Hotel & Restaurant Times Oct/Nov 2015

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER ‘15

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BURNING AMBITION LARRY SMITH, NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE IRISH FOOD SERVICE ALLIANCE INTERVIEWED

A SHORT ORDER GMIT’S CÁIT NOONE ON THE CHEF SHORTAGE

BUDGET 2016 BROAD WELCOME FROM THE INDUSTRY

BURGEONING HOTEL TRADE KEEPING ROOM RATES REALISTIC

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COVER: Larry Smith, Chairman, IFSA

CONTENTS NEWS + APPOINTMENTS BUDGET REVIEW JP GLASS FÁILTE IRELAND NEWS PASCHAL DONOHOE INTERVIEW BEST WESTERN TOURISM IRELAND NEWS KENDERMAR DISTRIBUTORS RAI NEWS FÁILTE FOCUS BOOKASSIST MCWILLIAM PARK HOTEL IFSA NEWS BEWLEYS DALCASSIAN CHEF SHORTAGE EXCISE DUTY HOTEL ROOM RATES AA AWARDS GMIT NEWS UNILEVER CARVERY AWARDS IFSA LARRY SMITH NUTRITION FOOD TOURISM EFQM MUSGRAVES

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Hotel & Restaurant Times is circulated on subscription to Chief Executives, Directors and Proprietors of Hotels and Restaurants in Ireland along with Architects, Interior Designers and Suppliers to the Hotel and Restaurant Industry.

Managing Editor: Cyril McAree (01-6285447, cyril@hotelandrestauranttimes.ie) Contributors: Pavel Barter, Frank Corr, Dr Des O Mahony, Susan Clarke, Dee Laffin, Holly Lenny, Michelle Lane, Fáilte Ireland, IFSA, Tourism Ireland, Restaurants Association of Ireland, GMIT Printing: Turners of Longford All paper used in the production of this magazine comes from certifiably sustainable forestry.

ALL CONTENTS OF THE MAGAZINE ARE COPYRIGHT OF HOTEL & RESTAURANT TIMES: H&R HOUSE, CARTON COURT, MAYNOOTH, CO. KILDARE. TEL/FAX: 01 628 5447.

E-MAIL: editorial@hotelandrestauranttimes.ie WEB: www.hotelandrestauranttimes.ie H&RT OCTOBER/NOVEMBER ‘15

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Forward thinking The budget is over and all appears well. Tourism’s 9% VAT is retained, and other budgetary initiatives point to more money in people's pockets. However, Minister Noonan gave a cautionary note during his Dáil budget address regarding the retention of the 9% VAT rate.

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“The 9 per cent VAT rate is a major benefit to the tourism sector and is much sought after by other sectors in the economy,” he said. “While the case for retaining the measure for the hotel sector in Dublin is diminishing each year, with room rates rising particularly during major events, the case for retention of the measure for the rest of the country remains.”

This is perhaps a statement of intent to warn the industry that if prices are out of step with other countries, measures will be taken. Whilst those involved in the sector continually remind the minister that sector pricing is coming from an almost stagnant base rate, we must proceed with caution.

Recent media reports add credence to a worrying trend that harks back to vulgar Celtic tiger days. For instance, an American based website, Hotels.com, cites increases in the region of 19% for Dublin based hotels and an average of 15% nationwide. It could be argued that this website conducts very little business here and therefore isn't an accurate representation of price levels. But when commentators such as Catherine Cleary, of the Irish Times, and Georgina Campbell, note that standards are falling, but prices are rising, the sector needs to take note. All too often during the boom such people were derided as scaremongers. As we found out, to our cost, this was not the case. Let’s hope lessons have been learnt and the sector will correct these issues in a positive and responsible manner.

The other great debate is the issue around chefs and colleges that provide for the restaurant sector. On the one hand, the sector is asking for more assistance in recruiting and training chefs; on the other, colleges are asking for more engagement with operators to assist in ensuring their courses are fit for purpose. The industry has changed dramatically and the graduates of today have more options open to them.

It’s imperative the industry heed these changes and act appropriately. Take, for instance, contract catering. In the past this would not have been an option for many graduates, but today's graduate sees the profession in a different light. Today it offers regulated working hours and a real career path. The traditional restaurant, however, is now perceived as offering jobs with long working hours and low pay scales. This will have to be addressed in order to facilitate attracting young people to the sector.

The only people who can affect change are those involved in the sector itself. The solution, as they say, is in your hands.

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Cyril McAree Editor

NEWS

NEWS The K Club to stage Dubai Duty Free Irish Open

Hosted by the Rory Foundation, May 19-22, 2016 The K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare will stage next year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation from May 19-22. The prestigious resort will once again set the scene for some of the world’s greatest golfers including the World Number 1, Rory McIlroy. The four-time Major Champion also confirmed he will continue as tournament host on behalf of his charitable foundation, the Rory Foundation. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will have one of the highest prize funds on The 2016 Race to Dubai outside the Major Championship and World Golf Championship events with a prize fund of €4 million to play for.

An estimated 100,000 fans attended this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Northern Ireland and The K Club are looking forward to welcoming record crowds to the Kildare resort next summer Approximately €20 million has been spent renovating and extending The K Club in recent times.

Tourism Ireland wins the double at annual World Routes Awards 2015 Tourism Ireland fought off tough competition to secure two major wins at the international World Route Awards, taking both overall winner, the ‘World Routes Marketing’ award, and the ‘Best Destination Marketing’ award. The awards, which took place recently in Durban, South Africa, have been running since 1997 and recognise excellence in airport and route development marketing. The winners are decided by the votes of international airlines.

Siobhan McManamy, Tourism Ireland’s head of co-operative marketing (right), accepting the overall ‘World Routes Marketing’ award.

€30m package for PREM

PREM Group has announced a funding package worth €30m with Proventus Capital Partners. The Dublin-based company intends to use the funds to finance its expansion plans, which include acquisitions of freehold hotels, serviced apartment developments, hotel management, and services companies in European markets. PREM Group’s current portfolio spans Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and the UK, which consist of over 3,000 guest rooms and 1,500 employees. It manages and operates 42 hotels and serviced apartments including city-centre budget hotels, 4 star business hotels and luxurious resort properties. It also owns Premier Suites Dublin, with its properties at Leeson Street and Ballsbridge.

Jim Murphy, CEO, PREM Group.

Business picks up at Irish hotels Following a strong summer season, Irish hoteliers are more optimistic about their business outlook, with the vast majority of hotels and guesthouses (some 89%) reporting increased business levels so far this year, according to the latest Hotel Barometer from the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF). With overseas visitors up over 12% year to date, the sector is benefiting from an upturn in tourism from all key markets including North America (visitors up 14%), Britain (up 11%) and the rest of Europe (up 13%). The domestic market is also showing signs of improved performance, which is enormously important for the sector given demand from the island of Ireland accounts for the majority of all hotel bed nights (69%).

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NEWS

O brother, where art thou?

Brother Kevin Crowley with Pat Cussan (District Director for Radisson Blu Hotels in Ireland), Madeline Riley (General Manager, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Dublin) and Neil Lane (General Manager of Radisson Blu St. Helens Hotel) pictured at the Capuchin Centre, Dublin where 42 employees from three Dublin based Radisson BLU Hotels came together to prepare and serve 1000 meals to the city’s homeless and people in need. The initiative was part of the annual Radisson BLU Business Month.

Michelin romance continues at Mount Juliet

Reaching new Heights The Heights Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry, and The Market Yard in Limavady, Co. Derry, have been crowned Ireland’s best hotel and pub carvery venues respectively in the sixth annual Great Carvery of the Year competition. The winners were unveiled by sporting hero Katie Taylor. Among the provincial winners in the Hotel of the Year category are: Whitford House Hotel, Wexford, (Leinster); The Heights Hotel, Kerry (Munster); The Castlecourt Hotel, Mayo, (Connacht) and Harvey’s Point, Donegal (Ulster).

In the Public House of the Year category, the following venues claimed provincial titles: The 51 Bar, Dublin (Leinster); Bobby Byrne’s, Limerick (Munster); The Broken Pictured (l-r): Katie Taylor, Ciara Joyce, The Castlecourt Hotel Jug, Mayo, (Connacht); and The and Jim Reeves, Customer Director Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.

Market Yard, Derry (Ulster).

U.S. Show to encourage family travel to Wild Atlantic Way Anne Melia, Fáilte Ireland, met with American NBC Executive Producers Colleen Kelly and Bob Fennell, together with their crew, in Galway, as they began filming hidden gems along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

Indian summer Mount Juliet Estate has retained its Michelin Star for The Lady Helen, its contemporary fine dining restaurant. This marks the third year in a row the award has been bestowed on the restaurant at the five star destination in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Michelin is recognised by the industry as the only international system for grading haute cuisine and is seen as the ultimate mark of a restaurant’s fine dining quality.

Kings of Cong Ashford Castle in Cong, Co Mayo, has taken the top spot on the “best hotels in the world for fall 2015” list on the popular Huffington Post website - which has about 65 million readers in the United States. The author of the list, Richard Bangs, was invited by Tourism Ireland in New York to visit Ashford Castle earlier this year. The top spot on the same list last year was taken by another of our hotels - Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen.

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Indian travel agents at the Spanish Arch in Galway, with Kavya Chawla, Tourism Ireland (centre), and tour guide Maura O’Reilly (right).

Their itinerary designed by Fáilte Ireland included the Little Museum of Dublin, Trinity College and Malahide Castle in Dublin; Galway city and Connemara; as well as the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin Cave in Co Clare and the Irish National Stud in Kildare.

More power to hotels The online presence of new and developing overseas markets such as China and India is expected to rival the web-dominance of the US and Europe within the online travel industry in the coming years - in a global travel sales market expected to be worth $103 trillion this year. This is one of the many insights shared with almost 100 Irish tourism businesses at a recent International Online Symposium in the Aviva Stadium. The symposium was designed by Fáilte Ireland to encourage Irish businesses to take advantage of global travel trends as gross bookings for the global travel industry are expected to climb year on year. A workshop for international online operators is planned for Dublin in February 2016.

NEWS

The mighty Duck Marlfield House, Co. Wexford has opened its new Duck Terrace Restaurant, Café & Bar. Situated on the grounds of Marlfield House, just outside Gorey, The Duck is an assortment of restored courtyard buildings including a coach house, potting shed and gardener’s tool shed.

Outstanding in his field The Limerick Strand has unveiled a commissioned picture of local rugby legend, Paul O’Connell, which is displayed in the hotel foyer. “The very best of Limerick is personified in the character of Paul O’Connell. We felt it was befitting to have Limerick born Una Heaton capture the essence of the man in her stunning painting.

Huge thanks also to Limerick Leader Editor, Alan English, who penned the biography piece on Paul that hangs alongside the paining in the foyer,” said Sean Lally, General Manager.

Rebel Chilli Peppers

Cork based sauce company Rebel Chilli recently added their 100th store listing.

Brothers Paul and brother Ken developed the Rebel Chilli range of sauces, jellies, relishes and Chillionaire, which consists of 98% habanero chilli.

King of the castles

Pictured (l-r) are Una Heaton, Alan English and Sean Lally.

New food festival takes off Taste City Fusion, supported by CityJet, is a brand new food and drink festival from the team behind Taste of Dublin. Taking place from Thurs 22 to Mon 26 October, Taste City Fusion will see a range of Dublin venues transformed into gourmet destinations. With Christchurch Cathedral as the festival’s central hub, visitors will enjoy bespoke dining experiences, masterclasses and workshops, a street food fair, and more than 50 food and drink experiences, dedicated to celebrating Dublin’s food scene.

Castle Durrow has been listed as one of the top 10 Hotel Castles in the world, according to TripAdvisor. Having already received a TripAdvisor Traveller Choice Award in 2015 for being one of the Top 25 Hotels for Luxury in Ireland, proprietors Peter and Shelly Stokes were delighted with the news. “We are so thrilled with this customer TripAdvisor award, we cannot thank our guests enough for sending in their reviews,” they said.

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NEWS

Antrim’s hot property

Bulletproof monks

Galgorm Resort & Spa, a member of the Manor House Hotels portfolio, has launched its new €14.8m (£11m) Thermal Spa Village, creating almost 80 new jobs at the Co. Antrim resort.

The opening ceremony, performed by chairman of Tourism Northern Ireland, Terence Brannigan, marked the addition of an extra 45 luxury bedrooms and three suites to the Country Antrim property.

Master Zheng and Master Jinlei Wang will teach and carry out performances of Shaolin life and Chinese Culture at Monart Destination Spa, from Sept 19 to Dec 13 2015. See monart.ie for further information.

Million K Club

Over €20m has been spent renovating and extending the K Club in Straffan, Co. Kildare.

The work started when Michael Smurfit purchased the property in 2012. Renovations and improvements include two tennis courts, resurfacing the entrance avenue, opening a new Thai Restaurant and commissioning handmade Connemara Carpets for the lobby and public areas.

The Food People Pictured is Noel Keeley, MD of Musgrave Wholesale Partners, with Michelle Fennell, Marketing Director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners, and Clément Pavie, Business Development Chef for Musgrave MarketPlace, at the launch of the Musgrave MarketPlace new foodservice brochure. The new brochure, entitled The Food People, showcases the range available from Ireland’s wholesale supplier to retail, foodservice and SME businesses, and provides an introduction to the chefs to the technical team behind the brand and business.

Great escape Two new hotels have joined the posse at the Irishowned Great National Hotels and Resorts Group: the Claregalway Hotel, Galway, and the South Court Hotel, Limerick

Aramark extends contract with Guinness Storehouse Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), the $15 billion global provider of awardwinning services in food, facilities management and property, won a five year contract extension to manage in-house catering, hospitality sales and events at GUINNESS STOREHOUSE, Ireland’s number one visitor attraction and event destination, it was announced today. The company was chosen through a competitive bid process and is operating the business through its Irish hospitality group called “Seasons.”

Paul Carty, Managing Director GUINNESS STOREHOUSE said, “Aramark has been providing our visitors and event guests with high quality, delicious food since 2000. We’re at the forefront of welcoming tourists visiting Ireland and we work to ensure that our visitors and guests have a great experience. Aramark enables us to deliver that experience, every day.”

GUINNESS STOREHOUSE recently received ‘Europe’s leading tourist attraction’ recognition in the prestigious “World Travel Awards” and caters to more than 1.4 million customers who visit annually. The venue also hosts meetings throughout the year for businesses from around the world.

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“GUINNESS STOREHOUSE is an iconic landmark not just in Ireland, but globally and we are delighted to continue to serve them into the future” said Donal O’Brien, CEO, Aramark Ireland. “Our aim is to continue to enrich and nourish lives by delivering service excellence to visitors that enhance the overall customer experience.”

Visitors can expect to see a range of new concepts with foods that pair well with a pint of Guinness.

Cuisine will also be brought to life through a new theatre style kitchen in the Gilroy’s restaurant, where visitors can watch chefs prepare foods as they wait.

NEWS

Ulster create carpet magic on both sides of the border Ulster have once again showcased their design capabilities through the completion of two prestigious projects on both sides of the border, the Galgorm Resort & Spa and the Cavan Crystal Hotel. Local customer service and exceptional quality are just a few of the ways Ulster are proving it pays to support local manufacturing.

The elegant Renaissance Suite at the Galgorm Resort & Spa is the wedding venue of choice for brides seeking contemporary grandeur and luxury. Ulster Carpets worked to a brief set by RPP, to deliver a bespoke woven axminster which would bring their architectural visions to life. Delicate flowers grace the floors in a beautifully feminine way, deeply textured as though they were dried between the pages of an old romantic novel. Soft purples and greens dominate the colour palette and give the design a whimsical yet timeless feel.

Ulster Carpets also had the pleasure of carpeting the Galgorm’s iconic Conservatory during its refurbishment. The vibrant rug design, sweeps delightfully around the opulent atrium, taking its inspiration from the breathtaking country and river views the Conservatory affords.

Talking about tea

Jim Reeves, Unilever Food Solutions, and Munster rugby legend, Donncha O’Callaghan, launched a Lyons Tea promotion at Thomond Park, Limerick. Lyons Team Talk is open to Irish trade customers until 15 Jan 2016, with the opportunity to win an exclusive Team Talk led

by O’Callaghan. Customers can find promotional codes inside special Lyons Original 600 1 Cup Tea Bag packs. They then go to www.ufs.com/lyonsteamtalk, enter their unique code, nominate the team they want to win a Lyons Team Talk and complete the line “I want Lyons Tea to put the talk into my team because...”

Whiskey distillery welcomes 10,000th visitor

Exquisite foliage is scattered gracefully on the carpets Ulster created for the Function Room at the Cavan Crystal Hotel. Working alongside, Red Skye Design, the hotel were able to pluck this design from the Ulster archives and adapt it to their specific colours and requirements. The subtle mottled background, adds practicality to the floor covering, whilst also creating an almost high definition 3D effect where the leaves appear to fall from their branches. The simplistic yet chic rug design is the focal point of this refined space.

Both projects incurred the benefits of Ulster’s 75 years of experience as well as access to local sales and design support. The entire manufacturing process from design through to weaving occurs at the company’s County Armagh HQ, allowing for stringent controls at every stage, resulting in a superior product quality. This location allows customers in the North and South of Ireland to be closely involved with the project at all stages and enjoy watching Ulster’s talented designers translate their brief into a carpet masterpiece.

The Teeling Whiskey Distillery recently welcomed the 10,000th tour guest to its Dublin visitor centre. Robert Kennedy of Ocean County New Jersey, was presented with a bespoke bottle of Single Malt Irish Whiskey by Teeling brothers, Jack and Stephen.

The perfect pint

Star trekking Fáilte Ireland has put some of Dublin’s more remote places on the map, using the Google Trekker specialised camera to capture some of Dublin’s many beauty spots which haven’t yet been captured by Google Street View. Starting off on Howth Head, Fáilte Ireland’s Dublin team will gather images of some of Dublin’s magnificent views and hidden gems over the next number of weeks which will ultimately be made accessible via Google Maps.

Malahide, Sandycove, Dun Laoghaire, and the Grand Canal are among some of the other areas due to be captured by the Trekker.

Event Island scoops MIMA Fáilte Ireland has picked up a silver award at the Meetings Industry Marketing Awards (MIMA) in London, in the category Best Use of Video Marketing, for its Event island video to encourage international events to choose Ireland.

Guinness Storehouse has been named Europe’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards. The award was presented to the Guinness Storehouse at the European Gala Ceremony in Forte Village, Sardinia which was attended by hundreds of tourism and hospitality leaders from across the world.

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NEWS

Ballynahinch Castle welcomes new Cooke Ultan Cooke is a name familiar to those interested in the world of food, having been the chef at Aniar in Galway during the time it retained its Michelin star over the past two years. He just started in his new role as head chef at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, taking over from the hotel’s long-term head chef, Xin Sun, who has worked at the hotel since 2007, and who is staying on for a few weeks to ensure his successor has a smooth introduction to the role.

APPOINTMENTS PLUS Finance under control Niamh Armstrong has been appointed Financial Controller at Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, the family-run hotel perched on a hill overlooking Dublin Bay. Niamh will be taking the reins from Paul Cunningham who previously held the role for five years.

House of cards Elavon, a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp, Ireland’s independent card payments specialist, announced the appointment of Eric Horgan as Country Manager for Ireland. “Creating in-market focus with strong leadership are key themes in our European vision and Ireland is leading the charge,” said Andrew Key, Elavon’s president of Europe.

