LHI is short for "Ladies of the Hospitality Industry Happy Hour" and it all started out as an inside joke among girlfriends!

It was innocent enough… as a Hotel Catering Sales Manager in Washington, D.C. I wanted to get some mutual friends from the industry together so we could chat about open dates, refer some business to one another and meet some new vendors all while drinking fabulous martinis! There was only one problem… none of us could ever get out of work early enough, the only exception being for networking events. So I created the Ladies of the Hospitality Industry Happy Hour. I wanted the title to be distinguished enough to sound like a "real" networking event but still be a bit "tongue and cheek" so they would all get the joke!

When I moved to Chicago, after a few difficult months looking for a job, I decided to resurrect my LHI monthly events. I had hoped it would be a means to meet people in the industry, get to know all the venues and vendors… oh… and help me get a job!

The first LHI was in January 2006. I invited 20 women and an astounding 12 showed up! We now have over 1200 women on the list, with the occasional token gentleman, and anywhere from 50 to 150 attend each month!

We have now launched a Suburban LHI Events!  With already over 500 members, LHI Events is very excited to provide a fun and creative way to network in and around DuPage County.

Our members include Hotel and Restaurant Sales Managers, Corporate Meeting Planners, Off-Premise Catering Sales Managers, Décor Company Producers, DMC Account Managers, Vendor and Venue Sales Representatives, Musicians, Florists, Wedding and Independent Event Planners.


I have often heard our members chat about how unique LHI is compared to other networking groups. The secret is in the friendships! In the beginning almost everyone who attended an LHI Event was either someone I have personally met or a friend of one of the ladies in the group and that spirit of grassroots networking has continued.....come to an LHI Events...you will be surprised at the number of people you know!

Each month we get together to chat (well, ok... gossip!), check out a great venue and maybe even sneak in a little networking.

No Yearly Membership Dues!  Only $15 RSVP Fee.  Affordable Networking at its Best!


Since most of you know who I am I won’t bore you with too many details!

My name is Jennifer Monti. I am the Director of Catering Sales for Stefani Signature Events. I have held just about every event sales position in the industry; restaurant, rentals, hotel, destination management company and off-premise catering. I absolutely adore the hospitality industry and cannot imagine doing anything else. This industry is filled with creative, outgoing and unique people. You never know what you will be working on from one day to the next. And best of all… we always have the best stories at cocktail parties!