The highly coveted awards recognise talented individuals who have contributed to their business and the industry over the past year.
For 2018 there are 21 categories with foue new categories including; Duty Manager of the Year, General Manager of the Future, Human Resource Manager of the Year and The Unsung Hero Award.
The awards will take place at Titanic Belfast on Friday May 11, 2018.
The two-day judging process features an experienced team of independent judges who come from a wide variety of non-hospitality related sectors, and who give their time and expertise freely to assess a large number of nominees. Through an interview process, judges look for individuals who clearly demonstrate how they develop themselves, their people, as well as shape their business.
This year the Institute of Hospitality (NI branch) is delighted to announce that the charity partner for the awards is Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI, the only charity in Northern Ireland dedicated to blood cancer research. Visit www.leukaemiaandlyphomani.org for further details.
The categories for 2018 are:
1. INDEPENDENT BAR MANAGER OF THE YEAR
2. COFFEE SHOP / CAFE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
3. RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR
4. RESTAURANT CHEF OF THE YEAR
5. HOTEL CHEF OF THE YEAR
6. CONTRACT CATERING CHEF OF THE YEAR
7. CONTRACT CATERING MANAGER OF THE YEAR
8. HOTELIER OF THE YEAR
9. FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER OF THE YEAR
10. HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER OF THE YEAR
11. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR
12. DUTY MANAGER OF THE YEAR (NEW!)
13. GENERAL MANAGER OF THE FUTURE (NEW!)
14. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER OF THE YEAR (NEW!)
15. THE UNSUNG HERO AWARD (NEW!)
16. HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT TEAM OF THE YEAR
17. SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR
18. LECTURER OF THE YEAR
19. OUTSTANDING APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
20. STUDENT MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL AWARD
21. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Chair of the Institute of Hospitality (NI branch), Marianne Hood commented; “We are delighted to launch the 23rd Institute of Hospitality Awards for Professionalism for 2018. Over the years the awards have increasingly become an important event for individual industry professionals in Northern Ireland. Not only do they recognise talented individuals, who have contributed so much to their business and the industry over the past year, but demonstrate a clear commitment to developing and maintaining professionalism within this fantastic sector.
“Each year we are indebted to a range of long-term, credible sponsors and partners for their support and we look forward to a continued relationship with them in 2018. We are also delighted to announce our charity partner for this year as Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI. With 21 awards including 4 new categories, all independently judged, I would encourage anyone connected to the hospitality sector to visit our website and get nominating.”
Peter Ducker, Chief Executive of the Institute of Hospitality added;“Over the past 23 years the Institute of Hospitality NI committee has constantly raised the profile of the awards, making them more popular and prestigious than ever. The committed team provides an excellent awards process and event which promotes professionalism and encourages continued professional development within the industry. We hope that as many people as possible take part and we look forward to seeing the finalists at the gala event at Titanic Belfast on May 11, 2018.”