Mount Juliet announces senior exec appointments Pictured is Patrick O’Flaherty, General Manager at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, with chefs Xin Sun and Ultan Cooke.

Where the Wind blows

Windward Management, a hospitality management company, has announced the appointment of Brendan Curtis as its new Chief Operating Officer. Brendan joins Windward from Vanquish Hotels, a company he founded and directed since 2008. An experienced practitioner in hospitality management, he previously held the positions of CEO and COO of Choice Hotels Ireland and regional management positions with Forte Hotels in the UK.

Living the dream

Mount Juliet Estate has made a number of senior appointments to key executive roles within the business.

These appointments are part of the estate’s recently announced €10m investment plan, which will roll out over the coming 12 to 18 months.

Peter Wilson has been appointed as General Manager of the Estate. Peter is an experienced General Manager, having held the position at Whites of Wexford, the Spectra Hotel Group - which operates the Kilkenny River Court and Lyrath Estate Hotel - and Knockranny House.

Jerry Mellerick has been appointed Commercial Financial Director of Mount Juliet Estate. He is an experienced chartered accountant, ACA, with over 20 years of leadership and development skills. He previously held the role of Financial Director of Itsa for seven years along with other senior positions with Bord Gais, British Gas and Musgraves.

Christine Murphy has been appointed Sales and Marketing Director of Mount Juliet Estate. A graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management, and the Marketing Institute of Ireland, she brings over 15 years experience to the role within the luxury hotel sector. This experience includes the past 7 years at the Doyle Collection Group, where she was Director of Sales and Marketing for their Dublin hotels.

All right on the McKnight Derek McKnight has been appointed Food and Beverage Director on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. He previously worked as Executive Chef on board the ship since 2008.

A native of Ballinlough in Cork, Derek trained in Rockwell Catering College and Cork Institute of Technology before he travelled to Stuttgart to continue his culinary training.

Crossing continents The InterContinental Dublin, has announced the appointment of Clement Gaffney as General Manager of its five star property in Ballsbridge. Clement was previously Director of Hotels for Lough Rynn Castle, in County Leitrim and Kilronan Castle in Co Roscommon.

Keane recruit Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa in Clonakilty, West Cork has announced the appointment of Sherna Malone as new Sales and Marketing Executive. Sherna joined the Inchydoney team in November 2014 from Bronwyn Conroy Beauty School, where she held the position of Managing Director.

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Tommy Keane has been appointed Production Director with Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard.

Tommy worked as General Manager of Midleton Distillery since 2006 and, in his time as General Manager, increased the production of the plant at Midleton, Co. Cork, from 19 million litres of alcohol (mla) to 64 mla. He successfully led the design and project management teams involved in the recent €110m distillery expansion. He also sourced and negotiated the purchase of the 70 hectare maturation site in Dungourney.

BUDGET 2016

Hospitality industry welcomes budget Frank Corr analyses industry reaction to Budget 2016

“The reduction in VAT to 9 per cent in the tourism sector and the abolition of the air travel tax improved Ireland competitiveness. The benefit of these policies can be seen in tourist numbers, new businesses, the survival of established businesses and, most of all, in employment. The 9 per cent VAT rate is a major benefit to the tourism sector and is much sought after by other sectors in the economy. While the case for retaining the measure for the hotel sector in Dublin is diminishing each year with room rates rising particularly during major events, the case for retention of the measure for the rest of the country remains. So, I will not be making any changes to the 9 per cent VAT rate in this Budget.”

Michael Noonan Despite minimal references to tourism in the speeches of Ministers Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin, the hospitality industry was reasonably satisfied with Budget 2016. Crucially, the 9% preferential VAT rate on tourism services has been retained although many employers will see

their wage bill rise following the 50c per hour rise in the Statutory Minimum Wage.

Employees in the sector will also benefit from the reductions in Universal Social Charge rates while small scale businesses will gain from the €550 a year tax credit for the self-employed.

The €50m capital grants allocated to the commemoration of the 1916 Rising should produce an indirect benefit to tourism as will new grants for Cultural and Heritage Centres.

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BUDGET 2016 During his speech Minister Noonan made a single reference to Tourism when he said: “The reduction in VAT to 9 per cent in the tourism sector and the abolition of the air travel tax improved Ireland competitiveness. The benefit of these policies can be seen in tourist numbers, new businesses, the survival of established businesses and, most of all, in employment. The 9 per cent VAT rate is a major benefit to the tourism sector and is much sought after by other sectors in the economy. While the case for retaining the measure for the hotel sector in Dublin is diminishing each year with room rates rising particularly during major events, the case for retention of the measure for the rest of the country remains. So, I will not be making any changes to the 9 per cent VAT rate in this Budget.”

Initial reaction to the Budget from hospitality industry bodies was positive.

Fáilte Ireland welcomed the continuation of the reduced rate of 9% VAT for the hospitality sector. Shaun Quinn, CEO said that the measure, which was originally introduced by the Government in 2011, has made a significant contribution to job creation in the sector and to the perception overseas that Ireland is a destination which is good value for money.

“The tourism sector is once more experiencing steady growth and generating significant levels of revenue and jobs particularly in rural Ireland where tourism is the main local industry in many parts. The lower VAT rate allows Irish tourism to compete aggressively with competing overseas destinations and to provide our visitors with the good value to match the quality of our welcome. The continuation of this measure will help sustain growth and deliver more jobs in the year ahead,” he said.

With two thirds of its funding coming from the Irish Government, Tourism Ireland also had a keen interest in the Budget proposal.

Niall Gibbons, CEO said: “We welcome the Government’s continued commitment to tourism and the decision to retain the 9% VAT rate for our industry. The reduced VAT rate has certainly helped the tourism sector address the issue of competitiveness, ensuring better value for money for our overseas visitors in recent years. We also very much welcome the Government’s decision to increase funding for overseas marketing. While 2015 looks set to be the best year ever for Irish tourism, ambitious targets have been set for 2016 and beyond, so this is positive news indeed.”

The retention of 9% VAT was also a priority for the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation. Said CEO Eoghan O’Mara Walsh: “Visitor numbers into Ireland are performing very strongly in 2015 and the

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“The tourism sector is once more experiencing steady growth and generating significant levels of revenue and jobs particularly in rural Ireland where tourism is the main local industry in many parts. The lower VAT rate allows Irish tourism to compete aggressively with competing overseas destinations and to provide our visitors with the good value to match the quality of our welcome. The continuation of this measure will help sustain growth and deliver more jobs in the year ahead.”

Shaun Quinn reduced Vat rate has helped the industry become more competitive. Up to 40% of all new jobs created in the Irish economy since the downturn have been created in the tourism industry and the sector has real potential to add further jobs in the years to come but only if the right government policies and investment strategies are pursued.”

“We very much welcome the Government’s decision to increase funding for overseas marketing. While 2015 looks set to be the best year ever for Irish tourism, ambitious targets have been set for 2016 and beyond, so this is positive news indeed.”

Niall Gibbons

BUDGET 2016 based on low wages, was no recovery at all. Today, I am very pleased to confirm that the Government will implement the Commission’s proposal. From January 1st 2016, the new statutory minimum wage will rise from €8.65 to €9.15 per hour. This means that under this Government the minimum wage has been increased by nearly 20%.”

Adrian Cummins, chief executive of RAI said that overall the Association is ‘content’ with the Budget. “In our pre-Budget Submission, we set out objectives that we wanted met. Today, in Budget 2016 our three key issues have been addressed. We stressed that Budget 2016 needed to be pro job creation and pro economy and the Government has assured us that the VAT rate at 9% would be retained and a widening of PRSI pay bands to alleviate costs on employers.”

“The success of the lower rate of VAT is evident in the 32,558 new jobs that have been created since its introduction in 2011 and in the savings of €651 million to the Exchequer in the past four years,” Cummins added.

The RAI had also lobbied the Government to reduce the current rate of excise duty. While there was no reduction, the RAI says it is relieved that there was no increase in excise duty in Budget 2016. It had also campaigned for the lifting of the ban on selling alcohol on Good Friday.

But that must wait for another day.

“The success of the lower rate of VAT is evident in the 32,558 new jobs that have been created since its introduction in 2011 and in the savings of €651 million to the Exchequer in the past four years.”

Adrian Cummins The retention of the 9% tourism VAT rate was also welcomed by the Irish Hotels Federation. Tim Fenn, chief executive, said the measure continues to act as a vital support for employment growth, building on the 33,000 new jobs created by tourism businesses since the measure was introduced in 2011.

“Today’s budget is very positive for the many thousands of tourism businesses which now support 205,000 jobs across the country - equivalent to 11% of total employment,” he said. “The 9% VAT rate, in particular, is of enormous importance to the industry, helping to level the playing field for Irish tourism when competing with international destinations. As a result, Irish tourism is now on track to create a further 40,000 jobs over the next five years. Combined with increased air access and the reduction of the air travel tax to zero, the 9% VAT rate will continue to deliver enormous dividends to the exchequer.”

The Restaurants Association of Ireland was pleased that its lobbying for the widening of PRSI bands to alleviate the additional cost of a higher Minimum Wage, bore fruit. RAI had opposed a raising of the Minimum Wage.

Introducing his proposal to increase the Minimum Wage by 50c per hour, Minister Howlin said: “A fair society is one where those who work hard receive decent rewards. One of the first acts of this Government was to reverse the unnecessary and cruel €1 per hour cut to the minimum wage. A cut of over 11%. In July of this year, the Low Pay Commission recommended that the minimum wage be increased further, by 50c to over €9 per hour. The Commission recognised that a recovery

“Today’s budget is very positive for the many thousands of tourism businesses which now support 205,000 jobs across the country - equivalent to 11% of total employment.”

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BUSINESS MERGER

Crystal clear JP Glass merger with Global Design Concepts makes them a major competitor in the world hospitality industry but remaining focused on the Irish market.

JP Glass is a family business which was established in Cork in 1890 by John Peyton Glass. It was a small general store at that time selling everything haberdashery related. In 1963 the business moved to Wicklow St in Dublin and specialised more in household goods. In 1977 David Gray, now managing director, started the business in retail sales and developed the curtain department into a well known furnishing store in Dublin.

However a significant shift came for JP Glass during the 1980’s. David continues, “We were keen to get into the hotel end of the market and we did a big job for Dublin Airport Hotel and that really showed us the

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volume we could get into so we developed a brochure and started to make good connections in the hotel industry. We had moved to Phibsborough in 1982 and from about the 1990’s on the most significant sector of our business was the hotel industry.”

JP Glass’s skill and expertise in reading their market and adapting their business accordingly, has been central to their latest development, a merger with Global Design Concepts (GDC). GDC is an Australian company. They are a sister company to a large furniture manufacturer working in nursing homes and they wanted to move into the hotel and hospitality sector. “There seemed to be a natural synergy between GDC’s background and where they wanted to go and where we had been and where our expertise is,” explains David. GDC approached us in 2013 and we started discussing a merger.

Bobby Gray gives us the background to the development of their hotel business in Ireland and how the new merger came about. “I joined the business straight out of school in 1999. At first I worked in the linen side of the business but I moved into working with hotels and then into the project management side of the hotel business

BUSINESS MERGER

including refurbishments and fit-outs. In the early 2000’s I hit the road and began in sales, developing the hotel business and working on the new projects that were coming online then. We did a huge amount of projects from 2001 right up to 2008.

We would get all the products into manufacture and ready for installation on the fitting date. We did all the furnishings for Carton House and the whole of the Fota Island Hotel during this time.”

So with their core business now focused on hotels, how did the company survive during the crash? Once again it was the ability to adapt. Bobby explains, “We did some apartment projects in 2008 and 2009 which kept us busy. Hotels just froze, they stopped spending, their turnover dropped significantly and so did ours. So we started to look at other markets. We did a number of large projects in Healthcare, e.g. St Vincent’s Private Hospital and a lot of blinds in hospitals and schools. We also looked at the UK market and we did one or two projects over there.”

“By 2012 we could see that hotels would have to start spending money again. We knew they would have to start re-investing in their properties if they wanted to continue, especially as tourism was starting to come back again. People started to buy hotels at knock down prices also at this time. I think a real sign that the industry was turning a corner was when Dromoland Castle bought back The Inn at Dromoland. So we made a decision to review and take stock of working in healthcare. Our expertise had always in fairness been in the hotels side of business, we consider ourselves specialists in the hotel market and wanted to concentrate our efforts there.

“2013 was a busy year for us. Last year was a busy year as is this year and we want to continue growing the business. The feedback we are getting is that hotels

Cliff Gray

David Gray

Bobby Gray

have had an exceptionally busy year, room rates are up, so hotels will have capital for refurbishments. It’s happening outside of Dublin too. I was in Bundoran recently and indentified a number of hotels we hadn’t across worked with before and they were telling me they have had a good year.”

Many hotels built between 2000 and 2005 are now a minimum of ten years old, and due to the economy, have done little or no refurbishment for the last ten years.

Experience shows that every ten years is usually the refurbishment cycle, but many hotels stretched it to fifteen years, due to the recession. Now the rooms are 15 years old and with the tourism sector looking positive, it is time to update in a lot of hotels.

JP Glass have read this in the marketplace but are also aware of some other trends.So, with all these strands coming together in the Irish market and globally, it seemed an opportune time for a merger with Global Design Concepts (GDC).

“GDC have a huge amount of contacts to help us develop the furniture business which is something we wanted to do. We have been known for soft furnishings mainly but we wanted to get into chair and bedroom furniture, which they have a lot of experience in. We did a lot of work with them last year. They bought over a furniture manufacturer in Germany called Vectro, so that was really the first step in becoming what we want to be which is an international fitting company, with offices and products available globally.”

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BUSINESS MERGER

There is now GDC Ireland, GDC UK, GDC Germany, that’s the result of the Vectro takeover and that company is set to become the brand name GDC furniture, and there is GDC Australia.

However, the most important message JP Glass want to get across is that they don’t want to loose their connection with the Irish hoteliers. David says,”We want to continue to reach out to them and we don’t want them to think that we are too big for their business.” So how do you retain your Irish identity and Irish focus despite being global? “Sometimes in Ireland the business relationships are actually stronger than the quality of the business. We want to maintain our relationships but also offer a far superior product in the market.”

David elaborates, “There are a lot more groups active in the market at the moment and many are all connected globally. So, one of our plans, particularly in the UK is when we are doing a Hilton in London, we can also be talking to their guys in Germany, France, or anywhere in the world. There are a lot of changes in the hotel industry, The Burlington has become a Double-Tree Hilton, The Morrison is now a Double-Tree Hilton and big outside brands are now coming into the country. They are looking to work with companies that have recognition, the JP Glass name is well known in Ireland but it means nothing in the UK or globally.

We now feel that with this merger we will be more readily identifiable in the international market space.”

So if hotels chose to use JP Glass, following this merger, what service can they expect to receive? “Well, firstly all our products meet all the regulations and EU

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standards. We aren’t the cheapest on the market and we don’t want to be but we do offer a refurbishment on a room that will last 15 years, including all the appropriate fabric and furniture and most of our furniture is manufactured in Ireland. It’s more expensive, but it’s a better quality and more reliable product. Our reputation is for the quality of the products we offer. Soft furnishings are still the mainstay of our business but we have more furniture options now as a result of the merger.”

“So that is what we are, what we want to become is a complete design and fitout, one stop, turn key package and a quality product. Our main selling points are; people are dealing with one company, we will work closely with the hotel to project manage the job and we have a very quick turnaround. Our work with the Castleknock Hotel this year is a prime example of what we can do. On that job we were turning around 15 rooms in a week. So we were taking the rooms on a Monday and the hotel was selling them again on the Friday.”

“In any job there are a number of trades involved and they’ve all got to be managed. So we manage all these trades and ensure everything gets done to the right standards, at a minimal impact to the hotel. The hotel’s point of contact is our project manager, so the hotel only needs to have one point of contact. In Dromoland Castle this year, that’s what we did. From strip out to completion the general manager only had to deal with us.”

“We know the longevity of products so whatever budget a hotel has, we know the products that will suit and will last. We are seeing our curtains in hotels 20 or 25 years later. The Royal Hotel in Bray is an example.”

Cliff Gray has been in project management but has now moved to sales. “We are getting new enquiries now and we are seeing new positivity out there. You have to network, to meet people; you need to be on the ground. We don’t want people out there to think we’ve been taken over and that hoteliers won’t be dealing with the same people on the ground. We want people to know they will be dealing with the same people; it’s not a take over. The company is still functioning it’s just a name change and a re-brand.”

GDC has 10 nine full-time employees and a pool of approximately 20 sub contractors that they use. “Every project is different; depending on budget and client preferences we use whatever contractors suit. We can specifically design a carpet for clients and get it made and fitted. People are re-investing in their hotels again and we want to be there.”

So as this merger begins with GDC, JP Glass has adapted yet again, from a small family business to one set to take on the world’s hotel market. But without loosing sight of its Irish customer base.

For further details Ph: 01 8660700 Email: dublin@globaldesignconcepts.com

FÁILTE IRELAND NEWS

€1.8m in Funding for ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’

Fáilte Ireland recently announced €1.2m in funding for capital projects in Ireland’s Ancient East along with an additional €600k for the first stage of branded signage for all counties within the region.

The €1.2m Capital funding is the first phase of investment through Fáilte Ireland’s ‘New ideas in Ancient Spaces’ Capital Grants Scheme and is for an initial 12 projects within the Ireland’s Ancient East initiative. It is expected that projects in every county within Ireland’s Ancient East will be supported through the scheme over the coming months.

This first phase of funding under the ‘New ideas in Ancient Spaces’ Capital Grants Scheme follows a Fáilte Ireland call for applications from interested parties across the region. Fáilte Ireland is currently assessing a number of further applications from that call and will be announcing another round of funding before the end of the year.

Launched last April, Ireland’s Ancient East is Fáilte Ireland’s latest tourism initiative and seeks to build on the wealth of historical and cultural assets in the east and south of Ireland. The new initiative seeks to give visitors a personal experience of 5000 years of Irish history through a journey of discovery stretching from Carlingford to Cork and is intended to match and complement the Wild Atlantic Way in terms of scale and ambition.

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The capital funding announced in the first phase of the ‘New ideas in Ancient Spaces’ Capital Grants Scheme is being awarded to: • Lullymore Heritage & Discovery Park Ltd - enhanced visitor experience, County Kildare • Titanic Connections, Cork • Uisneach Interpretative Centre, County Westmeath • Tholsel Visitor Centre, Fethard, County Tipperary • Redevelopment of Powerscourt Visitor Interpretation Experience, County Wicklow • Athlone Castle - Enhancing the Visitor Experience, County Westmeath • Hook Lighthouse Guided Tour Experience, County Wexford • Journeys of Exploration, Anglo Irish Heritage at Blackrock Castle, Cork • Dunleckney Maltings, Carlow • Birr’s Anglo Irish & Early Christian Heritage, County Offaly • Boyne Valley: Waterway through Time, Trim, County Meath • Ancient Stones, Untold Stories - St Canice’s Cathedral & Round Tower Interpretation Project, Kilkenny Fáilte Ireland CEO Shaun Quinn emphasised: “Fáilte Ireland is working directly with businesses and communities on the ground to bring this new experience brand alive.

During the assessment phase for this capital funding, we were incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm and high quality of ideas within the proposals that we received.

