Press up
Entertainment Group
Business Analysis & Projections 2014
Press up Entertainment Group is Ireland’s leading leisure and hospitality company with interests in various sectors of the industry including restaurants, nightclubs, music venues, bars, retail outlets and hotels.
Group Assets: Captain Americas Cookhouse and Bar, Grafton Street, Dublin Captain Americas Cookhouse and Bar, South Main Street, Cork Captain Americas Cookhouse and Bar, Blanchardstown SC, Dublin Wagamama, South King Street, Dublin Wagamama, South Main Street, Cork Wagamama, Victoria Square SC, Belfast Wagamama, Dundrum SC, Dublin Wagamama, Blanchardstown SC, Dublin Bison Bar & BBQ, Dublin The Garage Bar, Dublin The Workman’s Club, Dublin Everleigh Garden, Dublin Madison Nightclub, Dublin The Liquor Rooms, Dublin Vintage Cocktail Club, Dublin
Coming 2014
Peruke & Periwig, Dublin The Dean Hotel, Dublin
PRESS UP ENTERTAINMENT GROUP Directors Patrick McKillen Matt Ryan Ronnie Delany Liam Cunningham
Senior Management Kristian Murphy
Group Finance Director
Carolann O’Sullivan
Group Financial Controller
Ben Barclay
Group Operations Manager
Aileen Galvin
Group Head of Marketing & Communications
Luke Brock
Group Head of Bar Operations
Angel Birt
Group Human Resources Manager
Accounts Carolann O’Sullivan
Group Financial Controller
Dave Sheehy
Financial Accountant
Aengusa Doyle
Office Manager
Sinead Coppinger
Accounts Assistant
Laura Kenny
Accounts Assistant
Matthew Radwan
Accounts Assistant
Marketing & Communications Aileen Galvin
Group Head of Marketing & Communications
Garvan Smyth
Group Brand Manager
Emma Hewson
Group Marketing Manager
Jenny Headen
Group Publicity Manager
Rowena Shanley
Senior Marketing & Communications Executive
Dave Mongan
Marketing & Communications Executive
Jodie Delany
Social Media Executive
CAPTAIN AMERICAS COOKHOUSE & BAR Grafton Street, Dublin Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin South Main Street, Cork www.captainamericas.com Facebook / captainamericas Twitter / @captainamericas
One of Ireland’s best loved and most iconic restaurants, Captain Americas brought the original American cookhouse experience to Grafton Street, Dublin back in 1971. Captain Americas became the hangout for Dublin’s original hipsters including Phil Lynott and Horslips and no family trip to town was complete without a hamburger and fries at Captains. Since then, Captain Americas has gone from strength to strength, opening in South Main Street in Cork in 2005 and a third outlet at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in 2010. Now employing a staff of more than 180, the restaurants are renowned for their extensive American style menu, with food prepared fresh to order, from mouth-watering flame grilled steaks to lip-smacking fresh fried chicken wings. With generous portions, homemade recipes and a full bar licence, the restaurants appeal to a wide demographic, from students to young professionals and a hugely loyal family customer base. Jim Fitzpatrick’s Captain America mural is just one of the numerous art pieces that decorate the walls of each restaurant. Hundreds of unique music, movie and sports memorabilia are on display, collected over the years from Irish and international stars including U2, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Debbie Harry and many more.
