better. Her amazing dedication to the industry and her numerous impactful contributions have earned her four prestigious awards for excellence.
Her signature event “I Just Got Back” has been running for over a decade now with each edition of the event being unimaginably better than the last. Abby Charles is now an industry name that will remain in the history books and she fully intends to continue to prove that she can do everything better
Just like these four amazing women, there are several other women making a name for themselves in the hospitality and nightlife industry. Women have been breaking stereotypes and proving that it is possible to excel, even in male dominated industry and that’s certainly worthy of celebration!