“As an initiative firmly rooted in our past and our stories, it is vital that we bring these stories alive to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by Ireland’s Ancient East. Today’s funding will help us towards that goal and, by the year’s end, we will have helped to prime projects in every county within Ireland’s ancient East.”

Mr Quinn pointed out that Ireland’s Ancient East was an evolving initiative with much work to do. Fáilte Ireland is working with businesses and communities in the region to bring the proposition to life and to animate the stories of their locality. Mr Quinn added that, as part of the work to create a unified ‘look’ for the new initiative, €600k was now being allocated for the first phase of a signage and interpretation programme to bring all the diverse elements of Ireland’s Ancient East under the new experience brand.

FÁILTE IRELAND NEWS

Autumn sales blitz for tourism October and November will see Irish tourism businesses engage in almost 8,500 oneto-one sales meetings with 275 key international tour operators. This is all part of an Autumn Sales Blitz - a series of six regional events designed to allow Irish tourism businesses to pitch to overseas operators encouraging them to sell Ireland to their customers for the 2016 tourism season. The first workshop will took place in September in The Strand Hotel, Limerick where Irish businesses pitched to Coach & Group Tour buyers from Great Britain and subsequent events will focus on the British and North American markets.

The British and North American markets have been performing strongly in recent years and there is potential for further growth in 2016 building on the increase in revenue so far this year.

Revenue (m) 2011 2012 2013 2014 Britain 858.3 857.9 890.9 926.7 North America 677.4 754.7 829 940.3 Rising tourism numbers and revenue from these thriving markets are important factors underpinning job creation within the tourism sector. Fáilte Ireland’s research indicates that: • Every 55 international tourists helps support one tourism job • Each 1,000 additional tourists create 18 more jobs in the tourism industry • Every €1million of tourist expenditure helps to support 34 tourism jobs Each of these sales workshops focus on a different target market which has been identified as an area of potential growth for Ireland. The workshops include • British Coach & Group tour workshop - 28 September 2015 • UK Inbound workshop - 7 October 2015 • US market workshop - 14 October 2015 • The Wild Atlantic Way Expo - 19 October 2015 • Meet in Ireland 2015 (focusing on the area of corporate meetings and incentive travel) - 22 October 2015 • Canadian workshop - 3 November 2015 As well as focusing on the North American and British markets, Fáilte Ireland will also be targeting key demographics in two specially tailored events - the Wild Atlantic Way Expo and Meet in Ireland 2015.

Speaking about the Autumn sales blitz, Shaun Quinn, Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland said, “Even though our key markets are delivering extra visitors and revenue for 2015 we must not become complacent. So these workshops focus on growing two of our fastest growing tourism markets, The UK and US. We are also looking to other lucrative sectors such as the youth and adventure market and the area of corporate meetings and incentive travel to ensure that Ireland continues to take a focussed approach to growing tourism in a sustainable manner which will ensure that we enjoy continuing growth in the sector for years to come.

“We are delighted that so many important overseas travel operators have come to Ireland once again this year during this crucial period when they start planning for their 2016 season and beyond. These overseas agents have the capacity to deliver significant amounts of visitors to Ireland and their presence here is a testimony to Ireland’s appeal as a destination.”

Pictured attending the first of Fáilte Ireland’s 2016 Autumn Sales Blitz in the Strand Hotel Limerick were Richard Hurley, Grandville Hotel, Waterford; Caroline Rice, Heritage Island Ireland’s Premier Attractions; Monica Gilmore, Charleville Park Hotel & Leisure Centre, Cork; and Ann Marie Murphy, Fáilte Ireland.

To further showcase Ireland and build new and incremental business by encouraging these operators to put Ireland into their future plans, Fáilte Ireland has put together a series of customised itineraries allowing the travelling agents to get a first-hand experience of all that Ireland has to offer before each of the workshops. These visits are focussed on each markets area of interest and will see them travel around Ireland and experience the historical and cultural assets of Ireland’s Ancient East, the varied adventure available along the Wild Atlantic Way and the things to do and see in Dublin.

Highlights of the visits include a variety of experiences including - a Kinsale to Clonakilty cycle, a Burren Nature and Geology Education Tour, a Cork city experience which includes a visit to the English Market, St Finabars Cathedral, Cork City Gaol and a trip to The Boyne Valley, taking in Newgrange and Trim Castle. Other attractions on the list include Kilbeggan Distillery, Belvedere Hose and Gardens and Strokestown Park in Co. Roscommon. Dublin highlights will include a cliff walk to the summit of Howth Head, a dine-around Dublin experience and a Meet the City Treasure Hunt.

New phase of Wild Atlantic Way Fáilte Ireland recently launched a new €3.5m phase of the Wild Atlantic Way with further development for the touring route’s 188 designated Discovery Points. With the intention of bringing each site to life and encouraging visitor engagement, photofriendly marker points and interpretation panels - explaining the significance of each point - will be installed ahead of next year’s tourism season.

Fáilte Ireland has been working with Local Authorities along the Atlantic coast to complete this crucial upgrade of the Wild Atlantic Way’s designated Discovery Points.

This work will involve the installation of Photo Points at all sites which are designed to literally ‘frame’ the photographs taken by

visitors at beauty spots and scenic views along the route. The work will also involve the erection of sturdy weather-proof interpretation panels at each point to tell the relevant stories for each particular area and Fáilte Ireland has worked with a number of communities along the route to bring these stories to life. The interpretation panel will also include information advising visitors of other things to do and see in the area and will also include an orientation map of the immediate surrounding area.

Fáilte Ireland CEO, Shaun Quinn, emphasised: “We really want to improve the visitor experience along the Wild Atlantic Way and give visitors opportunities to learn from, engage with and share what they encounter. The photo points, for example, are located at the most scenic spot of each Discovery Point and are intended to provide a sense of arrival at that place and encourage visitors to have their pictures taken with the spectacular scenery on hand in the background. We hope that this not only encourages them to engage with the view but also to share their images with friends and family online and via social media.”

The total investment in this phase of development for the discovery points is €3.5m and it is expected that all work will be completed by the Local Authorities in time for the 2016 tourism season. This investment for the Wild Atlantic Way also includes a remedial works programme which will entail the repair of surfaces, boundary walls and fencing and the general tidying up and presentation of these sites.

During the original development of the Wild Atlantic Way route, a number of existing viewing points and lay-bys were identified and established as Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Points. Fáilte Ireland worked with the relevant Local Authorities along the route to carry out remedial works for each of these points to ensure that the sites were presentable for this year’s (2015) tourist season. This announcement marks the next stage of development of these sites and will further enhance their appeal to visitors.

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INTERVIEW

A minister for all seasons H&R Times talks to Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, about increased tourism numbers to Ireland in 2015, staff shortages in Irish restaurants, and how an expanding LUAS network will bring more business to Dublin’s margins.

The dark days appear to be behind us.

According to new figures from the Central Statistic office (CSO), revenue from overseas visitors increased by 16% for the first half of 2015, compared to the same time last year, with spending up €253m. There were 34% more visitors from North America, 15% more from mainland Europe and 8% from Britain.

Minister for Tourism Paschal Donohoe said the success can be attributed to a three-tier approach, which includes the private sector: food production, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and the access industry. “The IAG acquisition of Aer Lingus has been fundamental for new routes. It has the potential to build capacity in existing routes and sent out an important signal to the broader aviation industry, regarding the fact we now have two gigantic players in global aviation: Ryanair and IAG.”

“ From the Wild Atlantic Way, to the routes into Cork Airport, to development of our regional airports, we have shown a rare ability to make hay while the sun is shining.

Donohoe commended state bodies, such as Tourism and Failte Ireland, for their initiatives, and the government for introducing tourism’s 9% VAT rate. He acknowledged that the weakening euro helped Ireland’s performance. “From the Wild Atlantic Way, to the routes into Cork Airport, to development of our regional airports, we have shown a rare ability to make hay while the sun is shining.”

The same might be said for Donohoe’s career. A native Dubliner, the 41 year old studied Politics and Economics in Trinity College before embarking on an 11 year tenure with American consumer groups company Procter & Gamble (P&G). Six of these years were spent in the UK, managing

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cash and carry businesses in Birmingham and east London, and later Tesco. Five years were spent with P&G in Ireland.

“This professional experience couldn’t have been better suited for the job I’m in now,” he said. “Tourism has similar challenges and opportunities but of a different nature. Working on branding in P&G, for example, has also been of huge benefit.”

Donohoe was elected to Dublin City Council in 2004 for the Cabra-Glasnevin area, and later appointed as Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Transport and the Marine.

In 2011, he topped the poll at the 2011 general election for Fine Gael. Two years later, following the resignation of Lucinda Creighton, he was appointed Minister of State for European Affairs. He became Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport as part of a Cabinet reshuffle in 2014.

Earlier this year, Donohoe established the Tourism Leadership Group, with the aim of increasing overseas visitor revenue to €5bn per year by 2025. Members of the group, which Donohoe chairs, include Shaun Quinn, Fáilte Ireland CEO, and Ray Hernan, Arnotts CEO. There has been criticism it does not adequately represent the food sector. Donohoe is bullish about the complaint.

“One of the challenges you face when you put together groups like this, there will

INTERVIEW

always be people or interest groups who feel they are not represented. I think all the people involved have an appreciation of the role of food in further creating a reason for people to come to Ireland. The Fáilte Ireland statement of strategy, across the next two years, will give specific reference to food and food tourism. In terms of the Action Plan, that will be come out of the leadership group, food will get prominence.”

Nevertheless, the industry has concerns about its future, particularly due to staff shortages. According to the Restaurants Association of Ireland, a shortage of chefs has reached a “crisis level”. During the summer, the Association called for Cert to be re-established.

Donohoe cites a new apprenticeship scheme [which has 25 proposals focused on a wide range of skills and sectors, including Tourism and Sport] from Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien English.

“Work is also underway in our Institutes of Technology across the country to find a way to give the right level of training to people coming into the sector. My sense is we have an industry getting back on its feet.” He added: “There is a renewed appreciation in the skill involved in being a chef and how ‘cool’ that can be. The chefs who gain greater profile in Ireland, whether through restaurants or what they have done in the media, are leading to a repositioning of how young people see the broad food sector.”

Evidence from restaurants and chefs suggests otherwise. In an interview with the Irish Times in August, John Wyer, chef at Forest Avenue restaurant in Donnybrook, said “There are people looking for the fast track to stardom. It’s a difficult trade, and it requires years of commitment and sacrifice... The career has been glorified through social media and TV, and I think that has had some very positive influences on the trade but also some detrimental effects.”

MasterChef Ireland judge Nick Munier agreed that more training was required to We’re going to increase reduce the “scramble” to find the right the number of people staff and change the perception of the who use the LUAS by industry. “In London, Paris and New York almost a third. The new it’s regarded as a first-class job. Whereas line is going to go from here, you’re just a server in a restaurant the City Centre up into or you’re a cook. Here, it’s not regarded the Northside to run as the correct career path,” he told the alongside places like Irish Times.

Stoneybatter and As far as the country’s wider tourism incentives are concerned, slicing of Phibsborough. budgets for Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland has hampered progress, although Donohoe cites the success of Ireland’s Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way. Some counties, however, particularly in the midland Monaghan and Cavan area, feel abandoned by these initiatives.

“Ireland’s Ancient East will give scope for some of those areas and communities to be included. That will certainly be my intention. Any decisions that we make in relation to how taxpayer’s money is invested in tourism, as is the case with everything else, has

“

to be strictly based on the return we can get.

There are now so many competing demands and needs for the development of Irish tourism, we have to be careful how we spend that money. I understand the feeling other parts of the country have at the moment. But Ireland’s Ancient East will allow the development of marketing, locations, and sites that will allow us to spread the breadth of Irish tourism beyond the west, Dublin, and into the rest of the country.”

Donohoe wears transport and tourism hats. The two industries are not seeing eye to eye at the moment in Dublin, where LUAS works are impacting business. The minister said there is no conflict of interests. Instead, the industry should look forward to long term benefits.

“We’re going to increase the number of people who use the LUAS by almost a third.

The new line is going to go from the City Centre up into the Northside to run alongside places like Stoneybatter and Phibsborough. We’re linking restaurants and cafes that opened up over the last 12 months in Dublin 7, such as Boqueria on Prussia Street, to the public transport network. It’s not even long term. It will be open in 2017.”

In the short term, Donohoe wants to maintain tourism’s 9% VAT rate in the upcoming budget. He also has the small matter of an election next year. But, for now, building upon the success of this year’s tourism success is his priority.

“This is an absolutely brilliant department,” he said. “It’s so interesting and future facing. If I have an opportunity to get re-elected, to be back in cabinet, I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be. There’s so much great work on the way. I would love to play whatever role I can in seeing it continue.”

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PARTNERSHIP

Best agreement Hotel & Restaurant Times met with Hotel Partners’ Director of Revenue and e-commerce Brian Clarke, Best Western Hotels & Resorts Neville Graham - Managing Director International Member Services, and Karl de Lacy - International Development Director, to chat about the new partnership.

Hotel Partners, Ireland’s leading hotel management company, and Best Western Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel chain, have joined together to offer a unique integrated solution for Irish hotels. The partnership is a synergy of management expertise and big brand pulling power, offering properties a one stop shop in terms of branding and management with a focus on driving revenue, operational effectiveness, and profitability.

Hotel & Restaurant Times met with Hotel Partners’ Director of Revenue and ecommerce Brian Clarke, and Best Western Hotels & Resorts Neville Graham Managing Director International Member Services, and Karl de Lacy - International Development Director, to chat about the new partnership.

So, how did the agreement come about?

“Best Western Hotels & Resorts is always looking for ways to expand the brand within Ireland,” Neville tells us. “We wanted to get involved in some way with management, so we looked at the marketplace in Ireland to see who we could talk to. We knew Brian, we worked together previously, and we knew Hotel Partners and what they did. So when we came together what was really evident to us was that they know the market

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and have a wealth of experience managing many hotels and portfolio of different hotel products, and we have six product descriptors that can serve every market, so it was a natural fit.”

Brian agrees. “We were looking for relevant opportunities to expand our management contracts and we’ve always felt an affinity with Best Western - it’s built on the same values as Hotel Partners and ultimately focussed on driving profit for the hotel owner. Together we looked at the market and thought, what is needed here?”

It’s easy to see how the partnership made sense. Combining each company’s strengths with a common vision has enabled them to create an integrated model that could not have been achieved independently.

Karl explains: “That’s the strength of the two - you have the power of the knowledge from Hotel Partners and the power of the distribution from Best Western Hotels & Resorts.”

“Hotel Partners cannot negotiate with global partners on fees such as the big On Line Travel Agents (OTAs),” Brian adds. “We just don’t have that global clout, but as Karl says, we can offer the best of both worlds, that clout, and then Hotel Partners can instil the property level culture of revenue and distribution channel management.”

“We would certainly see this partnership as very unique,” says Neville. “There’s no offering like this in the Irish marketplace for hoteliers and owners who want to combine the power of an international brand with local management. While both Hotel Partners and Best Western Hotels & Resorts continue to work with hotels independently of each other, this partnership of local management and global branding can bring some tangible value for the right properties.”

And it’s that deep knowledge of both the local and global market that underpins the effectiveness of the partnership’s offering, they tell us.

“Best Western is on the ground so they understand the subtleties in the Irish market,” Brian adds. “And Hotel Partners operate the hotels on a day-to-day basis looking at the minutiae detail, so if the hotels need to talk to us we’re here, we’re up

PARTNERSHIP

the road. I think that is one of the reasons that hotels have previously drifted apart from their brand partners because they didn’t have that joint understanding of the market and they ended up growing further and further away.”

Considering, that only 30% of properties in Ireland are branded, is there a natural reluctance in the Irish industry to join with big brands?

“There is always the risk of suddenly put a brand above the door and the hotel changes,” explains Brian. “International standardisation comes in and great hotels with local character are dumbed down, and start to lose their affinity with part of the community. Best Western and Hotel Partners are very different. We are conscious of leveraging that and saying yes, the brand will being you international exposure but you won’t lose who you are.”

Another reason hotels shy away from brands or management companies is because of the initial set up costs, but according to Neville it needs to be viewed as a long term proposition, as in “2-3 years the costs will have been recovered many many times over.”

The cost-saving benefits, Neville says, are many: “From a cost perspective, as a branded property a hotel is not too reliant on typically higher cost sources, and not to down-speak OTAs but a hotel can pay 20% versus a low percentage to Best Western.

On top of that we have global deals in place with companies such as Expedia and Ctrip which is the largest OTA in China which offer significant cost savings for the hotelier.

Then we have a fantastic global loyalty club with 25 million members all around the world and we have a huge database here in Ireland who we communicate to on a regular basis. That’s a really powerful hook to bring people into a relationship with you.”

“In a nutshell our job is to generate more revenue for and reduce the cost base of the hotel than if it operated without us,” Brian adds. “We look in detail at the day-to-day operational costs on a daily basis so we can micromanage them. With extensive experience of being both hotel owners and managers we understand hotels from the inside out. And talking of building relationships, social media is an important part of the organisation’s strategy to reach out to potential customers. Neville likens their approach to old-school networking.

“We’re doing a huge amount through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” Brian explains. “When people say “what’s your return on social media?” it’s difficult, but you have to see it as a part of the process of building relationships with your customer base and give that a value. Be interesting, engaging and subtle. Shouting from the rooftops we’re selling rooms for €129 people aren’t on social media for that! I’ve looked a lot at social media and I’m not sure all hotels get that this is about long-term relationships; it’s not a booking channel.”

And their solution has been proven to work, they say, with the model applied successfully to BEST WESTERN Royal Hotel in Dublin.

“We have all the facts and figures, so it’s an advantage that we can present that as a proven case study,” says Neville proudly.

“Dublin’s O’Connell Street is different from other markets, but you can still build that model into any other property in any other location.”

So with that success under their belt, no doubt they are eager to bring in many more properties in the future?

“If we were to have 3-5 hotels in the next 18 months that would be a good start,” says Neville. “Yes. We’re not quite looking for world domination today,” Brian laughs, this is something we want to get right.”

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TOURISM

Autumn promotional blitz targets late-season travellers around the world Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign is in full swing, to boost late-season travel to Ireland from around the world. The campaign - which is under way in Britain, North America, Mainland Europe, Australia and emerging markets incorporates a major focus on city breaks, as well as on attracting visitors to more rural areas between now and the end of the year. Highlights of the activity include co-operative promotions with air and sea carriers; extensive online advertising; as well as a busy programme of digital, PR and social media activity.

Huguanael da Silva Cardoso and Caroline Alves Praeiro (both from Brazil), with Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, in Trinity College, Dublin, at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign.

Unveiling Ireland’s Ancient East Our newest tourism experience, Ireland’s Ancient East, is being unveiled by Tourism Ireland to influential travel trade and media contacts around the world this autumn.

A taste of Ireland at ‘Flavours’ tourism workshop in London Forty tourism enterprises from Ireland took part in Flavours of Ireland 2015, Tourism Ireland’s annual B2B tourism workshop in London, which aims to grow our share of the huge worldwide travel market. The event saw more than 100 representatives of top UK inbound tour operators come together to do business with the various Irish tourism organisations.

Mark Henry, Tourism Ireland; actor Mick Langan; and Monica MacLaverty, Tourism Ireland, at the launch of Ireland’s Ancient East at IFTM Top Resa in Paris.