The restaurant undertakes a significant amount of marketing, advertising and promotional activity throughout the year. Radio station 98FM is the lead media partner for the Dublin restaurants and the chain currently sponsors the sports news segments. 98FM also provide on-air promotions, outside broadcast support throughout the year both on and off site, as well as numerous listener competitions and online media support. The marketing and communications team develop campaigns throughout the year, designed to retain the current customer base, drive new customer take up and build revenue. Third party promotions are key and allow for expansion of audience reach. Campaign partners this year have included Tour America, Delta Airlines, Today FM, MCD, Aiken Promotions, The Gaiety Theatre and numerous businesses at local level. The brand also features regularly in local and national media including broadcast media, print and online. The digital footprint of the brand is very strong with a good website and many social media channels that create positive engagement with the public. Captain Americas preferred charity is The Children’s Medical and Research Foundation at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
Key staff Angel Birt
Operations Manager
Oliver Byrne
Group Kitchen Manager
Clair Fleming
General Manager Grafton Street
Tadhg Ryan
General Manager Cork
Lyndsey Wilders
General Manager Blanchardstown
Wagamama Japanese inspired noodle bar Wagamama began with one restaurant in London in 1992 and has since grown to 116 outlets in 17 countries around the globe. Wagamama (meaning naughty child in Japanese!) is renowned for offering fresh, fast food in a contemporary and relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant launched its first franchise in the world in Ireland on South King Street in the heart of Dublin city in 1998. Wagamama opened in South Main Street Cork in 2005 and in 2010 the third Irish outlet opened in the prestigious Victoria Square Shopping Centre in Belfast. Blanchardstown Shopping Centre also welcomed the restaurant in 2010 and the following year a fifth restaurant opened in Dundrum Shopping Centre. The Irish have taken the noodle dining experience to their hearts and Wagamama has become a hugely popular casual dining choice for a wide demographic of customers, from students to young professionals and families alike. The ethos of Wagamama is fresh food prepared and cooked daily on-site, a tasty Asian inspired menu, served in a minimalist, positive environment. The restaurant undertakes a significant amount of marketing, advertising and promotional activity throughout the year. To date in 2013, Wagamama has featured in many national and local print, radio and online media outlets, including The Irish Times, the Irish Independent, Irish Examiner, Today FM, RTE 2FM, Cork’s Red FM and in numerous food and lifestyle blogs and websites. Wagamama Ireland is proactive in developing in-store promotional activities to engage with customers across a variety of demographics. Events this year included the inaugural Wagamama Kids Weekender, cooking classes for media and celebrities and the innovative Wagamama Office Takeovers. The team have also developed a number of guerrilla PR campaigns for the chain. Wagamama engages with the student market through on campus activities which include food sampling, society discount offers and sponsorships. The Wagamama online presence is strong, with a full website and many highly engaged social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and VINE.
South King Street, Dublin South Main Street, Cork Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Dublin Victoria Square Shopping Centre, Belfast Dundrum Shopping Centre, Dublin www.wagamama.ie Facebook / wagamamaireland/wagamamanorthernireland Twitter / @wagamamaireland / @wagamamabelfast
Key staff Christine Chung
Operations Manager
Ray Massey
Finance Manager
Rob Neilan
Development Chef
Duncan MacDonald General Manager South King Street Jon Greaves
General Manager Cork
Elaine O’Neill
General Manager Blanchardstown
Sonia Lipton
General Manager Belfast
Brian Smyth
General Manager Dundrum
bISON BAR & BBQ
BISON
Wellington Quay, Dublin
&
www.bisonbar.ie Twitter / @bisondublin
The Bison Bar & BBQ in Temple Bar has already become a Dublin institution in just nine short months, it’s infamous saddle seats having welcomed the posteriors of global superstars and thousands of regulars alike, who come to enjoy a choice of more than 150 whiskeys, over 50 tequilas and a wide range of craft beers, cocktails and spirits. With the massive surge of interest in BBQing in Ireland and the popularity of TV shows such as Man V Food, which has showcased American BBQ culture to Irish audiences, the Group made the decision to open a BBQ in Bison Bar, the very first authentic Texan BBQ in Ireland. With our chefs having spent time training in some of Texas’ most famous ‘pits’, an enormous Southern Pride smoker was shipped to Ireland, the front of the building on Wellington Quay was removed and the smoker installed in the kitchen. From the day it opened it’s doors, Bison BBQ has been a
massive culinary sensation in Dublin, building a huge loyal following, garnering an enormous amount of media attention and finally bringing American BBQ to Ireland. The true-to-roots menu features 14 hour slow roasted meats and homemade sides, served on brown paper inlays on trays, with diners using their hands to enjoy the offerings, dousing them in a choice of two sauces and wiping clean with kitchen roll. Bison BBQ is a special and unique offering at a hugely competitive price point, appealing to a broad audience that includes professionals and students alike. The marketing and promotions team have built a strong launch campaign for the bar and BBQ including national and international media coverage, a strong social media campaign, food challenges, media tastings and classes and promotions in the immediate locale to build a strong community take up of the offering.
