Local food and drink businesses have been learning how to get the most from social media and online influencers at a recent workshop organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism team.
Robert Ainley from Down the Hatch NI, one of Northern Ireland’s leading foodie bloggers who is passionate about discovering and promoting excellence in local food produce, delivered the course to representatives of the Taste Causeway Collaborative Growth Network.
Taste Causeway, who are supported by Invest NI and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, represents the overall brand and vision for the wide variety of food producers, artisans, food tourism and hospitality businesses throughout the Causeway Coast and Glens’. It aims to provide fresh, flavoursome food and an immersive experience which showcases the Causeway Coast and Glens as a world class destination.
The two-hour interactive workshop covered essential content on how to enhance your online profile and raise brand awareness by engaging with bloggers and promoting your own social media platforms and those connected to the foodie destination. Participants were delighted to discover valuable ideas and information about how to grow your online following, how to discover and engage with key influencers and how to use hash tags and links to their business’ advantage.
The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Sean Bateson said: “Taste Causeway is taking significant steps to ensure that the Causeway Coast and Glens destination is at the forefront of the visitor market by developing the skills required to ensure that our world class food experiences are recognised on a global scale by harnessing the power of online influencers. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is committed to providing practical assistance to our tourism and hospitality industry which will be for the benefit of their businesses and the destination as a whole.”
Welcoming the course, Sharon Scott, Lead Facilitator for the Taste Causeway Collaborative Growth Network said: “Following on from our success in being awarded runner-up in the Restaurants Association of Ireland’s Top Foodie Destination competition, members of Taste Causeway are passionate about raising the profile of the destination as a top foodie visitor experience and letting the world know about what we have to offer! Engaging effectively with top bloggers and influencers is an important step forward and this workshop with Down the Hatch has been instrumental in giving us the necessary skills for successful engagement.”
Local food and drink businesses who wish to join the Taste Causeway Collaborative Growth Network can apply now via www.tastecauseway.com
Robert Ainley from Down The Hatch NI, a leading foodie blog, pictured with representatives of Taste Causeway Collaborative Growth Network who took part in the social media workshop organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Tourism team.