Showcasing Ireland’s Ancient East - or ‘Le Terre Millenarie d’Irlanda’ - in Italy; Niamh Kinsella, Tourism Ireland (centre), is pictured with visitors to the Ireland stand at TTG Incontri in Rimini.

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Caroline Maddox, Boscolo Travel; Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland; and John Callely, The Teeling Distillery, at Flavours of Ireland 2015.

TOURISM

‘Jump into Ireland’ sales blitz in Minneapolis, Denver and Dallas The third stage of Tourism Ireland’s 2015 ‘Jump into Ireland’ sales blitz across the United States took place recently - taking in the cities of Minneapolis (Minnesota), Denver (Colorado) and Dallas (Texas). In all, Tourism Ireland’s ‘Jump into Ireland’ programme will have visited 12 different US cities by the end of this year, targeting hundreds of influential travel agents and travel writers.

Snap happy! German Instagrammers share their Ireland experience with 1.3 million followers Tourism Ireland teamed up with Samsung Germany, to bring ten leading German Instagrammers to Ireland recently. The Instagrammers, all specialists in urban and landscape photography, visited the Wild Atlantic Way, Belfast and Dublin capturing lots of great photos and then posting them to their individual accounts, which collectively have more than 1.3 million followers.

Tourism companies from Ireland and the US taking part in the ‘Jump into Ireland’ event in Dallas, with Billy Condon (fourth left), Hillarie McGuinness (right), Ruth Moran (eighth left) and Fiona Dunne (ninth right), all Tourism Ireland.

Top travel vloggers create nine online films to showcase Ireland Tourism Ireland commissioned two popular travel vloggers (or video bloggers), brothers Marko and Alex Ayling who are known as the Vagabrothers, to produce a series of nine online videos, to showcase some of our top visitor attractions and experiences and to highlight three key themes: the Wild Atlantic Way, gastromony in Cork city and county, as well as culture and design in Dublin (with a focus on ID2015, the Year of Irish Design). The films are being shared by the brothers on YouTube (they have more than 57,000 subscribers worldwide) this autumn.

The Vagabrothers, Marko (left) and Alex Ayling, during filming at Strandhill, Co Sligo.

Jan Israel, Samsung Germany (third left), with some of the German Instagrammers at The Moorings Portmagee, Co Kerry.

LGBT couples invited to say ‘I do’ in Ireland Tourism Ireland recently launched a new online film to target LGBT couples around the world - inviting them to come and celebrate their weddings and honeymoons in Ireland. The video was filmed at The Outing 2015, the world’s first-ever LGBT matchmaking festival and an offshoot of the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which saw thousands of people descend on the north Clare town.

International journalists with Aaron Toumazou, Tourism Ireland (centre), outside The Matchmaker Bar in Lisdoonvarna, during The Outing 2015.

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KDL

A small company packing a big punch in catering supplies Kendermar Distributors Ltd.

Kendermar Distributors Ltd (KDL) was founded in 2010. While the company may be a small, family run business compared to its competitors, KDL is making a big impact in their offering to the market. The company works with the hospitality industry; hotels and restaurants, as well as, schools and colleges and nursing homes, and offers the full range of catering supplies. From crockery, cutlery, glassware, cooking utensils, disposables and a full range of in-room accessories for hotels including mini bars, safes, etc., KDL supplies a range of nearly 3,000 items. Hotel & Restaurant Times met with Ken McCabe to look at how they have achieved such success.

The company reports an increase in sales on a month by month basis and they say the market is very buoyant for them at the moment.Ken says “90% of our sales come from the greater Leinster area. We do a small number of sales around the country and some export but the majority are in and around Leinster”.

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Given our position and unique delivery service within the Leinster area and our commitment to customer service, we are confident we can retain this sales momentum.

Ken McCabe talks through some of the trends in sales they have seen recently. “People used to order once or twice a month but now people order once or twice a week. So we are delivering to people on a regular basis. People don’t want to hold stock anymore; they want to get it in as needed. So, being a small, family business we have the flexibility to be able to do what the customer needs. Larger companies can’t give customers this style of immediate service so we are scoring highly with customers in that regard.”

KDL’s recent contract for a high profile client illustrates what they can do. “We are the agency in Ireland for RAK Porcelain, a high end range of crockery. It’s manufactured in the United Arab Emirates. We recently supplied the Oireachtas with a full range of logoed crockery. The thing that sets this product apart in terms of quality is that they set any personalisations under the glaze.” This involves a specialist in Luxembourg who hand draws the transfer and then sends it to the factory in UAE. It is then put on the product and fired in the kiln at 600 degrees. This means that the image is embedded and therefore irremovable, completely dishwasher safe. Therefore it is accurate to state the only way of getting the transfer off is by breakage.”

Ken explains, “A lot of our competitors put the transfers over the glaze and enviably this is prone to getting scratched and also comes off in the dishwasher but that doesn’t happen with the product we supply.With regard to the Oireachtas contract we took a picture of government buildings and sent it to the designer, and the process started from there. Once a fired sample is done and

KDL

agreed it takes eight weeks to get the product to the client. This can be reduced to four weeks if the client wants to air freight the products, which a number of clients have done, due to the competitiveness in pricing of this service.”

There was of course some debate at the time as to whether the Oireachtas should have bought a crockery range from UAE and not a range from an Irish producer. Ken responds “That is like asking why are Ministers not buying Irish cars instead of Mercedes. It’s not comparing like with like. There is no company manufacturing this type of product in Ireland. We tendered for the contract and obviously were successful. The range as supplied has received a lot of positive compliments. Using this crockery product can help hotels/restaurants etc. keep brands alive or help develop brand awareness due to the fact we can personalise this to the customer’s requirements. Another key factor in the process is the speed of delivery, we can have it all completed in three to four weeks.”

KDL supply all standard ranges of cutlery and offer Robert Welch as their high end option. Ken says, “We received lots of positive interest on this range at CATEX this year. It’s beautiful but well priced. It has a wide appeal, for instance quite a number of upmarket hotels such as The Westbury Hotel, The Gibson and The Marker are just some of the properties who are using this product.” KDL also offer buffet and serving ware with this ever changing market we can offer up to the minute styles, colours and shapes that are both durable and eye catching.

These products are suitable for use in hotels, restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals, canteens & deli counters.

KDL’s sister company Four Leaf Chemicals, is also continuing to strengthen its firm position in the marketplace. It supplies a full range of concentrated

chemicals to the hospitality industry and nursing homes.Ken says, “The brand is Clover Chemicals and it’s manufactured in Manchester and distributed here. The types of products we’re supplying are; dishwasher and laundry detergents, bleach, washing -up liquids, etc. We can now supply most cleaning products required in a hotel, restaurant, nursing homes,hospitals from front of house, back of house, kitchen and laundries we are confident we have a product for most situations and are confident they will meet the exacting health & safety regulations as set out by government departments.”

But how does KDL fare when it comes to keeping up with the eccentricities of chef’s desires and an ever changing environment. “At this stage I think we’ve had our dinner off everything possible!

Over the years we have supplied everything from natural slate, wooden boards, shopping baskets, wire baskets, copper pots, etc. The latest trend is in

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KDL

retro Billy cans and enamel, similar to those used in camping etc, these are making a comeback now, so everything is a fad. To keep up with the ever changing aspect of the industry we go to exhibitions both in Ireland and abroad to see what’s coming down the line, we visit suppliers and we get to know the trends that are emerging. What KDL have compared to other companies is an ability to get a product in and have it ready for delivery the next day. We don’t have to go through cumbersome purchasing channels with our suppliers; a lot our competitors can’t do that, that’s a service we can offer.”

With KDL’s new showrooms now open, people can go and have a look at the products and range of services this company can offer. Ken says, “When we went to CATEX in February we got great feedback but people were asking us if we had a showroom. I am delighted to say, we have moved to new premises, which has allowed us launch our new

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showrooms and the feedback is really positive.” The company also plans to have an online facility for ordering. “We are currently developing our website and plan to have over 2,500 items online. This is also creating an opportunity as part of our marketing strategy we are currently looking for a marketing individual to join the company. The role would involve the continual development of the website and to oversee the online offerings on a daily-weekly basis and also managing the social media side of the business facebook, linkedin etc. We will then hope to have a platform where chefs can place an order at 2am or 3am and get the delivery the next day.”

So what does the future hold for KDL”We have I feel found our niche and that coupled with a fantastic product range and line up, positions us really well within the marketplace. We know our products are what people want and we can offer a great service to our customers at competitive prices. We have increased and retained our customer base and we build personal relationships with our customers.”

KDL may be a small family run business but what they offer in terms of product range, quality and personal service makes them a big competitor in the marketplace.

For further information contact: Kendermar Distributors Limited Unit 18C, Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin 11.

Phone No: 01-8855855 sales@kendermar.ie www.kendermar.ie

FÁILTE FOCUS

Ireland’s top 10 tourism towns announced for 2015

Anticipation is starting to build ahead of the 2015 Fáilte Ireland Tourism Towns Awards as the top ten highly commended tourism towns shortlisted for the award were announced recently.

The overall winners will be announced at a ceremony in The Morrison Hotel on Wednesday 25th November where two overall winners will ultimately share the accolade of Ireland’s top Tourism Town for the Best Large Town and the Best Small Town.

The Tourism Town Award, which is now in its fourth year, was specifically designed

by Fáilte Ireland to encourage more Irish towns and villages to work together to enhance their appeal to tourists visiting their local area. Each year the 100 top scoring towns from the previous years’ Tidy Town Competition are deemed to be eligible and invited invited to apply for the Tourism Towns Award.

The shortlisted towns have already been subject to a series of unannounced inspections from a team of independent ‘secret shoppers’ who visited each location and assessed the quality of their visitor experience. The independent judges are now examining all aspects of each town’s appeal and will be deliberating over the coming weeks to decide which towns are Ireland’s ‘Best Large Tourism Town’ and ‘Best Small Tourism Town’.

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The Top Ten Highly Commended Tourism Towns shortlisted for 2015 are: Best Small Town

Best Large Town

Adare, Co Limerick

Cobh, Co. Cork

Ardmore, Co Waterford

Killarney, Co Kerry

Clonakilty, Co Cork

Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny

Kenmare, Co Kerry

Tralee, Co Kerry

Lismore, Co Waterford Sneem, Co Kerry

2012 was the first year of the Fáilte Ireland Tourism Towns Award and saw Portmagee in County Kerry crowned the inaugural winner with Kilkenny receiving the award in 2013. Last year Westport was crowned the 2014 National Large Tourism Town with Kinsale taking home the title of Small Tourism Town, with each receiving a certificate along with a €5,000 grant towards further developing itself as a tourism destination.

Fáilte Ireland’s Paddy Mathews, welcomed the announcement of the shortlist for 2015 - “This award was designed by Fáilte Ireland and is all about recognising those Irish towns and villages where the local community goes the extra mile to enhance their appeal to tourists. Over the last few years we have been impressed with the interest in the awards and even more so with the effort local communities and businesses put into developing their towns’ visitor experience.

“We are now eagerly anticipating the culmination of the search for ‘Best Small Tourism Town’ and ‘Best Large Tourism Town’ at our award ceremony in November.

That said, taking into account the great commitment to the traditionally warm Irish welcome we have witnessed in communities throughout the country, Tourism itself is the big winner and as a sector we are most fortunate that Irish people at large have a sense of pride and ownership in the manner we greet our visitors.”

FÁILTE FOCUS

Latest CSO figures point to very strong summer

The CSO recently issued Overseas Travel figures for the period covering June to August 2015. The data contains details of visitor numbers (which include same day visits) to Ireland. The main points are as follows: • Total overseas trips to Ireland for the period January to August 2015 were up by 12% on the corresponding period in 2014.

• British trips increased by 11% from January to August while North American visitors were up by 14%.

• Trips to Ireland from Mainland European countries grew by 13% in the eight month period.

• Visitor numbers from all other long haul areas rose by 9% for the year to August.

Percentage change 2015 vs. 2014 Jun-Aug

Jan-Aug

Britain

+13

+11

North America

+14

+14

Mainland Europe

+12

+13

Other Areas

+6

+9

Total Overseas

+12

+12

Welcoming these figures, Fáilte Ireland CEO Shaun Quinn emphasised: “These figures confirm what we have suspected for the last few months - 2015 is shaping up to be a record year for Irish tourism with particularly impressive results in our British and American markets.

However, while we can all take satisfaction from such a stellar performance, we must guard against complacency. At the moment, a lot of external factors, such as currency rates and the global economy, are giving a strong wind to our sails. These things can change and to ‘weatherproof’ tourism we must continue to focus on those factors within our control. This means that we must remain competitive and continue to provide value for money to visitors if tourism growth is to be ‘ever-green’ and not cyclical.”

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ONLINE MARKETING

New “Direct” booking via Google and Tripadvisor - threat or opportunity for hotels?

Des O’Mahony, Robert Whittle & Mary Collins Tripadvisor has effectively positioned itself as a new breed of online travel agent by launching its Instant Booking1 service recently. The service allows hotels to directly display rates and availability on Tripadvisor via a feed from their booking engine system, such as Bookassist’s.

Customers on Tripadvisor can then see both OTA rates and those direct-from-hotel rates to make their booking choice. The customer never leaves the Tripadvisor site when booking “direct” with the hotel. (That “captive” approach of trying to keep the customer on one site for all was originally driven by Tripadvisor’s mobile business, where jumping between sites on mobile was a far bigger barrier to conversion than it would be on desktop.)

Not to be outdone, Google has now also expanded its Book on Google2 feature (now in the USA) in a change of strategy from their previous Google Hotel Finder and Hotel Price Ads approach. Again, the service allows hotels to directly display rates and availability via a feed from their booking engine system. The customer can now book directly from search results without ever leaving the Google site.

Both services claim to be “direct” friendly, helping the hotel to reach their customer directly, and positioning themselves apart from the big-brand OTA players such as Expedia and Priceline. But their “hybrid” services nonetheless come with hefty commissions from 12% to 15% for delivering acquisitions via this route (cost per acquisition or CPA model). In parallel, both continue to offer cost per click (CPC) alternatives also.

With these two giants of the travel search and research arena offering hybrid booking services, what does this mean for the hospitality industry? As usual with disruptive play, there are both threats and opportunities for the independent hotelier.

The moves from Tripadvisor and Google are, in our view, a positive for hotels if they know how to leverage the potential advantage. It does take specific action on the part of hotels to engage with the new services appropriately however, and, with inaction, therein lies the threat.

Giving hotels leverage In terms of hotel online business, we are in

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the midst of a monopoly or duopoly stranglehold in most parts of the world with Priceline/Booking.com and Expedia dominating OTA sales. Often, this has meant that hotels are reluctant to challenge that status quo and have no option but to go along with often onerous contract terms.

The introduction of new viable routes to capture online business, backed by serious players in the travel space who can potentially deliver volume, breaks that monopoly/duopoly and introduces real competition for the main OTAs. If managed correctly, hotels should no longer fear reducing their exposure on specific OTAs since there is real opportunity to leverage the broader metasearch space encompassing Trivago, Kayak and others, as well as Google’s and Tripadvisor’s hybrid booking options.

Of course, managing carefully means managing availability and rates distribution at channel level, and not making total inventory available everywhere. The management of these hybrid metas is no different to the careful management required of OTAs. Remember that if hotels refuse to “play” with these hybrid channels, their inventory and rates will appear anyway via OTAs, and at higher acquisition cost. It’s far better to be there directly and be in control of your offering. Therefore, it’s a question of effective management of such opportunities by the hotel.

Overall, adding new strong players to distribution is a good thing for hotels.

Choice breeds competition that may ultimately favour not just the consumer but the supplier. (We will see.)

The data play In the case of both TripAdvisor and Google, the hotel’s booking engine is the technology feeding the rates and availability to the site, there is no new “extranet” for the hotel to manage. Also, completion of the booking takes place behind the scenes on the hotel’s booking engine platform. Unlike the OTAs who have rowed back even further on the information they supply to hotels regarding the inbound customer, TripAdvisor and Google are providing the customer’s real email, and the hotel sends the actual booking confirmation email. This allows hotels to manage, own and monetise pre-stay communication, as well as maintain ownership of the customer interaction post-stay.

This is particularly important when you consider that the large OTAs are increasingly generating their revenue from “private” club sales to their customer base via email offers or private log-in, offering deals that never appear on the public sites. Clearly, customer data is extremely valuable. (Whether hotels are equipped to capitalise on that effectively is another question however.)

The cost of acquisition for that first hybrid booking via Tripadvisor or Google may therefore appear high (though not as high as OTAs), but it is critical the hotel has a data-use strategy to ensure that opportunities are created for the customer to book direct next time.

Browsing and research phase A fundamental difference also between Google and Tripadvisor on the one hand, and the OTAs on the other, is that the browsing and research phase of travel planning overwhelming takes place on the former. By building in booking opportunities to the research phase of travel planning, it may well short-circuit the decision and lead to booking acquisitions that would otherwise have ended up on an OTA at a later stage in the decision process.

Also, with Tripadvisor the hotel has much more control of the content describing its services via the comprehensive multi-lingual content it can manage as part of its Tripadvisor listing. Google likewise is championing the clear display of hotel amenities as a way for hotels to stand out. Both these areas help hotels to be less commoditised compared to the OTAs’ approach, and to shout a little more about

ONLINE MARKETING

Google’s “Book on Google” initiative is slowly rolling out and is USA-only at time of writing. The booking engine interface is sparse but functional.

A Google login is currently required to complete bookings.

what makes them unique. Such rich information often drives additional confirmatory traffic to hotel websites, where direct booking potential can also be capitalised upon.

Bottom line It remains to be seen how this play from Tripadvisor and Google will work out. The primary disruption is to the OTA model, but for the reasons above we do not believe that it diminishes the hotels’ opportunity to increasingly drive direct business on hotel websites. Both OTAs and direct-to-hotel booking rates continue to grow, mostly at the expense of offline and traditional travel modes, even if OTA business has the stronger growth rate.

Indeed OTAs are increasingly interested in direct business, and have been signalling their concern about how direct may evolve to reduce their business growth - witness booking.com’s move into providing the booking suite for hotels, and their associated acquisitions in the hotel direct business space.

With book-direct models, Tripadvisor may well have the edge over Google here, as a dominant travel-focused brand with a “good” reputation among online customers who trust its reviews and among hotels who value the custom and exposure it brings. Google on the other hand has massive volume but still did not manage to deliver effectively with its Hotel Finder or Hotels Ads approach previously.

With Tripadvisor, bringing in a money element may well introduce a risk to its standing as an independent review provider. Can it truly be independent in how it ranks hotels if it has more to earn from some hotels than others? They have to manage that issue carefully. Likewise, Google has to thread carefully with its push towards booking since its primary bread and butter in travel is pay-per-click

advertising fees from the OTAs as well as from hotels. Google also has continual issues with anti-trust investigations into how its monetisation of search may lead it to skewing the validity of search results.

For the independent hotel, the moves are broadening the landscape yet again and this means that more careful management is key. Hotels need to have a full digital marketing strategy across all potential customer touch points, and need to work more strategically with their customer data if they are to properly leverage these new avenues for business. The key, as always, is for hotels to be able to actively manage the opportunity, rather than allow themselves to be managed by it. For that, they need the appropriate technology and the expertise.