Key staff Phil Keatley
Bar Manager
Cathy Mac Kenna
Restaurant Manager
Oliver Byrne
Executive Chef
Juris Vingris
Head Chef
THE GARAGE BAR East Essex Street, Dublin
Facebook / The-Garage-Bar Twitter / @garagebardublin
The Garage Bar was opened in 2010 in the heart of Temple Bar and is Dublin’s best kept secret, a dive bar with serious attitude! From the authentic 1930’s petrol pumps, old style tyres and classic car bonnets to the rock’n’roll icons on the walls and the sawdust floors, The Garage is a tiny hub of cool in a Temple Bar of stereotypes. The music on the speakers ranges from Motown to Rock, New Wave to Soul and the leftfield vibe of the bar has created a thriving community of mods and rockers, who congregate and hang out, the best regulars a bar could ever want. With it’s close proximity to various large venues and theatres, The Garage has become a hideway
Key staff Christine O’Dwyer
Bar Manager
Trevor Dietz
Music Programmer
for many famous faces from the cast of Love Hate to some of the biggest bands in the world, visiting Dublin to perform at The Olympia. The marketing and promotions team promote the bar with various media events, summer BBQ’s, autumn vinyl fairs and Christmas flea markets. The pub has a very basic online presence, a Twitter handle and a Facebook page. The bar has been used in many photoshoots, with pictures appearing in national print media and on websites and blogs.
THE WORKMAN'S CLUB Wellington Quay, Dublin
www.theworkmansclub.com Facebook / TheWorkmansClub Twitter / @workmansdublin
The Workman’s Club is Dublin’s leading live music venue and performance space situated on Wellington Quay. The venue opened in 2010 with the simple mission of providing a space where musicians and artists of all kinds could witness their songs and performances come to life. From down and dirty rock gigs to intimate acoustic performances, comedy nights, book readings, art exhibitions, multimedia takeovers, flea markets and diverse indie clubnights, The Workman’s Club has become a haven for those who create music and art and those who love to consume it. The building has existed on the site for more than one hundred and eighty years and from 1888 to 2003 it was the home of Dublin’s original Workingmans Club. It’s history and personality has been lovingly preserved and complemented, with the orginal features of the building becoming the focal point of each room. From Imelda May to Damien Dempsey, Dan Le Sac V Scroobius Pip, First Aid Kit, Anna Calvi, Passenger, The Beat, Two Door Cinema Club, Mark Morriss, Original
Key staff Karl Geraghty
General Manager
Phil Keatley
Bar Manager
Julie Cooper
Booking Agent
Vinny Casey
Booking Agent
Trevor Dietz
Music Programmer
Rude Boys, Cathy Davey, The Divine Comedy, Fight Like Apes, Halves and hundreds more, the cream of breakthrough talent and established legends have graced the stage at the venue, Villagers even recorded a live album in our lofty halls! Phantom 105.2 is the lead radio partner of the venue and an extensive advertising campaign runs on the station each week, as well as listener nights, competitions, outside broadcasts from The Workman’s Club and a weekly club night. The venue and all it’s activities are heavily promoted by the Press Up PR and marketing team and the venue has garnered over one thousand pieces of press coverage alone in the last three years. Bands and artists performing appear on TV, radio and in online outlets to promote their shows. The venue has featured in many international publications including Elle UK and NME and is touted as one of the leading Dublin spots to visit. The digital impact of The Workman’s Club is strong, with a website that changes on a daily basis and very strong social media channels with high engagement.
EVERLEIGH GARDEN Harcourt Street, Dublin
www.everleighgarden.com Facebook / EverleighGarden Twitter / @EverleighGarden
Everleigh Garden exploded onto the Dublin night life scene in December 2012. The tag line ‘70% outdoors, 30% indoors and 100% friendly’ is an apt reflection of the clubs interior and atmosphere. From launch, the club has proved immensely popular with young affluent Dubliners and quickly went from trading two nights a week to seven nights a week, with customers queuing nightly to attend. It has become a regular haunt of locals and celebrities alike including the Irish national football and rugby teams. The Dublin, Mayo and Kerry football teams have all celebrated in The Garden. The club received international attention when R’n’B artist Neyo tweeted his 2.5 million followers about his ‘amazing night’ spent in Everleigh. Since then, famous faces in the club have included the world’s biggest pop-star Justin Bieber, performers Macklemore and Ben Howard as well as actors Colin Farrell, Robert Sheehan and Patrick J Adams. The Everleigh Watering Can, the club’s signature drink, a 5 litre watering can containing a secret concoction of vodkas and tropical fruits has featured in photographs across the world.
