Restaurants Association of Ireland announce its line-up for Annual Conference

Restaurants Association of Ireland announce its line-up for Annual Conference

Gibson Hotel, Point Village, Dublin 1

Tuesday, 12^th April 2011.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland announce the line-up for the 2011 annual general meeting, taking place in the Gibson Hotel, Dublin on April 12^th.

This year’s theme is “Brand Ireland, it’s in our hands” and Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive for the Restaurants Association of Ireland states that it is very important that we should focus in on the year ahead and drive as much business as possible into the restaurants using tourism as a vehicle for the economy.

We have a superb line-up  of speakers including the

.

The guest speakers are:

• Cyril McAree, Conference Chair.
• Norah Casey
• David McKernan
• Bill Cullen
• Damien Mulley
• Fionn Davenport
• Linda Leonie Prager

The speakers for the annual general meeting are as follows:

• Cyril McAree

Cyril McAree is the founder and publisher of Hotel & Restaurant Times. Established in 1998, the magazine is now considered an essential read for those involved in the hospitality sector. The publication is circulated bi-monthly, on a controlled circulation basis to named individuals. The magazine has an exclusive agreement with both the RAI and the IHI to feature member specific content, including newsletters. Hotel and Restaurant Times is circulated on a named basis to members of the Irish Hotel Federation; Fáilte Ireland Approved Hotels, Irish Country Houses and Restaurants, Catering Management Association, Hotel marketing groups, selected Architects and Interior Designers and can also be sourced in leading newsagents. Cyril is also a founding partner of the SMILE Hotel Marketing Conference and more recently was appointed to the Irish board of HSMAI (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International).

• Bill Cullen

Bill Cullen is a successful entrepreneur. Listed as one of Ireland’s top 100 businessmen. Bill was born in the inner city tenements of Dublin. One of fourteen children whose mother, Mary Darcy was a fruit seller, Bill was selling on the streets from the age of six. Bill went on to set up his own motor business, which became the biggest Ford dealership in Ireland. In 1986 he took over the troubled Renault Car Distribution franchise from Waterford Crystal. His turnaround of that company is a business success story well chronicled in his memoirs “It’s A Long Way From Penny Apples”. Of course, he is better known today as the boss of The Apprentice.

• Linda Leonie Prager

Linda Prager started her studies in business administration in Zurich, after which she worked for several years at a Zurich-based consulting company. The decision to obtain her Master’s degree at the Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne was made following a prolonged period of time abroad in the United States. In 2008, she spearheaded the opening of mixed-use, multi-concept property in the north part of Switzerland. The company she currently manages with her mother, prager. gastronomie SA, includes a classic fine-dining venue as well as the trendy and popular concept restaurant, “Güterhof” which has come to be very well known in Switzerland. Linda continues to come up with innovative events and ideas for her company, and stays on top of restaurant and hospitality trends. It is no surprise that she comes from a lineage of hospitality professionals, as her grandfather was the founder of Mövenpick.

• Damien Mulley

Damien is from Cork and asks this to be mentioned at the start of every bio. He is also in a 5 year battle with Damien Rice, Damien Dempsey and Damien The Omen to be first for his name on Google. Everything else he does, so he says, comes after that. He runs Mulley Communications, has a client base of multinationals to one person operations and is obsessed with food. He is known to rise people on Twitter by taking pics of great dishes and tweeting them out marked with the tag #foodporn. When he’s not winding people up online he works with his clients to design online marketing plans and/or designs ways for them to get attention and do something with it. Damien can’t cook but has the vernacular of one.

• Fionn Davenport

Fionn Davenport has been a travel writer for 20 years, writing about far-flung places for the likes of Lonely Planet, Fodor’s Travel Publications and a host of travel magazines. He’s also devoted an enormous amount of words to his own country, which he critiques as only someone in love with a place can. You can hear him dispense travel advice every Tuesday on George Hook’s The Right Hook programme on Newstalk 106, as well as hosting his own show, Davenport After Dark, every Thursday at 10pm.

• Norah Casey

Norah Casey is CEO (and owner) of Harmonia, Ireland’s largest magazine company printing over four million magazines annually for the Irish, British and US market. Harmonia’s stable includes strong women’s brands: Irish Tatler, U, Woman’s Way and www.ivenus.com; and specialist titles like Food&Wine, Auto Ireland and Ireland of the Welcomes (aimed at the Irish Diaspora with over 80,000 USA-based subscribers). She is a member of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, the London-based Women’s Irish Network and The International Women’s Forum. She was awarded The Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year Award for 2007/8 and has won The Publisher of the Year Award in 2006, 2007 & 2008. Most recently Norah has been announced as the newest Dragon in the Irish version of Dragons Den.

• David McKernan

Entrepreneur and Founder of Java Republic Roasting Company

David McKernan culminated the world’s first purpose-built carbon-neutral coffee roastery and brand house 16 years ago known as Java Republic. Recently recognised as one of the most ethical coffee companies in Europe by its industry peers, they give 11% of nett profits to coffee growing communities to help develop micro-businesses so that the coffee farmer is not reliant solely on coffee for his livelihood. Education and enterprise form part of the philosophy too as the company has teamed up with Focus Ireland and the Fingal Enterprise board to challenge students to raise funds for a local charity whilst learning about business. David’s forthright manner will get you thinking and motivate you to look at life, your business and your vision.

Full Conference Details: http://www.rai.ie/RAI_booking_FINAL.pdf