Dr Des O’Mahony is CEO, Dr Robert Whittle is CTO, and Mary Collins is Head of Digital Marketing at Bookassist (http://www.bookassist.com), the multiaward-winning technology and digital strategy partner for hotels worldwide.

1 http://www.tripadvisor.ie/InstantBooking 2 http://www.tnooz.com/article/for-hotels-google-expands-direct-commission-based-bookings-brings-instant-book-to-mobile/

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37

REFURBISHMENT

Introducing the newly refurbished 4 Star McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris, Co Mayo

Celebrating its 10th Year in 2016, what better way to mark the occasion than with a complete refurbishment of the McWilliam Park Suite, Kavanagh’s Bar/Lounge and lobby at the Hotel? The McWilliam Park Hotel is locally owned and managed and has over the past 9 years seen some difficult economic times as have many other business’s, however it has been guided through it by its dedicated directors and managers with the assistance of its loyal staff. They have built anexcellent customer base with repeat business at an all-time high.

Alan Hynes General Manager of the hotel says, “As the hotel is busy for 12 months of the year we decided that we must get the refurbishment completed in 2015, with more than 50,000 guests staying with us in 2014 and thousands more attending conferences, meetings, dances and weddings a complete refurbishment of the public, bar/lounge area and the main ballroom the McWilliam Park Suite was urgently required.”

The new refurbishment program was undertaken by the Board of Directors,

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Damian Prendergast, Seamus Gallagher & Terry Brennan, both Terry and his wife, Fiona Brennan undertook the works and design.

Both are well known in the hotel sector and have been responsible for the fit-out and refurbishment of many hotels over the years.

The rich coloured carpets with their lovely majestic purple and gold hews are inspired by the richness of the Mayo country side with its lush heather bogs and golden tree tones. The design was worked up with the assistance of Couristan Carpets Ireland and many hand trials and tweaks of colour were done before the final design was put on the loom.

Textura wallpapers with its stark bold design and textured finishes were chosen again with the view to adding a sense of warmth and richness to the ball room area.

REFURBISHMENT

Golden autumn tones were chosen for the curtains and were designed by Fiona with the assistance of Design Concepts (JP Glass) to give a depth of warmth to the room and act as a foil against the backdrop of the sunrays.

The lightly purple colours in the room were elegantly finished off with ornate mirrors to give the room a sense of richness, warmth and depth. The overall refurbishment has been greatly welcomed by guests and locals alike and the compliments keep on coming.

From the moment you walk into the 4 Star McWilliam Park Suite you are welcomed with genuine hospitality, guests can Dine in John Gray’s Restaurant and choose from either the Table D’hote or A La Carte Menus. All of the 103 bedrooms are decorated with rich textures and plush furnishings, featuring flat screen TV, DVD player, and complimentary Wi-Fi. The McWilliam Park Suite can cater for conferences with a capacity up to 600 delegates it also has 3 smaller meeting rooms some of which can facilitate up to 70 delegates and also executive boardrooms that can facilitate up to 10 delegates.

It is an ideal location for both business and leisure guests only a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Claremorris, bus links and Train Station. The Hotel is a 15 minute transfer from Ireland West Airport Knock, 45 Minutes from Galway and Sligo and is 2.5 hours from Dublin City with such easy access you are in arms reach of some spectacular attractions for offsite activities.

Centrally located not far from the Wild Atlantic Coasts of Mayo, Sligo and Galway, the McWilliam Park is an ideal base for exploring the Wild Atlantic Way and

the West of Ireland. Local activities include a Cruise on Lough Corrib, Bike Rides on the Castlebar Greenway, Canoeing and Paddle Boarding at Lough Lannagh with Bikes and Boards, Castlebar, Horse Riding, Westport House, Graune Pet Farm and The Land of the Giants Loop Walk Guests can enjoy pampering in Chique Skin Care and Beauty, Chique is professionally managed by owner Sharon Fallon a Native of Hollymount, Co Mayo.

Sharon trained at Coen Cantrell as a Beauty Therapist and has nearly 10 years’ experience in the business.

“At Chique we aim to pamper you and make you feel rejuvenated and refreshed.

We invite you to take a look at our range of treatments and whatever you pick, you will experience a quality treatment from our professional therapists.”

Guests also enjoy complimentary use of the 18 metre swimming pool and full Leisure Facilities.

Tel: 094 93 78000 www.mcwilliampark.ie

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IFSA NEWS

Bord Bia foodservice seminar 2015 - avail of special IFSA member rate IFSA supports RAI calls for retention of 9% VAT pre Budget 2016 RAI Chief Executive Adrian Cummins has warned that it is critical that the reduced VAT rate is kept in place for until 2020, in order for the Irish economy to remain competitive. As a major voice in the industry and in support of this this initiative 50% of any new member fees signed up pre budget will be matched by IFSA and go to support the campaign.

“When the economy went into decline, restaurants endured falling numbers of diners, rising prices and great financial uncertainty, with many having to close their businesses. Money generated by this reduced VAT rate, however, has kick-started a reversal of fortunes. Since the VAT cut, employment in the restaurant and tourism sector increased by approximately 22,300 direct jobs with an additional 10,258 indirect jobs which gives a total employment increase of 32,558. This growth will continue if VAT at 9% remains in effect,” said Adrian Cummins.

Support the bustling Food & Bev Live event Feb 2016

With fantastic flavours, aromas and tastes, Food & Bev Live will return to the Citywest Event Centre for two action packed days from 16th 17th February 2016. It is paramount that this sector continues to grow as it provides a platform for foodservice excellence and allows industry professionals to meet so many people, showcase innovations, explore and sample the latest products, practices and upcoming trends and speak about topics that are important to the customer.

Book your space now by contacting Margaret@eventhaus.ie or calling (01) 8460020.

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The annual Bord Bia Foodservice Seminar will take place in the AVIVA Stadium, Dublin on Wednesday, 4th November and IFSA Members will again be able to avail of a special discounted booking rate to attend. Bord Bia will be publishing a new piece of research, incorporating a ‘Deep Dive’ into the Quick Service Restaurant and Food-to-Go channel in Ireland. Valued in Bord Bia’s 2014 Irish Foodservice Channel Insights report at €2.38bn and accounting for 38.1% of the total market, QSR in Ireland includes Fast Food, Fast Casual and Food-to-Go eating occasions. Contact (01) 846 0020 for booking details or see www.ifsa.eu.com/events for full agenda details.

Buzzing Coffee festival kick starts preparations for World of Coffee 2016 The Dublin Coffee & Tea Festival 2015 is off to a lively start at the RDS Industries Hall (11-13th Sept) and in welcoming the nations’ coffee and tea lovers to see what’s ‘new to brew’ these days, its also the start of the official countdown to next June’s World of Coffee, Dublin 2016.

E x c e e d i n g expectations, almost 6,000 visitors flocked to the Festival last year to taste what the coffee and tea industry in Ireland had to offer, explore the various features and take in the live music festival stage and with advance ticket sales exceeding last year’s count its looking to be another lively weekend at the RDS. This is the second year for the event, which was created as a launch pad for the biggest feature in the global coffee industry’s calendar, World of Coffee, which next year will welcome thousands to Dublin and is stage to the infamous World Barista Championship the veritable Olympics of the Barista world.

IFSA NEWS

Steelite International GastroNorm Platters

KBR We at KBR are pleased to announce that our new website will be launching at the end of October.

The new website will be an informative tool providing the customer with all the necessary information required when choosing new catering and refrigeration equipment. Our brands include Rational, Convotherm, Merrychef, Bertos, Lincat, True, Sagi, Adler, Classeq & Panasonic.

You can also check out our Social Media pages, where you will be kept up to date with new innovations, see highlights of recent job completions and news events.

Due to increasing demand for gastronorm size platters, Steelite International has introduced a collection of gastronorm platters in a heavyweight melamine material. With five styles and textures to choose from - Driftwood, Slate, White, White Spiral and Craft, the opportunities to make stunning and alternative buffet presentations for breakfast, lunch, break out meetings, functions or evening meals are endless.

With the addition of the gastronorm stands, that have been designed to elevate or tilt the platters on buffet displays, alternative presentations can be created quickly. The stands are available in two heights giving greater flexibility.

To further enhance the collection, Steelite International has introduced gastronorm covers to fit every size of platter. Perfect for stacking displays and where space is limited.

These melamine gastronorm platters are break and chip resistant and can handle both hot and cold food, making them more versatile.

Join us at: www.facebook.com/kbr Twitter: @kbrequipment KBR Foodservice Equipment, Unit 2 Block 1 Broomhall Business Park, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow Tel: 01 2916261

ScanBox (U.K. & Ireland) Ltd With over 25years experience of developing food holding and distribution equipment, ScanBox (U.K. & Ireland) ltd provide a unique and innovative range of products suitable for both hot and cold food, focusing specifically on ergonomics, safety, design and customer needs.

ScanBox food transport trolleys are e l e g a n t , versatile and lightweight, yet provide heavy duty solutions for all catering environments.

Constructed using a unique ‘sandwich’ design with an aluminium interior structure and a fibre glass reinforced plastic exterior, ScanBox trolleys can be built according to customer-specific requirements. The aluminium interior ensures an even spread of heat and creates excellent insulation properties, resulting in lower power consumption and increased energy efficiency.

Each trolley features an adjustable LED display to allow for hassle free temperature control and monitoring, a solid plastic covered bumper to provide protection and detachable runners for hygiene purposes. Unique to ScanBox is the ability to ‘brand your trolley’ - we give you the option to customise the design of your trolley to correlate with your company profile and maximise your brand exposure.

Our wide range of upright & side-by-side product combinations are currently providing food transport solutions within a variety of catering environments including hospitals, hotels, restaurants, schools, prisons, large banquets and events.

A cost effective solution to food transportation, ScanBox products deliver low maintenance costs combined with a long service life and competitive prices.

To find out more please visit our website www.scanboxuk.com, email info@scanboxuk.com, call us on +44 (0)28 2589 2122, or follow us on twitter @ScanBox_UK.

email: sales@kbr.ie www.kbr.ie

NevPak - Packaging Innovation Group Product News MultiRap™ is a versatile solution ideal for any meal at any time of day.

With a 7.5” x 7.5” square design, MultiRap™ is suitable for both hot and chilled food items such as burgers, toasties, bagels, breakfast rolls, pizza, fries, doughnuts and other sweets.

The sustainable Irish manufactured pack combines a grease resistant bag with a wraparound carbon board to enable easier handling for hot food, so products can be served more quickly.

Designed with the consumer in mind, MultiRap™ also benefits from a tear-off perforated strip to make food easier to consume on the move.

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41

COFFEE

Bewley’s trainer retains latte art title

Over the years Bewley’s have built a reputation as “the experts” and as a company that sets the standard in providing best in class hot beverage solutions to the Foodservice industry. At this year’s Dublin Coffee & Tea Festival, Bewley’s training team proved their expertise in latte art with Bewley’s barista, Seivijus Matiejunas (a.k.a. ‘Elvis’) awarded the top honour and named Irish Latte Art Champion in the Irish Latte Art Championship competition. Elvis will now go on to compete for the title of World Latte Art Champion at the Fine Food expo in Shanghai in March 2016. The top six places at the Irish national championships were awarded to barista’s from the industry that were trained at Bewley’s Barista Academy.

There is an ethos amongst the Bewley’s training team that the difference between a good cup of coffee and a great cup is repeat business. That is why Elvis and the Bewley’s training team travel the country educating foodservice operators on how to produce a consistent, high quality coffee.

The team demonstrate best practice in espresso brewing, milk steaming, latte art and equipment maintenance which are all key factors in producing a great tasting cup of coffee.

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According to Elvis, “taste and quality are the number one drivers of choice for consumers and most foodservice operators know this now. There is lots of competition on the high street. Consumers will pass by those hotels, restaurants and cafés that don’t serve a great cup of coffee all the time. In locations where barista’s are preparing coffees and teas it is essential that they are given some form of coffee training. Barista’s need to feel confident and motivated to delight their customers with great tasting coffee no matter what time of day it is. Bewley’s training programmes aim to do just this. In some cases a sales lift of 5-10% has been recorded in outlets where barista’s have undergone extensive training”.

Below Elvis outlines some of the key topics in Bewley’s dedicated barista training programmes: 1. Choosing the perfect blend It goes without saying, but the most important step in making a perfect cup of coffee is the first one - choosing the best quality espresso blend. At the Bewley’s training academy in Dublin, operators and their baristas are invited to a tasting to choose the perfect espresso blend for their establishment. Elvis tells us that a great espresso is more than just taste; it is about a great body, a caramel coloured oily thickness and a natural sweetness undercutting the strength and bitterness of the espresso, topped of course by a thick crema to seal in the unique taste attributes of the coffee.

2. Milk frothing techniques Heating the milk to the correct temperature is a key step in making a great tasting coffee, as this allows the customer to enjoy their coffee without burning their mouth in the process. Our milk steaming training module is aimed at educating barista’s on creating silky smooth milk, with very fine micro bubbles giving it density and body. The more viscous, smooth and sensuous the milk is, it enhances the coffee taste. Elvis recommends using premium, locally sourced milk - you’ll taste the difference.

3. Cleaning your coffee machine An often undervalued process to creating great coffee. Only a clean and well

COFFEE

maintained espresso machine can produce a great espresso. Bewley’s trainers advise on the importance of this step to remove any oil build up form old coffee ensuring that there is no adverse taste on new coffee put through the machine.

4. Keep it simple There is an endless range of beverages you can offer once your barista has the necessary skills. Beverages like Flat Whites, Frappes and Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate are gaining popularity as people are becoming more coffee aware and beginning to experiment. Bewley’s advise to keep your menu simple, focussing on really good espressos and perfectly steamed milk. Bewley’s research reveals that Cappuccinos and Lattes are still Irish consumers favourite coffee beverages. Once operators have adopted the necessary skills at Bewley’s Barista Academy, they can then meet with Bewley’s in-house marketing team that can provide consumer

insight to fuel menu development and help implement effective promotional plans that will drive sales.

Book your baristas into one of Bewley’s tailored training programmes now to give your staff the added skills, confidence and passion required to make amazing coffee all of the time.

For operators who are looking for an edge is this competitive environment, contact the Bewley’s training team on 1850 248 484.

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43

DRINKS

Know the trends before they happen - the non-stop motion in Ireland’s dynamic drinks industry When Ruth Dunne graduated from a marketing degree in 2012 - she decided totry her hand at the drinks industry. Three years later as Wine and Spirits Brand Manager at Dalcassian Wines & Spirits, she reflects on the whirlwind of change during her tenure and explains why the company has doubled in size in 18 months…

Straight out of college I joined Beam Global (now Beam Suntory) in the US as part of the IBEC EOP programme.

I quickly learned how fast-moving the drinks industry really was. As a 22 year old, my knowledge of the variety of spirits available was quite narrow. Cocktails were starting to take off in Ireland but were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now and Irish whiskey was the drink I poured my granny when she came to stay.

My role in The US was as Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey Brand Ambassador and the first thing I noticed was the amount of young professionals drinking Irish whiskey on the rocks or with Coke. I couldn’t believe it and my friends back home were just as shocked.

What I didn’t realise at the time was that the trend would soon reach Ireland. Shortly after my return to Ireland I saw the type of consumer drinking Irish whiskey change to young, male professionals. When I joined the Dalcassian Wines & Spirits marketing team, I quickly realised that this was just the beginning of a mammoth transformation in consumer demand in the Irish on-trade.Dalcassian already knew what lay ahead and had the new brands lined up!

No longer would the good old gin and tonic (another favourite of my Granny’s) or the classic cocktails such as Manhattan or Sex on the Beach suffice. Now people were starting to order by brand and were looking for high-quality spirits and wide variety was a must.

For me at Dalcassian Wines & Spirits, this meant moving fast, consistently, faster than ever before. The company founders, Pat Rigney and John Dillon, are drinks industry veterans and their motto is ‘know the trend before it happens’. This means consistently staying ahead of the game, predictingand identifying the right brands ahead of the demand.

Since joining Dalcassianlast year I have witnessed the sales team double in size

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and our drinks portfolio grow to over 100 different choices of wines and spirits.

Over that same period, a fortnight hasn’t passed without Dalcassian launching a new spirit or wine brand to the Irish on trade.

I started my career as a Brand Ambassador for Beam Global three short years ago and next thing I find myself launching the world’s fastest-growing liqueur, Licor 43 to the Irish Market.

This was quickly followed by the launch of the Quintessential Gin collection Greenall’s, Bloom, Berkeley Square and Opihr, from the world’s oldest gin distillery.Before the first Opihr and Tonic was poured, it was time for another major launch… Dalcassian Wines & Spirits was bringing the world’s number one Sambuca - Molinari - to Ireland.

As I write I have just finished a conference call with Venezuela - we are just about to launch the high end Diplomatico range of rums here! There is great excitement amongst the team.

The team has expanded, but still I wonder how we make so much happen in such a short space of time.

The fact that we have a full time person, Sarah Regan, dedicated to just our gin collection and the Dubliner and newly-launched Liberties Irish whiskies, speaks volumes about the trend towards high-end spirits and demand for choice.

DRINKS

But one whiskey is not enough - the consumer wants an extensive selection of brands, ages and flavours. Lisa Doyle concentrates on Hellfire cinnamon whiskey alongside Schwartzhog herbal liqueur and has taken on the challenge of Molinari Sambuca sales.

Nor are two whiskies enough... Conor McCrohanis driving The Irishman Whiskey Collection and Licor 43 sales in the market alongside a range of other spirits brands.

And that’s on top of his ‘Den’ in the city centre. What’s the DalcassianDen? Well, the competition is so hot at the moment in the trade in Ireland that it is essential to differentiate from competitors and so last yearDalcassian opened our very own

mixology den in Dublin’s city centre. This is a place where our customers can come and relax outside their place of work whilst experimenting in the ever-changing world of drinks. It is a place of interactive learning and training, where everybody feels comfortable creating and trialling new cocktails and ingredients as they discuss new trends and ideas in the industry.

Speaking of experimentation - the willingness of Johh and Patto continue to embrace the new and take risks is key to the continued growth and success atDalcassian Wines & Spirits. Next year we will celebrate the company’s 10th birthday.

I thrive working in such a fast-growing company where I have the freedom to express myself, develop the brands and support the ever-growing team, challenging but incredibly rewarding. It is an exciting and dynamic place to work with a youthful and innovative team who live and breathe the industry every day.

I was very lucky last year to be part of the team to launch The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, Connacht’s first Distillery in over 101 years. This was the brainchild of Pat Rigney. The Shed is a boutique, multipurpose distillery that will produce the highest quality handcrafted gins, vodkas, Irish whiskies and liqueurs for both the domestic and international markets. The quality and diversity of the spirits are a direct response to the increasing sophistication in consumer tastes.

One of the first things I was told when I joined the drinks industry was that it was exhilarating, exhausting but impossible to leave! Now I understand - the excitement and diversity here at Dalcassian Wines & Spirits would be too difficult to walk away from.

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45

CHEF SHORTAGE

A short order

In the first of a series of features on the chef shortage in Ireland, a highly debated topic among many industry leaders, Dee Laffan speaks to Cáit Noone, Head of College of Tourism and Arts in Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology, to get her perspective.