Best Nightclub in Ireland
National Hospitality Awards 2013
Everleigh Garden has transformed the landscape of clubbing in Dublin with its unique interior: two lavish garden areas flank a heaving bar and a lush bordello club, giving customers the ultimate nightclub experience in the heart of Dublin city. The dedicated marketing team at Everleigh Garden tirelessly promote the venue with online and offline campaigns, customer events, media activities, launches, corporate parties and consistent media coverage. The club also produces a strong online footprint with a large and engaged following on Facebook and Twitter.
Key staff Conor Buckley
Creative Director
Brian Mulvany
General Manager
Sarah Cotterell
Marketing Manager
THE LIQUOR ROOMS Wellington Quay, Dublin
www.theliquorrooms.com Twitter / @theliquorrooms Facebook / TheLiquorRoomsDublin
The Liquor Rooms is Dublin’s newest late night cocktail bar. Open seven nights a week until very late, The Liquor Rooms was created to fill the gap in the market for a 25 + clientele looking for something fresh and different from the Dublin nightlife scene. Since the doors opened in August, The Liquor Rooms has never looked back. Walking into the subterranean venue is like stepping back in time, the prohibition era décor is chic and fabulous, lounge couches and vintage furnishings adorning each of the four spaces inside. From the burlesque Black Rabbit Room, through to The Boom Room with its immense wall of salvaged fireplaces, further on into The Blind Tiger where snugs and dark sultry spaces abound and on through to The Mayflower a bright and airy conservatory style space. Order from an array of sumptuous cocktails, fine spirits, liqueurs and craft beers. Food is served from 6pm ‘til 10pm and takes ‘bar food’ to another level. What makes The Liquor Rooms stand out from all it’s competitors are the happenings, once off bizarre and wonderful sidebars from local and international performers which occur
unexpectedly and without fanfare. Where else in Ireland would you find your cocktail being served on the foot of a bordello contortionist or be surprised with an invitation to dance by a mysterious renaissance gentleman. With live DJs all weekend, The Liquor Rooms has something for all to enjoy. The dedicated marketing team, along with the Press Up PR team work day in day out to ensure that The Liquor Rooms is on the tip of every tastemakers tongue and the venue has been featured in every national broadsheet to date, as well as all the glossies and the coolest online sites and blogs, both here and abroad. The venue is in high demand for photo and video shoots and has already appeared on the cover of Life Magazine in the Sunday Independent. With a discreet guest policy, it would be rude to namecheck the many well-known faces who have adopted The Liquor Rooms as their own. The team hosts private parties, concert aftershows, corporate events, festival launches, meet your neighbour nights and much more. Twitter and Facebook are the key online channels for the venue.
