Tourism Northern Ireland’s Post

Tourism Northern Ireland was delighted today to support the Hospitality Inspires student conference in Belfast. Organised by the Institute of Hospitality - Northern Ireland, the event at the Europa Hotel aimed to inspire careers in tourism and hospitality while also providing an interactive platform for employers in the industry to directly engage with students and educators. More than 350 students from the region's Further Education colleges, Belfast Metropolitan College and Ulster University attended the event. A job fair also took place giving students the opportunity to visit employer stands which were showcasing the vast and diverse range of job opportunities across Northern Ireland in the hospitality, tourism and leisure. Attendees were welcomed to the event by Aaron Logan FIH IS, Regional Chairman for the Institute of Hospitality - Northern Ireland. Guest speakers at the event included Eimear Callaghan, Head of Experience and Industry Development at Tourism Northern Ireland, who spoke about the important role tourism plays in Northern Ireland while also highlighting key priorities for the year ahead. Other speakers included Rob Rees, Group Head of People & Culture at Hastings Hotels, Northern Ireland, and Simon Maguire, Hospitality Consultant. There was also a panel discussion involving Fionn Forbes, Events Admin Support at the Crowne Plaza Belfast, Rose McGuigan, owner of Bites by Rose, Katelyn Leetch, Conference & Events Co-Ordinator at the Crowne Plaza Belfast, and Anthony Farrell, co-founder of the CocktailKegCompany.