Cáit Noone is a well-respected and long-time member of the culinary education system in Ireland. In her role in GMIT she has strategic responsibility for the five departments in the College of Tourism and Arts, including Culinary Arts. She has helped to train countless culinary graduates and has become an advocate of the training programmes and the work of her colleagues in GMIT and other Institutes of Technology around the country. With eyes and questions being thrown at the education system in the chef shortage debate, Cáit explained her side of the debate and the important work being done hand-in-hand with industry to ensure graduates leave with the correct skillset to enter the workplace.

“The story around the perceived shortage of chefs is not exclusive to Ireland however my one hope in contributing to this debate is that we, the tourism industry, could take the lead on finding solutions. During this summer this topic once again raised its head and there are a few thoughts I would ask people to consider.

My first point is this… When did anyone last count the number of culinary training places in Ireland? I don’t believe that count has been done, so I think it is very short minded to say that we don’t have enough training places if no calculation has taken place. Up until 2003 CERT looked after all tourism education in Ireland. Today, ten Institutes of Technology are offering programmes in culinary arts across a range of levels and specialisms and Fáilte Ireland continues to provide key supports. In

Cáit Noone

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addition culinary training at Level 4-6 is taking place in many further education centres around the country.

The Institutes of Technology (IOT) recently revealed that there were over 1,800 IOT students in Culinary Arts training programmes,this is a significant number of learners and most definitely evidence that we are teaching and training more students than ever before. And, I should add, what we are teaching has been designed in partnership with industry colleagues.

Another consideration that few in our industry seem willing to talk about is the fact that our industry has changed. For example, ten years ago when culinary graduates left college they traditionally went to work in restaurant or hotel kitchens. However today’s graduates has many more choices. Contract catering was always an option for some culinary graduates but it may not have been perceived as a preferred route.

Today it is an exciting and engaged option for culinary students and that is very much down to companies such as Compass Catering. Having engaged with Stephen Connolly, Director of HR for Compass Ireland and UK it is clear to see how this company has developed the role of chef from entry level right through to Executive leader. This is both exciting and motivating for many a commis chef starting out on this culinary journey I would like to call a career.

Many other new culinary positions are opening up that were not available in the past.

Product development and Entrepreneurship are areas of growth in our industry. When national and international companies are knocking on our door, inviting students to attend open days and briefing events of course this will interest some culinary students, but not all.

So my point here is simple but real - the industry has expanded significantly and subsequently there are more job types than ever before. Few GMIT culinary students move abroad to work after graduating, most stay in Ireland but their choice of job is varied and our industry has to decide how they want to deal with this.

It is also worth sharing that our students are not just eighteen year old leaving certificate learners. Many are careers changers or mature students and quality of life is

CHEF SHORTAGE important to them. In the past some of us worked 70 hours plus a week, this does not mean it is ok expect that from every employee. That said I fully believe there will always be visionary places of work where long hours are required, however balance is essential in order to maintain a creative and healthy workforce. Mental health issues do affect many working in our industry, it’s time to consider these challenges and deal with them in a proactive manner.

Bearing all of this in mind I have to ask why our culinary leaders are not shouting from the rooftops about this wonderful industry and the career opportunities open to all.

In GMIT we are under no illusions how tough this industry is, we share that insight with our students daily, however we also have to lead by example and share the good news stories with students. But let me ask you, when did you last see a good news stories in the media about working in culinary arts? How are we expected to recruit learners to these programmes if the bad news stories just keep coming? Does anyone enjoy working in the kitchen? If so could we start telling the next generation about it please!

During a radio interview last summer with my colleague from the RAI, Adrian Cummins I asked a simple question. ‘Why can we not learn from examples of best practice around this island and build on these successes’. In GMIT we engage with

industry colleagues across the country and beyond this island. In Galway Jp McMahon of EAT, Cava and Aniar and Jess Murphy of Kai, are two colleagues who take students on work placement annually and indeed take students on as part time employees. The feedback from students regarding these two colleagues is always exceptional, at this stage I could write a book on the valued learning experiences many GMIT students have had with Jp and Jess. Both colleagues nurture and help the students grow into their roles, they do not expect the students to run their kitchen but they do have high expectations of what students can do and it is part of our role in GMIT to ensure these students are industry ready. It is for this reason and others that we engage extensively with industry. But if we have examples of best practice why not build on these?

Some years back when Ruth Hegarty was Secretary General for Euro-toques she developed and agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the IOTs. The main objective of this partnership was to find ways in which education and industry partners could better engage. I went to meet Euro-toques commissioners five years ago as many were not aware of the changes in culinary education and through dialogue and working partnerships they became more aware of what we could do to bridge the gap between industry and education. The MOU was an exciting development and would provide various different types of engagement opportunities including curriculum development, help with recruitment of new culinary lecturers, industry chefs to act as External Examiners to culinary programmes and industry chefs to participate and lead out on Masterclasses in various locations. The MOU has had varying levels of engagement from Euro-toques members and I can only remain hopeful for the future.

I must add GMIT is not exclusive in how we engage with industry, colleagues in Letterkenny and Tralee but to name two all have a track record in working with industry partners and can share their examples of how they engage with industry on many different levels.

Based on the above I find it somewhat strange when some chefs make throw away comments regarding culinary education. I understand they are busy professionals but maybe they need to take a little time out to learn how culinary education works. My

colleagues and I studied hotel management and culinary arts before making the move to the education world, we fully understand how industry works but I often wonder if my colleagues understand how education works?

I attended CATEX earlier this year and heard a panel discussion which included Ed Cooney, Executive Chef from The Merrion Hotel. This was a really inspiring and uplifting discussion and to hear him state “it is our job to take these culinary graduates on the next stage of their journey” gave me hope for the future. Ed Cooney seems to get it that we can only do so much in college but once students leave us the learning journey continues, after all Lifelong learning is broadly defined as learning that is pursued throughout life at different times and in different places.

In GMIT we currently offer apprenticeship style programmes for careers changers and those working at commis chef level with no prior education and experience.

The Traineeship Programme is run over two days with attendance one day per week and the remaining days spent in industry.

Demand for this programme has always been high, and while we have limited places available this is a great route for those seeking a career in culinary and also working full time.

In addition 8/9 IOTs are running the Total Immersion Chefs Programme, an accelerated programmes aimed at careers changers where students attend college and work on an intensive basis over nine months to gain a qualification in culinary arts.

Demand for these programmes are high and Fáilte Ireland provide excellent supports for learners on these courses. These are just two courses that are supporting industry needs however they are many other courses in GMIT and indeed around the country doing a very similar job Overall, what would I like to see? Simple. I would really wish all stakeholders would sit down and start looking at solutions.

Tourism education encompasses hospitality and culinary arts. I would not do the job I am currently in if I was not passionate and committed to finding solutions to the challenges we face as a sector.

The negative media around this topic is not helping us, and more importantly it may start to affect recruitment on education programmes.

I don’t believe we need any government agency to tell us what to do. We are a bright, articulate industry with lots of talented colleagues and great ideas. If we engaged in a proactive manner, looking to find solutions and agree a roadmap I have no doubt we could overcome these challenges and more importantly find solutions for the tourism industry. We need a smart and educated workforce for the future, I would hope we can create this together.

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EXCISE RATES

Budget 2016 was a missed opportunity to support consumers, jobs, growth and tourism Bart Storan, Campaign Manager, Support Your Local

Ireland’s hospitality industry is a vital part of our cultural and community infrastructure. It is one few industries that has a presence in every town and village in the country, encompassing everything from the large city hotel to the small rural pub at the country crossroads.

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In Ireland, the drinks and hospitality industry supports 92,000 jobs in total. As of 2014, there are 7457 pubs, 641 hotel bars and 2458 fully licensed restaurants, according to a recent report by economist Tony Foley for the Support Your Local campaign.

This contribution should not be understated.

These jobs are pumping money into rural communities, who in many cases have not felt the benefit of Ireland’s ongoing economic recovery.

The hospitality sector also plays a crucial role in Ireland’s tourism infrastructure, driving and developing the attractions and services that tourists require and enjoy.

This is particularly true outside Dublin where businesses within the industry are an extensively available source of hospitality, personal services, food and information for our overseas and domestic visitors, which is provided without any government support.

In 2014, foreign tourist expenditure in Ireland was €3.548 billion, with overseas visitors spending 21% of their holiday expenditure on food and drink, highlighting the scale of the

EXCISE RATES

contribution to the tourism trade.

Tourist guides like the Lonely Planet frequently state that a night in an Irish pub is among the most enjoyable experiences a visitor to Ireland can have. We know that over half of tourists come to Ireland for the pubs, according to the results of a survey carried out for the ‘Support Your Local’ campaign by iReach in April 2015.

Our hotels and restaurants are also known the world over for their hospitable welcome and their world-famous céad míle fáilte. When asked what word came to mind when they thought about Irish people in the Support Your Local/iReach survey, 25% said ‘friendly’ and 18% said ‘beer and whiskey’ and 12% said ‘fun’.

Despite the contribution the drinks and hospitality industry and the people that have worked tirelessly within the industry make to support Ireland’s tourism and economy, the Government did not reduce excise on alcohol in the Budget.

Irish drinkers and visitors to our shores are paying some of the highest alcohol tax rates in the world. 31% of the price of a pint is now tax, with 68% of the price of a

bottle of whiskey heading straight to the Government’s coffers, and 64% of the price of a bottle of wine taxed.

Ireland’s consumers and visitors pay more than double the tax the Germans pay, per person. Irish drinkers pay €733 per year in alcohol taxes compared to German drinkers who only pay €304.

In a remarkable twist, Ireland is also now one of the most expensive places in the world to buy Irish whiskey. This means that a tourist visiting from New York could buy almost 2 bottles of Jameson in New York for the price of 1 in Ireland. (Jameson 1000ml RRP: Ireland €41.68, USA - €27, Germany - €25.10).

When we tally up the figures and compare our alcohol tax rate to our neighbours across the EU, we see that Ireland now has the second highest alcohol tax per person in the EU, second only to Finland.

This, simply, is uncompetitive.

An excise reduction would have supported consumers. Ireland is now the most expensive country in the world to buy alcohol, with beer excise up by a staggering 44% since 2012.

An excise reduction would have supported jobs. British MP Greg Mulholland, who runs the ‘Save the Pub’ group in the UK,recently told Irish TDs at the Oireachtas Jobs Committee that a beer duty cut in the UK had created 26,000 jobs. This shows that there is a real potential to create jobs if excise is cut.

An excise reduction would have supported growth. The drinks industry purchases €1.1billion worth of Irish inputs, supporting jobs on farms across Ireland and makes a €2BN wage contribution to the Irish economy. An excise cut would also support small businesses and jobs in local towns and villages.

Finally, an excise reduction would have supported tourism.While we know that small businesses in the hospitality sector are often cited by visitors as a key part of the reason for visiting and enjoying their stay in Ireland. The high costs of food and drink in Ireland - mainly driven by VAT and excise - are, however, often commented upon negatively.

This is an exceptional industry, with fantastic stories full of rich detail to tell.

From the popularity of Irish pubs with tourists, to the iconic Irish brands that are know the world over.

From farmers who are producing worldclass ingredients to the brewers and distillers who are creating world-class products. From Mizen Head to Malin Head, in every town and village in this country, there are families who are relying on the drinks industry to make their living.

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HOTEL ROOM RATES

Has burgeoning hotel trade learned from the past?

The boom times have returned, but Conor Power wonders if the signs are not already there that the uglier side of success won’t hinder the development of sustainable growth in our hotel industry.

Stephen McNally

In case that you hadn’t noticed how much busier our hotels have become, it’s now official: According to the latest survey from the Irish Hotels Federation, the vast majority of hotels and guesthouses (89%) have reported increases in business levels this year, with 64% of hoteliers planning to take on additional staff over the next 12 months.

The 11% increase in the influx of foreign tourists, couple with a burgeoning domestic economy have resulted in a rapid rise in demand and with it, there seems to be a significant rise in hotel rates.

According to the American-based website Hotels.com, hotel prices in Ireland have increase by some 15% in Ireland in the first half of 2015, with an average room night now costing €116. In Dublin, the increase was even more pronounced (19%)

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with a current average room night now costing €128 in the capital, they say.

Although the figures represent a minority sample of the overall hotel business, they do paint a somewhat worryingly familiar Generally what happens picture of prices threatening to grow out with Hotels.com is that of control and threaten competitivity in a when it’s very busy, sector not yet fully recovered from the recession. they’ll have allocations The Irish Times’ restaurant in hotels and correspondent Catherine Cleary recently unfortunately they end reported on what she referred to as “The up getting the last few New Dining Bill Boom”, while Georgina rooms and end up paying Campbell, meanwhile, has been voicing her concern about the current trends in the highest price. the Irish Independent: The hotel and restaurant business (particularly the 4 and 5-star sector) is, she says, suffering from understaffing and lack of investment, presenting an increasingly distorted scenario of falling standards and rising prices.

Added to this mix is the somewhat disconcerting reappearance in the hotel trade of players who managed to walk away from their responsibilities while others

“

HOTEL ROOM RATES low rates, we’ll have no hotels or no restaurants.”

On that point, it looks as if the hotels that proved unsustainable were the smaller ones in the vast majority. Official Fáilte Ireland figures show that the 100-or-so hotels that disappeared between 2008 and 2015 had 10 registered rooms on average.

One very interesting statistic that McNally points to is a study by US-based consultants PWC that found Dublin to the be the city in Europe with the second highest occupancy rates, yet our room rates are at number 14 in the chart.

So it seems that the market is going through a phase of inevitable correctional metamorphosis; a transient period during which rates will come back to levels that people are prepared to pay and which will allow hotels and restaurants to survive profitably.

“ Dublin is still very competitive. We’re cheaper than London and Amsterdam, for example.

We’re on a par with Oslo and we’re cheaper than Copenhagen. So we’re about mid-table in the Western Europe destinations.

Shaun Quinn

toughed it out through the hard times. One might fear the return of a culture of shortterm gain infecting the sector.

Competitiveness is something that is very quickly lost and which takes a long time to reclaim, so are we hurtling blind towards another brick wall or will we keep our eyes open and manage the journey fortunes better this time around?

Fáilte Ireland CEO Shaun Quinn believes the latter: “Given that tourism is on the rise in the last two years, demand has risen and so it wouldn’t be any surprise to see some prices going upwards,” he notes, adding that hotel rates here are rising.

“Dublin is still very competitive. We’re cheaper than London and Amsterdam, for example. We’re on a par with Oslo and we’re cheaper than Copenhagen. So we’re about mid-table in the Western Europe destinations.”

Stephen McNally is Deputy CEO of the expanding Dalata Hotel Group and the current head of the Irish Hotels Federation. He believes that there is little to be concerned about in the Hotels.com survey, pointing out that they are very small minority providers in the Irish hotels market and do not cover many important sectors, including conferencing, banqueting, tours and direct corporate business.

“It makes for good headlines all right, but if someone who represents only 3% of the market is saying that the prices are going up, then it doesn’t add up to me,” says McNally.

“Generally what happens with Hotels.com is that when it’s very busy, they’ll have allocations in hotels and unfortunately they end up getting the last few rooms and end up paying the highest price. But the reality for most people when they’re booking events is that they end booking what I would call ‘normalised rates’.

“Rates are rising and they have to rise to a certain extent,” he says. “The hotel industry has had over 200 ownership changes since 2008 and a lot of that is down to the fact that a lot of businesses were unsustainable, and if we continue to charge

Another problem is that many hotels are lacking in investment and that there is little appetite to build more hotels in Dublin between the canals because returns are perceived to be still poor in the business.

Shaun Quinn is confident that the market will do a certain amount of self-regulation in that respect: “One thing we are analysing at the moment is supply,” he says. “Dublin does need more hotel beds. Tourism isn’t the only industry that is currently in need of some additional investment...

As confidence comes back, I think that you’ll see a lot more growth...

“For us in Fáilte Ireland, when we build things like the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ancient East, we’re not just about getting growth next year and the year after, we’re trying to create sustainable growth... evergreen growth, if you like, and part of that is to ensure that we always remain competitive.”

In fairness to the current government, the culture of creating a sustainable tourism industry is one that they have been keen to engender but we find ourselves in boom times again and once more, we wear the uneasy crown of the EU’s fastest-growing economy. In a liberal economy like ours, things move fast and the last time we trusted in the forces of the market to behave, it went rather sour. Let’s hope there’s enough good sense out there to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.

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AWARDS

AA Hotel of the Year Award

David Webster, General Manager of the Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa with Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs

Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa, a spectacular showcase of Palladian style architecture, has recently been awarded the most prestigious prize in the Irish hospitality industry - the AA Hotel of the Year 2015-2016.

Outstanding among luxury five star hotels in Ireland, and set amidst one of the most scenic and historic estates in the country, Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa’s unique design forms a majestic crescent on the side of one of Ireland’s most celebrated valleys.

The magnificient seven storey hotel offers stunning views of the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain, and is surrounded by a beautifully manicured garden and tall, elegant beech woodland. The resort is located on the breathtaking Powerscourt Estate, which is also home to Ireland’s tallest waterfall, at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains.

AA Hotel of the Year 2015-2016 Considered the Oscars of the industry, the award cannot be applied for. Instead, anonymous inspectors visit properties around the country throughout the year, meaning that consistent delivery of superb standards was key to Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa receiving the title.

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Trained inspectors personally visit every AA accredited hotel for an overnight stay. The assessments of the standards of hospitality, service, cuisine, facilities and staff are the most stringent in the industry. Winners are selected in recognition of excellence in service and hospitality, in addition to a clear demonstration of continuous development in the preceding 12-18 months.

For a hotel to be even considered, it must have displayed excellence over time.

A hotel that achieves the accolade of AA Hotel of the Year can reasonably claim to be the best hotel in Ireland in its category. Although the five star Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa has been awarded the honourable title, the award does not necessarily go to a five star hotel.

Astounding success following transformation The AA Hotel of the Year award is a triumph for a hotel that has been on a journey of transformation since changing ownership in 2013. The 200 room property, which was completed in 2007, was built by Johnny Ronan and Richard Barrett of Treasury Holdings, at a reported cost of €200 million.

Originally operated by Ritz Carlton, the hotel boasted two championship-calibre golf courses and a Gordon Ramsey flagship restaurant. Its rooms were built exceptionally large, and finishing luxury touches included recessed televisions in every bathroom.

Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa hosted some of the glitziest weddings in the last decade. The resort was viewed as a luxury hideaway, a haven that appeared to be a world away from real life with its magnificence. However, the reality was very different as finances were simply not adding up, and the hotel was operating at a loss until it entered examinership in 2012.

A dramatic turnaround followed in 2013, when Tetrarch Capital and Midwest Holdings, owners of the Marker Hotel in Dublin, purchased the ill-fated Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa. David Webster came on board as the General Manager and has been at the helm of the hotel’s transformation since. Its AA Hotel of the Year accolade is testament to his efforts in leading a fantastic team.

Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs described the resort as “an old

AWARDS

Staff at The Lodge at Castle Leslie, Glaslough, Co. Monaghan

overall economic recovery.”

Minister Ring acknowledged that “through the hard work of the tourism industry and government initiatives, such as the 9% VAT rate, we have seen the success in our increased visitor numbers.”

On presenting the top accolade of the evening, Minister Ring said, “Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa is an example of another Irish success story. Irish hotels are among the very best in the world, and Powerscourt is counted among the top hotels in Ireland. It is a great credit to David Webster and his team to have come so far, so quickly, and I am delighted to congratulate them on their success.”