Key staff Kevin Hurley
General Manager
Mark Bradley
Head Chef
Aisling Murray
Marketing Manager
MADISON NIGHTCLUB
Wicklow Street, Dublin
www.madison-nightclub.com Facebook / MadisonDublin Twitter / @MadisonDublin
Madison Nightclub was launched in early 2013. Situated in the heart of Dublin city centre, just off Grafton Street, the club has quickly become one of the most popular VIP haunts in town. The club motto is ‘We’re All About You’, which reflects the VIP vibe of the venue. The décor is unashamedly glamorous, from the glitzy gold seating to the heavy red velvet drapes, the high end bar fittings and luxurious private snugs, Madison is truly a very special experience. Along with a state of the art sound system, top Irish and international DJs and Ireland’s biggest floor to ceiling LED screen, Madison is a club of excess, where beautiful people drink beautiful drinks in stunning premiere surrounds. Over the year, the club has welcomed a host of top celebrities from music stars Westlife, The Coronas, Bressie, Jamelia and Bono, to models Rosanna Davison, Glenda Gilson and Roz Purcell and TV stars such as presenter Katherine Thomas and chef Dylan McGrath. Madison runs clubs Thursday through Sunday and opens throughout the week for private functions,
launches and events. Companies that have availed of the glamorous surrounds of Madison include American Airlines, Google, Facebook, New Ireland Insurance, KPMG, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Twitter, DELL and Deloitte. Just recently, Today FM hosted the official celebration of Ian Dempsey’s 25 Years in Media with a private This Is Your Life style gathering in Madison, where Dempsey was interviewed by Matt Cooper and Ray Darcy. The event was filmed and broadcast on Today FM. The dedicated marketing team at Madison and the PR team at Press Up promote the venue on a daily basis, reaching out to club goers, celebrities, agents and promoters as well as corporate clients to build audience. The team develops numerous online and offline campaigns, themed events, media gatherings, database marketing and the club receives consistent national media coverage. The club also produces a strong online footprint with a large Facebook and Twitter community.
Key staff Barry Plunkett
Creative Director
Stephen Burns
General Manager
Rachel Rock
Marketing Manager
VINTAGE COCKTAIL CLUB Crown Alley, Temple Bar, Dublin
www.vintagecocktailclub.com Twitter / @VCCDublin
National Hospitality Awards 2012
Vintage Cocktail Club (VCC) opened in October 2012. Set behind an unobtrusive door on Crown Alley in the heart of Dublin’s city centre, VCC has changed the face of the Irish cocktail scene in one short year, bringing it to a world stage. Press the doorbell, the host will admit you and when you reach the top of the stairs, VCC spreads out before you over three floors. Like stepping back in time, VCC is a vintage lovers paradise. The walls, floors and ceilings are adorned with long lost objets d’arts, reclaimed curios and fine antique furniture. Refined, relaxed, welcoming, VCC is a five star cocktail and food bar, the perfect intimate meeting place, a party palace for the cultured drinker, a reflection of modern Irish culture, new Dublin set against an opulent old fashioned backdrop. The venue is open seven days a week – from 6pm ‘til very late each day and for brunch at the weekends. Food is prepared and served onsite daily by chef Mark Bradley and the cocktail menu is the most extensive and complex on offer in Ireland, utilising many unusual ingredients not seen on Irish cocktail menus before.
Key staff Gareth Lambe
General Manager
Mark Bradley
Head Chef
Sean Kenny
Bar Manager
Pat Thomas
Head Barman
Ann Gilhooley
Host & Bookings
James Corish
Host & Bookings
Irish Cocktail Bar of the Year
Discretion is the key at VCC and we’d be breaking our own codes if we revealed the many hundreds of famous faces who have enjoyed VCC hospitality. The Press Up marketing and PR team work on the ground with management at VCC to further develop the customer base and drive revenue. Clients and corporates are marketed directly and the team reach out to potential brands that would complement the style and vibe of VCC. The bar has received hundreds of column inches of publicity and as well as substantial national coverage, VCC has also begun to feature in international media including The Wall Street Journal, Harpers Bazaar Russia, Elle UK and Four Seasons Magazine. The unusual and opulent décor lends itself to photo and video shoots, from Arnotts lingerie shoots to international model shoots, VCC is now a firm favourite with Irish and international stylists, designers and photographers. The venue’s website is currently being developed and VCC has a strong legion of followers on Twitter.
@ Press Up, we’re on an adventure
Coming 2014
Peruke & Periwig Dawson Sreet, Dublin
Launching early 2014
Peruke and Periwig will be the newest addition to the Dawson Street strip, a refined, grown-up, leftfield experience for a new Dawson Street tribe.
The Dean Hotel The Dean Hotel will be a brand new experience for Dublin, for Ireland. Contemporary, comfortable, dynamic, fun. A reflection of our new culture, the perfect place to spend a wild few days in Dublin, with our vibrant city and all she has to offer at your fingertips.
Harcourt Sreet, Dublin
Launching mid 2014
Press up Entertainment Group
6-8 Glendenning House, Wicklow Street, Dublin 2, Ireland + 353 1 6713090 | info@pressup.ie | www.pressup.ie