Other major winners at the AA Hospitality Awards AA Guest Accommodation of the Year: The Red Door Country House, Fahan, Co. Donegal Located on the banks of Lough Swilly, this winning establishment is run by husband and wife duo, Adelle and Shay MacCallion.

Managed by Dominic Barr, Red Door Country House has a team of over 30 staff, all dedicated to delivering culinary excellence and hospitality.

Clontarf Castle Hotel

Faithlegg House Hotel foragers, AA Delicious Dish of the Year

hotel and a new hotel; old in that the location has been globally renowned for many years, and new in that custody passed to a fantastic new team that has made huge strides in less than two years.”

“This is a great day for everyone involved with Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa, and a very proud moment. It is a huge accolade for the whole team who have worked so hard, and constantly deliver five star service to anyone who comes in the door,” said David Webster as he accepted the award from Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD. As explained by David Webster, the hotel’s brand is all about “warmth and welcome”. He believes that delivering award winning hospitality in a luxury hotel “has little to do with following rules like large hotel brands do,” as the staff at Powerscourt Resort Hotel and Spa “don’t follow a script.”

The spontaneous warmth and welcome from all the team, along with the level of service throughout the hotel, impressed the AA inspectors. The AA described Powerscourt Hotel Resort and Spa as “a five star hotel that manages to be an intimate and friendly place for the people who visit, allowing them to relax and enjoy their surroundings.”

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Michael Ring TD, said “the government is fully supportive of the Irish tourism sector, recognising it as a key sector in Ireland’s

AA Courtesy and Care: The Lodge at Castle Leslie, Glaslough, Co. Monaghan This award is a testament to excellence in customer care, a reflection of the staff at an establishment, rather than the buildings and grounds. An honour of a personal nature, the AA Courtesy and Care award reflects an establishment in which AA inspectors would choose to stay themselves, or to bring their own families.

AA Foodie of the Year: Niamh O’Shaughnessy A new addition to this year’s AA Hospitality Awards, the AA Foodie of the Year is presented in recognition of a food enthusiast’s influence in the Irish foodie community. Whether it’s via writing, blogging or celebrating fine Irish cuisine on social media, the award signifies an individual who has consistently promoted Irish culinary excellence.

AA Delicious Dish of the Year: Faithlegg House Hotel and Chef Jenny Flynn Another new addition to the awards this year, the AA Delicious Dish of the Year represents a dish much lauded by the public, as voted for by the public. Created

by Faithlegg House Hotel’s Head Chef, Jenny Flynn, “Scallops & Black Pudding, apple and locally brewed cider” emerged as a clear winner among over 8,000 votes cast on aahas.ie.

Caroline Leddy

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GMIT NEWS

GMIT partners with Galway Councils to help become Ireland’s first ever European Region of Gastronomy 2018 Galway has officially become a candidate for European Region of Gastronomy 2018, a very exciting and important initiative which would highlight the unique food culture of Galway and provide a legacy of improved food quality and support for local food & traditions. To kick start the bid by Galway to achieve the designation, the lead partners organised a briefing Workshop on Tuesday 22nd September 2015 and the turnout was very impressive.

The collaborative bid which is being led by Galway County Council in association with Galway City Council and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, will bring together all sectors including the public, private, education institutions and community/voluntary sectors to work together to secure European Region of Gastronomy status for Galway - West of Ireland in 2018, a first for Ireland. The bid and attainment of the designation will assist to grow Galway’s reputation in the Food and Tourism sectors and will result in key collaborative initiatives / programmes / projects that will have benefits in a number of cross cutting focus areas including Supporting SME’s, Innovation, Global Competitiveness, Sustainability, Health, Education, Cultural Diversity, The Digital Agenda and Linking Urban/Rural Areas.

A key aim of the European Region of Gastronomy award is to contribute to a better quality of life in European regions, by

highlighting distinctive food cultures, educating for better health and sustainability and stimulating gastronomic innovation.

The award is organised by a platform of European Regions with the support of European institutions and co-ordinated by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism.

Galway’s bid for the designation ensures access to an important European network where partners can learn from counterparts in Europe and they can learn from Galway. It is anticipated that in addition to the great networking and learning benefits which will accrue as a result of the bid, that there will also be greater opportunities to secure EU funding to assist develop initiatives in the food and tourism sectors.

Firehouse Bakery, Delgany: Where Bread is King

by Maria Conboy, Lecturer in Culinary Arts.

The Firehouse Bakery is located in picturesque Delgany county Wicklow. GMIT Culinary Arts graduate Patrick Ryan and Laura Moore, GMIT Hotel and Catering Management graduate opened this artisan bakery just two years ago. The bakery and coffee shop is going from strength to strength as people flock to experience the hospitality and indulge in high quality breads, pastries, soups, gourmet sandwiches and wood fired pizzas. Patrick is a master baker who uses only the finest of local ingredients to create a vast array of handcrafted loaves, cakes, scones and pastries. Patrick also runs a bread school in Heir Island where people can learn the technique of creating breads in beautiful surroundings.

As a Culinary Arts lecturer I had often seen photos of Patricks breads and pastries on Twitter. I was amazed by the beautiful produce and his ethos of using the finest local ingredients. After securing a stage in his bakery I was excited to be getting firsthand experience with sourdoughs and amazing viennoisserie, while gaining an insight into the life of an artisan baker.

On my arrival for duty at 4:30a.m. a team of highly skilled bakers, under the guidance of head baker Eoin Cluskey were busily baking breads; the aromas of which would warm anyone’s soul and make the early rise worthwhile. The selection of sourdough Breads included white, rye, malthouse, multiseed, spelt, cranberry and walnut, and onion. Other breads included batch, Granary batch, hazelnut walnut and oat, crusty white, four seed spelt, ciabatta, focaccia, multigrain and spelt soda. It is fair to say this bakery could bake any type of bread imaginable.

Patrick has his sourdough starter from when he opened two years ago which gives a distinctive yeasty flavour to the doughs.

The Viennoiserie were then baked to change the aroma to a sweet, buttery, toasty caramel and fruity fragrant smell which would test any ones will power not to indulge!! Once cooled the breads and viennoisserie were packed for delivery, and the shop items were then neatly and seductively displayed for the cafe opening at 8:30 a.m. Once the doors opened people flocked to purchase their fresh from the oven goods and Badger & Dodo coffee to give themselves the ultimate start to the day.

It was then time to start preparing doughs. Large batches of croissant dough were hand prepared daily where meticulous lamination resulted in vibrant golden coloured, light, flaky, beautiful pastries. His selection included the classic croissant,

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almond croissant, apricot Danish, pastry cream fruit Danish and pain au Chocolat. A wonderful brioche dough was turned into blueberry and almond rolls, praline and pecan swirls, and cinnamon and sultana, to mention but a few.

At this stage Patrick prepared the sourdoughs, thereby allowing plenty of rest time and bulk fermentation to allow flavour development for the bread. Later bread was shaped in baskets and left for hours to rise and develop naturally.

The patissier arrives to create the most delicious cakes, buns and treats. Followed closely by the chefs to complete the kitchen brigade, and busily working away they manage to create beautiful savouries, some of which are finished in the glowing wood fired oven. This dining experience can only be described as something special for the customers.

The people of Ireland are hungry for real bread with no additives but instead lovingly made with the key ingredients producing bread with great flavour and texture, and Firehouse is certainly providing this. Baking is therapeutic and such a rewarding job.

Throughout the week I honed my skills of kneading, shaping, rolling, layering, folding, and ignited my passion for sourdough, which I will continue to practice in the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology pastry kitchen. Thank you to Patrick Ryan, Laura Moore, Eoin Cluskey and the fabulous team of bakers, chefs, patissiers, and waiters/waitresses at Firehouse Bakery.

GMIT NEWS

GMIT College of Tourism & Arts The College of Tourism & Arts is the largest unit in GMIT with almost 1,700 students. All programmes are based in Galway City. Within the College of Tourism & Arts there are 5 departments - Culinary Arts, The Service Industries, Heritage & Tourism, and Humanities & Languages (all based in GMIT’s Galway Campus, Dublin Road, Galway), and the Centre for the Creative Arts and Media (located on the Monivea Road, Galway).

All programmes are designed and developed with significant input from industry, and many of our lecturers are leaders in their respective fields of expertise. This ensures that what students learn is relevant, current and practical for the world into which they will graduate.

The College of Tourism & Arts particularly welcomes applications from mature students - aged 23 on or before the 1st of January in the year of application. See the online prospectus at www.gmit.ie for further information.

Programme Summary Creative Arts & Media Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Art Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Fine Art Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Textiles Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Film & Documentary Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Contemporary Art

CAO code GA270 Apply direct Apply direct GA281 GA 283

NQAI Level 7 8 8 8 8

Duration 3 years 1 year 1 year 3 years 4 years

Details Full-time Full-time, Add-on Honours Degree Full-time, Add-on Honours Degree Full-time programme Full-time programme

Culinary Arts Higher Certificate in Arts in Culinary Arts Professional Cookery Traineeship

CAO code GA361 Apply direct

NQAI Level 6 6

Duration 2 years 2 years

Total Immersion Chef Programme

Apply direct

6

9 months

Bachelor of Business in Culinary Arts Management Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts (flexible learning)

GA372 Apply direct

7 7

3 years 3 years

Details Full-time programme Part-time, completed while working full-time in industry Part-time intensive programme, 3 days per week in college, 2/3 days per week in industry Full-time programme Part-time, completed while working full-time in industry

Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Culinary Arts Management

Apply direct

8

1 year

Full-time, Add-on Honours Degree

Event Management & PR Bachelor of Business in Event Management with Public Relations

CAO code

NQAI Level

Duration

Details

3 years

Full-time programme

Retail & Customer Service Bachelor of Business in Retail & Customer Service Management

CAO code

Duration

Details

3 years

Full-time programme

Heritage Bachelor of Arts in Heritage Studies Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Heritage Studies Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Heritage Studies

CAO code GA272 GA282 Apply direct

NQAI Level 7 8 8

Duration 3 years 4 years 1 year

Details Full-time programme Full-time programme Full-time Add-on Honours Degree

Hospitality Higher Certificate in Arts in Hotel & Hospitality Operations

CAO code

NQAI Level

Duration

Details

2 years

Full-time programme

Duration 3 years

Details Full-time programme

8

4 years

Full-time programme

8

1 year

Full-time, Add-on Honours Degree

Duration 2 years 3 years

Details Full-time programme Full-time programme

GA376

GA375

GA362

7 NQAI Level 7

6

Hotel Management CAO code Bachelor of Business in Hotel & Catering Management GA370 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Hotel & Catering Management GA380 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Hotel & Catering Management Apply direct

NQAI Level 7

Tourism Higher Certificate in Business in Tourism Bachelor of Business in Tourism Management

NQAI Level 6 7

CAO code GA360 GA374

Progression Routes

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Programmes in the College of Tourism & Arts are designed to allow students to enter college at diferent levels, and to allow progression from one level to a higher level.

Depending on the discipline chosen, a student could enrol on a Level 6 programme and upon successful completion, progress through to a Level 7 or 8 Programme.

The purpose of RPL is to expand access to programmes and formal qualifications, and to reduce the time and cost for people who already possess some of the knowledge, skill and competencies required.

RPL can be used to gain admission to a programme, and/or to gain exemptions from parts of a programme . If you have industry experience you may be eligible for exemptions, please ask us about RPL in GMIT.

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CARVERY AWARDS

Champion Carvery Representatives from hotels and pubs offering the finest carvery food on the island of Ireland gathered recently at the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin for the grand final of the annual Great Carvery of the Year competition.

The Heights Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry was awarded the Great Carvery Hotel of the Year 2015 title, and The Market Yard in Limavady, Co. Derry was crowned the Great Carvery Public House of the Year 2015.

Launched in 2010 by Unilever Food Solutions Ireland, Great Carvery of the Year is an all island search for Ireland’s best pub and hotel carvery. Irish sporting hero, Katie Taylor, was in attendance to unveil the winners at the final of what is now considered the premier carvery competition on Ireland and Northern Ireland’s culinary calendar.

Speaking at the final, Business Development Chef at Unilever Food Solutions, Mark McCarthy, said “this year, the standard of entry to the competition was incredible. The bar gets set higher every year in what has become a very exciting competition, and it’s great to see new entrants each year”.

The two overall winning venues each receive PR and Marketing support to the value of €4,500. The prize also includes a specially commissioned wall plaque to inform customers that they are in an establishment that serves the best carvery food in Ireland.

Acknowledging all of this year’s finalists, Mark McCarthy described the exceptionally high standard in relation to food quality and service in the competition.

“A great carvery meal is about much more than the quality of the food served. It’s about atmosphere, value and exceptional customer service, and that is what the Great Carvery of the Year competition is about. I would like to thank The Heights Hotel in Killarney, and The Market Yard in Limavady for their excellence in offering the best carveries on the island of Ireland.”

Jim Reeves, Customer Director Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.

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About Great Carvery of the Year Following a very successful first year, Unilever Food Solutions Ireland expanded the competition in 2011, creating two separate winner categories, the Great Carvery Public House of the Year and the Great Carvery Hotel of the Year.

Mark McCarthy, Business Development Chef at Unilever Food Solutions during a Q&A session with Katie Taylor at the Great Carvery of the Year Awards.

Overall winner & Munster provincial winner: Great Carvery Hotel of the Year: The Heights Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry. L to R Bernadette Shanahan, Katie Taylor, Collette Andre, Noreen O’Leary and Jim Reeves, Customer Director Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.

Cyril McAree, Hotel & Restaurant Times, Katie Taylor and Rachel Bolland, Unilever.

CARVERY AWARDS

Provincial winner Leinster: Great Carvery Hotel of the Year: Whitford House Hotel, Wexford. L toR: Thomas Scallon, Katarzyna Nowik, Eilish Whitty, Katie Taylor, Marguerite Gore and Jim Reeves, Customer Director Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.

Provincial winner Ulster: Great Carvery Hotel of the Year: Harvey’s Point, Donegal. L toR: Katie Taylor, Deirdre McGlone, Harvey’s Point, and Jim Reeves, Customer Director Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.

In 2012, the competition was extended to include Northern Ireland, and an online public vote was also introduced to determine a shortlist for both categories in each of the four provinces. Further development to the competiton followed in 2013 with the introduction of a text vote.

The benefits of providing quality carvery food to consumers are enormous as the pub and hotel food is a serious business in Ireland. “The pub channel alone was worth €1.5 billion last year, and pubs serving food are seeing more growth than those not serving food”, according to Unilever Food Solutions.

Great Carvery of the Year 2015 - Provincial Winners Munster Great Carvery Hotel of the Year The Heights Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry Connacht Great Carvery Hotel of the Year The Castlecourt Hotel, Castlebar, Co. Mayo Leinster Great Carvery Hotel of the Year Whitford House Hotel, Wexford Town Ulster Great Carvery Hotel of the Year Harvey’s Point, Donegal Town Munster Great Carvery Public House of the Year Bobby Byrne’s, Limerick Connacht Great Carvery Public House of the Year The Broken Jug, Ballina, Co. Mayo Leinster Great Carvery Public House of the Year The 51 Bar, Dublin Ulster Great Carvery Public House of the Year The Market Yard, Limavady, Co. Derry

Provincial winner, Connacht: Great Carvery Hotel of the Year: The Castlecourt Hotel, Mayo. L toR, Katie Taylor, Ciara Joyce, The Castlecourt Hotel and Jim Reeves, Customer Director Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions.

The Heights Hotel in Killarney and The Market Yard in Limavady are certain to gain from the PR and marketing support that goes hand in hand with winning the Carvery of the Year 2015 titles.

The Elm Tree in Co. Cork was crowned Great Carvery Public House of the Year for three successive years and its proprieter, Derek Walshe, explained how much his business gained from the award. “Winning has had such a positive impact on our business. It has absolutely increased footfall and reinforced the confidence of our wonderful team in the product they work extremely hard to represent. It was so rewarding and refreshing to have this acknowledged at national level by such a prestigious body as Unilever Food Solutions.”

About Unilever Food Solutions Involved in the food industry since the 1880s, Unilever Food Solutions creates some of the world’s favourite brands including Hellmann’s, Colman’s and Knorr.

Unilever works closely with businesses of all sizes, from independent restaurants, to hotel groups and contract caterers.

Unilever provides inspiration to keep menus fresh and exciting by creating ingredients that save precious preparation time in the kitchen, without compromising on flavour or flair.

Working in 74 countries, Unilever’s team of highly skilled chefs and nutritionists help their customers to find the right balance of great tasting and nutritious food served with consistently high standards. Working with food businesses, and understanding the critical balance between impressing guests and making a profit is also a primary objective for Unilever.

Unilever also promises to continue using sustainably sourced ingredients and packaging as environmental responsibility will remain a priority for the organisation as it continues to grow worldwide.

Caroline Leddy

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IFSA

Burning ambition Larry Smith, new Chairman of the Irish Food Service Alliance Larry Smith has recently been appointed the Chairman of the IFSA (Irish Food Service Alliance), a two-year role he was very honoured to undertake. With nearly 11 years experience under his belt at Calor Gas, Larry has a wealth of knowledge in the tourism industry, with particular relation to hotels and restaurants. His current position at Calor Gas is the Industrial and Commercial Sales Representative, covering the North Leinster region of Dublin, Meath, Louth, Monaghan and Cavan. “I look after hotels, restaurants even as far down as fast food takeaways.

We also deal with a lot of the agriculture and the horticulture industry, so there’s a wide and diverse range,” Larry explains.

Times appear to be kind for Calor Gas as Larry reveals business has grown in the last few years. “With our market share we’ve done an awful lot of work in changing the likes of hotels and bigger industries over from oil to gas because of C02 emissions.

People want to change and are being pushed that way. Gas is a cleaner fuel and it makes sense economically because of its diverse uses and value to the customer,” he reveals.

“ This support comes in a variety of different ways, from information on tackling new legislation, to supporting skills events, and general advice for new suppliers to the Industry.

Our website carries a wide range of resources for members and we are continually building on this.

The IFSA membership has become much more inclusive over the last 3 years.

Larry explains, “Initially we were an equipment based membership and today IFSA represents over 125 suppliers who range from catering equipment suppliers to food and beverage suppliers large and small. Our aim for membership is to become truly reflective of the supplier base out in the Foodservice market today. This means supporting members of all types of products and services which are supplied into the Foodservice sector.”

Teaming up with the Foodservice Industry is a priority for IFSA this year, especially during Larry Smith’s reign as Chairman. “Our goal is for the Foodservice Industry to see IFSA as a source of information and support within the sector.

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This support comes in a variety of different ways, from information on tackling new legislation, to supporting skills events, and general advice for new suppliers to the Industry. Our website carries a wide range of resources for members and we are continually building on this.”

IFSA

IFSA’s goals and objectives are also now focused at building closer relationships with the catering colleges throughout the country. “A huge focus going forward is working with the colleges and building relationships new chefs before they enter the workforce.”

Larry acknowledges that IFSA as an organisation needs to be active throughout the country and not just in the Leinster area. He first step in this process has been to invite new members onto the IFSA board from outside of the Dublin region and to replicate the events and workshops that have been successful in Leinster throughout the country.” I am delighted to welcome Norman Lenihan from Barry’s of Cork and Trevor Annon from the Mount Charles group based in Belfast onto our board and know they will assist in the drive to become a truly national organisation.”

IFSA stage many events throughout the year believing that live events are a unique way of bringing suppliers and buyers together face to face. The flagship event is of course CATEX which attracted over 10,000 trade visitors in February this year, next year the Industry will gather at Food and Bev Live which will be held in City West next February 16 and 17 and support all of the leading Foodservice bodies as they stage their annual skills events at this event. “We are delighted to be supporting so many trade bodies such as The Panel of Chefs of Ireland, The Bartenders Association, The Speciality Coffee Association of Europe, Euro toques, and many others over the two days of Food and Bev Live. Their competition’s and demonstrations showcase Foodservice We are delighted to be excellence and that is at the heart of supporting so many trade what IFSA was formed to do.” bodies such as The Panel of IFSA was also delighted to stage The Dublin Coffee and Tea Festival on Chefs of Ireland, The behalf of the local coffee and tea Bartenders Association, The community last month. Now in its Speciality Coffee second year this consumer event Association of Europe, Euro attracted over 6000 consumers and is toques, and many others part of an IFSA supported campaign to over the two days of Food build awareness the staging of the and Bev Live.

World Barista Championships which comes to Dublin next June and will attract over 7000 International visitors to the capital. “This will not only showcase the Irish Coffee Industry but also provide major business opportunities for the allied sectors such as Hotels and restaurants.”

As for IFSA’s concerns, like many other non-profit organisations, prospected budgets are a slight worry but there are high hopes that the 9% rate for the food services industry is kept. “I suppose for the last budget we got behind the

“

Restaurant Association and gave them our full support and we intend to do the same this time because I think it’s very important for the industry”, Larry encourages. “I think the hospitality and tourism industry has really perked up the country over the last few years; it’s been a huge stabilising force.” It was discovered at CATEX last year that many chefs were buying local produce, obviously good news benefitting local economies. “If we can get the economy up and going again, we can get restaurants opening in local communities and they’re buying local products, so it benefits all and it’s going that way now. We don’t want the budget to turn around and reverse that, so I really think it’s important for the budget to be positive for tourism and the food sector.”

Between Larry Smith and the board at IFSA, their goals this coming year are to redirect the focus from solely shining the spotlight on the Dublin region. Spreading their wings and awareness between the North and South of the country is a top priority. As for chefs, Larry acknowledges that there is a shortage in the country.

However, coupled with this is the need for the Industry to offer support and resources to each and every chef in the country. IFSA and its members are looking at proactive ways to offer support to the Chef community across all sectors of the Foodservice sector. Its going to be another busy two years for IFSA and its growing membership.

For details on joining IFSA: www.ifsa.eu.com.

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NUTRITION

Up to a standard or down to a price?

A word of caution on selection of Nutrition Consultants for implementation of current and pending legislation for your food business.

The proposal regarding calorie posting on menus in Ireland has been hotly debated.

Legislation is pending and will be introduced in early 2016. It’s understandable that there has been some resistance from the hotel & catering industry. There are so many questions to be answered. What’s the best way to report the calories? How can they be calculated accurately? Who will complete the analysis? How much will it cost? There have been a few well publicised cases in the media highlighting some companies who have charged exorbitant fees for such work, but there are many other companies who can provide nationwide services at very competitive rates, so I suppose we shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush!

On the other side of this debate is the undeniable public support for calories on menus. In 2012, when the FSAI consulted the public, your customers, about the prospect of posting calories on menus in Ireland, a whopping 96% or respondents said they wanted calorie menu labelling in all, or some, food outlets!

With the demand for calories on menus evident, how are you going to proceed?

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) produced a document in 2012 to help food businesses make sense of the process of posting calories on menus. The document, “Putting calories on menus in Ireland, Draft

technical guidance for food businesses”, is available to download from www.FSAI.ie website. The FSAI recognised that the calorie posting would not be easy for most food businesses to complete. Time and lack of resources were cited as the main barriers, but technical tools and technical experts would also be required. The FSAI advised businesses to only use technical experts with a recognised qualification, such as a state-registered dietitian (RD) or registered nutritionist (RNutr).

I’m frequently asked to explain the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist. Dietitians are the only nutrition professionals to be statutorily regulated in Ireland, and governed by an ethical code to ensure that they work to the highest standards. Most dietitians in Ireland are also qualified nutritionists, and are members of The Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute (www.indi.ie) which is the professional organisation for dietitians in Ireland. Dietitians have the initials MINDI after their name. However, the frequently used titles of nutritionist and nutrition therapist are less defined and are not protected terms. This basically means that anyone can call themselves a nutritionist of nutrition expert! Many people claim to be experts in nutrition yet have very limited knowledge and offer no protection to your business or to your customers. Some have no more than an interest in food; anyone can set up and practice! Other self-professed titles such as nutrition coach, food blogger, diet expert, nutrition consultant and so on are very generic titles and are completely meaningless! In fact you are more likely to find that these people have an appreciable social media following rather than any recognised training or qualification in the subject matter or indeed any indemnity insurance!

Recently the media exposed a well-known model turned author, who made some sweeping claims in relation to links between diet and a number of major chronic diseases. She also claimed to be a nutritionist, but when investigated by several journalists and health professionals, her claims were completely unfounded with absolutely no scientific evidence to support them, and her qualification wasn’t recognised or valid either!

I would strongly advise you to thoroughly research the qualifications of any nutrition expert you chose to work with your business and your brand, to ensure they are appropriately qualified and regulated - protect yourself at all costs! If you are looking for a consultant state registered dietitian or registered nutritionist, (who has full professional indemnity insurance with the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute) then www.sedi.ie is a new website where you can find a list of such technical experts.

Along with calories on menus, mandatory allergen labelling (passed in December 2014 - EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 on Food Information to Consumers) has been extended to cover hotels and restaurants. This means that menu allergens have to be accurately analysed by an expert and for this information to be available to your customers. When it comes to food safety, no restaurant or hotel in Ireland would consider using an inappropriately qualified HACCP trainer or food safety consultant, so why take the risk with allergen information? Your reputation is on the line. We live in an era which is dominated by social media, so a poor review, or a mistake on an allergen menu can have significant consequences for your customers, for your business reputation and ultimately your brand.

The First rule of food labelling is that the consumer cannot be misled. Food information to consumers, including allergen labelling and calorie posting, must be accurate.

(Ref: EU Reg No. 1169/2011, Chapter 1, Article 7)

Don’t risk it, use an expert!

Michelle Lane

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Michelle Lane RD MINDI Senior Staff Dietitian at Cork Nutrition Consultancy www.corknutrition.ie

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FOOD TOURISM

Food tourism in Ireland Come for the Wild Atlantic Way but take back the Irish culinary experience

Food Tourism is now a globally accepted term, however in Ireland we tend to focus more on food in tourism. This is according to John Mulcahy, Head of Hospitality in Fáilte Ireland. “My position is as Head of Hospitality and this includes Quality and Standards, Hospitality and Education and Food Tourism”. “I believe in Ireland we are

John Mulcahy

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really well known for our ingredients; beef, milk, pork, lamb, cheese, etc. but how we’re getting them to the plate has changed. There has been a paradigm shift in this area.”

John explains, “Mark Moriarty, aged 23, won Best Chef in the World at the San Pellegrino Awards by doing something different with celeriac. People are no longer shy about Irish Restaurants, all of that tells us we have changed a lot in a very short time. People used to talk about French or Italian restaurants, now we have Irish restaurants led by the likes of Chapter One, The Pigs Ear, or restaurants in Clare and Galway like J.P McMahon’s restaurant, Aniar. These are all Irish restaurants and proud to be.”

John maintains that this shift in an Irish culinary experience is happening in an Irish way. He says we are not copying or trying to replicate what has been done in Spain or France or Peru. Instead John says we are managing to put together a really good plate of food and to serve it with a story and really good hospitality. “We are great at telling stories and what we can offer people who come here is a great plate of food and the story to go with it, a great experience - that’s what matters.”

So if food features so highly in any discussion on tourism, why was there not a food representative on the recent tourism body appointed by the Minister? “Well I think everybody is involved with food, I think it reflects all sectors. Likewise everybody who’s involved in food is involved in tourism. It is the responsibility of all the representatives on that board to make sure food is part of the conversation.”

Research conducted by Fáilte Ireland shows that 80% of visitors name food as a motivator for satisfaction. Johnelaborates on this “food is not a motivator for visiting but when they’re here, it better be good, it impacts the whole experience. It doesn’t matter what business you’re in, whether it’s the café at the end of the Sheep’s Head or the cup of coffee on Irish Rail, it behoves us all to be conscious of what we are serving.”

FOOD TOURISM But has Fáilte Ireland itself been remiss in the priority it has given to food within the industry? “I would challenge that strongly,” says John. “We have a good team and we have done a lot in terms of making food relevant to all businesses involved in tourism. We have 21 food champions around the country promoting food and food tourism. We have developed systems which help businesses develop their food trails, we have gone through two food strategies and we have created various food events to enormous success. We have worked with likes of The Burren Group, the Dingle Food Festival and Boyne Valley food and we have gone from 15 food festivals 5 years ago to over 60 now. We have been working quietly; getting the fundamentals right and now we are seeing the fruits of that labour.”

St Tola Cheese in Clare and Highbank Orchards in Kilkenny offer good examples of the type of work JohnsaysFáilte Ireland have been doing under their food tourism brief. When Siobhan Ni Ghairbith of St Tola cheese began working with Fáilte Ireland John says she realised that she could be making as many sales from tourism as she had been from wholesale. Similarly, Highbank Orchards in Kilkenny are producers of organic apples and organic apple cider. Since working with Fáilte Ireland they now have between 20 and 30 foreign press groups wanting to come and see them every year. John explains, “All these people stay in Kilkenny, they eat in Kilkenny and then there’s press and promotion in the markets they return to, all because Highbank Orchards has been brought into tourism.”

Fáilte Ireland has also worked closely with the Wild Atlantic Way and Bord Iascaigh Mhara in Mayo on a project called Taste of the Atlantic. Seven shell-fish producers were identified along the coast of Galway and Mayo. In Westport, Cliften and Galway city, three clusters of restaurants were identified. The project involved building relationships between the shell-fish producers and the restaurants.

Johnsays “ we put seven producers in touch with 28 restaurants. We shortened the supply chain and the producers are getting a better price, but so are the restaurants, and they have a great story at the table. It is value added for everybody.”

John says that Hotels, restaurants and all local businesses need to be on the look out for this kind of added value and the potential to work with businesses currently on the fringes of tourism. He says that way you are not only adding value but also keeping money in the local area. So if this is what needs to happen is there a disconnect between Fáilte Ireland, the RAI, Bord Bia, in doing this? “No, and the EDEN Awards are the most recent example of this.” The European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) Awards involved Fáilte Ireland and Bord Bia identifying four food tourism destinations around the country. They then worked together to bring those destinations to the European Tourism week in Expo Milan at the end of September, exposing them to huge markets. The four destinations they identified are, the Burren Food Trail, Cong Food Village, Mayo; the ‘Wild Atlantic Way So Sligo Food Trail’; and the West Waterford region.

Some people within the industry have identified the lack of chefs within the sector as a significant issue. John however believes it depends on who you talk to.

“Chefs are mobile, they will go where the conditions are best and they can work across all levels of catering, it’s a huge span. They are a population that move and I think that’s what’s happening.”

Fáilte Ireland fund programmes that see between 500 and 600 chefs coming out

of colleges every year. They also fund training boards to produce courses for Chefs as well as part funding the Kilkenny School of food. According to John, “we are alive to the constant need for chefs and we are sitting down with the RAI and IHF to look at devising apprenticeship programmes. We need a range of full-time and part-time courses so there is choice for people. The benefits of apprenticeship programmes are that people get to the industry quicker as they incorporate half time in college and half time in the workplace.”

John asserts the infrastructure within the institutes is there from the previous CERT programmes. He says, “We should be able to get these apprenticeship training programmes right because we have educators involved, SOLAS is on board and we’ve brought all the positives from the CERT programmes, so we can future proof this and once we have it right we can roll it out within nine to twelve months and from there it’s scalable.”

But is there reluctance within the industry? “I think its fear of the unknown.

There are responsibilities with these training programmes that weren’t there before. But we know from the UK and from around the world that these models of training work and we have a great chance at the moment to put a sustainable training model in place. It is critical to get right and if it works for culinary, it could work for front of house and can also be applied to any of the new skills needed for the industry.”

John maintains that this is how to future proof training and the skills needed within the industry.

So where does John believe Ireland is rating in terms of food tourism worldwide?

“I think it is ahead of the game, to the extent that people are coming to us from New Zealand, Poland and Malta, asking us what we’re doing. In a recent OECD study, Ireland featured as a case study. Ireland also featured as a case study in a book published this year by a leading academic in the field in the United States.”

However, the most important thing to realise according to John is that food tourism is not about gastronomy, it is about every business paying attention to food.

“This is a virtuous circle and we need to socialise this concept.”

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BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

European business excellence accreditations at the EFQM awards event The EFQM Excellence Awards ceremony was held recently in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Northwood, Dublin. This prestigious event recognises the achievements of some of Ireland’s best-managed organisations.

This special occasion celebrated the success of 29 organisations throughout Ireland in the Hospitality, Financial, Retail, SME, and Public sectors who have achieved recognition for performance improvements on their quality journey measured against the European Excellence Framework the most rigorous measurement of business performance excellence in Europe.

The Excellence Awards, managed by the Centre for Competitiveness, as the official Country Partner of the Brussels based European Foundation for Quality Management, benchmarks assesses, and recognises organisations that have demonstrated their commitment to business excellence as an integral part of what they do.

5 Hotels were amongst the recipients and the Lake Hotel Killarney received the EFQM 5Star Excellence Award in its first application for accreditation.

The levels of recognition awarded to companies at the event included: Ireland Excellence Award, Recognised for Excellence EFQM 5 Star, 4 Star and 3 Star Awards, the EFQM Committed to Excellence, and the EFQM Gold Star Service Excellence.

All the organisations on their ‘Journey to Excellence’ undergo rigorous examination and must through the application of the EFQM Framework,illustrate,for example, excellence in employee management, strategic leadership, high productivity, high levels of customer satisfaction and overall superior business performance.

30,000, large and small organisations across Europe in the private, public and voluntary sectors have used the world class EFQM Model as their blueprint and driver for sustainable competitiveness. A number of organisations on the Island of Ireland, under the guidance of the Centre for Competitiveness, are also currently benchmarking themselves against the EFQM criteria, improving their international competitiveness and working towards achieving appropriate levels of recognition and accreditation.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Competitiveness (Ireland) Tony Lenehan said: “This years’ award recipients represent a range of industries and sectors that have a commitment to the fundamental concepts of excellence as an

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integral part of what they do, so I warmly congratulate them on their achievements.

The critical success factors for businesses in the future will be business competitiveness through Innovation, Productivity, and Service Excellence, driven by professional standards and processes. This will ensure that the more discerning customer will support, and return to, those organisations where their expectations will not only be met-but exceeded.

“The organisations awarded today are all well on their way to exceeding their customers’ needs and expectations and setting a valuable benchmark for others to follow.

“The benefits of EFQM accreditation are substantial as it provides an international symbol and benchmark of excellence; especially for tourism organisations, seeking to engage in the international leisure and business markets “Regardless of sector, size, structure or maturity, the EFQM framework is a powerful management tool providing organisations and their management, with a keen sense of what needs to be done while establishing robust management and business systems through its powerful logic and practical help. It does this by measuring where they are on the Excellence road map; helping them understands the gaps, and apply innovative solutions”.

While the world class EFQM Excellence Framework is used by over 30,000 organisations throughout Europe, the Centre’s strategy is to encourage leaders in large and small businesses on the island of Ireland to benefit from its potential and significantly boost their international competitiveness. The focus will be to promote and implement the EFQM Framework in a range of businesses and sectors, with a particular emphasis on improving leadership and management practices, organisational systems, processes and, business performance.

The Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) is an all-Island Organisation, with offices in Dublin and Belfast. It is dedicated to actively supporting the development of an internationally competitive economy through innovation, productivity improvement and quality excellence across arrange of sectors and to build best -in- class performance through International Leadership across public and private organisations enabling them to grow, excel and be sustainable.

The Centre is the National Partner for the European Foundation for Quality Management, Brussels (EFQM) in Ireland and an active member of the Global Federation of Competitive Councils headquartered in Washington DC. It is also the strategic partner for ADS supply chain development and accreditation for aerospace, defence, security and space in Ireland and the PDMA partner connecting innovators worldwide. It is also the Ireland Partner for the China Overseas Research Institute (COTRI) accreditation in Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure destinations for Chinese tourism to Ireland.

Award Recipients included: EFQM Excellence - 5 Star Award – The Lake Hotel Killarney EFQM Excellence - 4 Star Award – Crowne Plaza Dundalk & Pembroke Hotel Kilkenny EFQM Committed to Excellence – Skylon Hotel & Westport Woods Hotel

FOOD SUPPLIER

Musgrave MarketPlace launch new foodservice brochure ‘The Food People’ offers more choice and information across 17 categories Musgrave MarketPlace marked the launch of its new foodservice brochure with a bespoke 5-course meal prepared by Musgrave MarketPlace chefs at the Cleaver East restaurant in the Clarence Hotel recently. The new brochure, titled ‘The Food People’ showcases the complete range available from Ireland’s leading wholesale supplier to retail, foodservice and SME businesses, and provides an introduction to the people behind the brand and business from chefs to the technical team. Musgrave MarketPlace is Ireland’s leading wholesale supplier to retail, foodservice and SME businesses with over 12,000 retail and foodservice lines covering confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, chilled, frozen and dry catering food, alcohol, non-food and equipment. Musgrave MarketPlace stocks all leading brands along with an extensive range of own-brand products.It is committed to offering its customers the best in value, the widest, most appropriate ranges and unparalleled customer service.

Musgrave MarketPlace branches are located nationwide at a number of sites as follows: Dublin (Ballymun, Sallynoggin and Robinhood), Waterford, Cork, Limerick ,Galway in the Republic and in Northern Ireland in Belfast Lurgan and Derry ‘The Food People’ incorporates details on the most comprehensive range in the market across 17 different categories. It also highlights flagship products such as Musgrave MarketPlace’s own brand range, their exclusive meat range, a unique ethnic range sourced directly from the Far East and the business’ exciting new Irish craft beer range.

Speaking about the launch of the brochure, Noel Keeley managing director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners said, “We’re delighted to launch the new foodservice brochure. As a business, food is who we are, we live and breathe it so we know how important is for our customers when sourcing food for their business.”

“The launch of the brochure provides an opportunity to celebrate our huge range of

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produce and the people behind the brand. Each of these people has a unique set of skills that can help our customers with everything including food inspiration, menu development, information on the latest food regulations and much more.”

“We carried out extensive research to inform the content of the brochure and believe that we can now offer our customers the most up to date, relevant information they need to make informed decisions when purchasing with us. We value hugely the interaction we have with our customers and listen to their insights to help develop the business.”

Customers can shop with Musgrave MarketPlace in store, online and through the telesales team seven days a week. Over 100 multi-temperature vehicles deliver nationwide and customers can get ambient, chilled and frozen product on the same single delivery.

Musgrave MarketPlace’s Business Development chefs help customers design menus and meal options, so they can offer a range of mouth-watering choices to their customers.

The new foodservice brochure is available from all Musgrave MarketPlace Business Development Managers and can be downloaded by visiting http://musgravemarketplace.ie/First-For-Choice/Foodservice-Brochure/.