Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing Chartered Marketer and Licensed WorldHost Trainer Christine Watson Appointed by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to deliver WorldHost Food NI Ambassador Training to Local Businesses

Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing Chartered Marketer and Licensed WorldHost Trainer Christine Watson has been appointed by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to deliver the widely acclaimed WorldHost Food NI Ambassador Training Programme to local businesses across the district.

The WorldHost Food NI Ambassador programme is running as part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Spring 2018 Training Calendar and is heavily subsidised by Council funding (reducing the participation fee to just £25 per person) and is available for a maximum of 15 service professionals working within the council area on 15 March 2018.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s tourism and hospitality industry training for spring 2018 has been designed to encourage local businesses to participate and increase their knowledge, to enable networking with other industry professionals and to help businesses provide the best possible experience for visitors to the Mid and East Antrim area.

Licensed WorldHost Trainer Christine Watson has previously delivered the WorldHost Food NI Ambassador Programme for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to a wide range of local businesses from the area. Find out all about the previous funded by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council WorldHost Food NI Ambassador programme which was held at Ballygally Castle in February 2017.

Training Course: WorldHost ‘NI Food Ambassador’ programme

Date: Thursday 15 March

Time: 9.30am to 4.30pm

Location: Ross Park Hotel, Ballymena

Trainer: Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing Chartered Marketer and Licensed WorldHost Facilitator: Christine Watson

No. of people per programme: Up to 15

Subsidised Cost of course: £25 per person

Catering: Breakfast, lunch plus food and drink tasting experiences provided throughout the programme.

Purpose of course: This bespoke programme is specifically tailored for the food and drink sector and will give participants the confidence and knowledge to showcase our tastiest produce and to sell Northern Ireland as a foodie destination. It presents a golden opportunity for frontline staff to develop their skills and knowledge by providing simple and effective ideas to take back to the workplace and to take their service to another level.

It is a very practical customer service tool, where participants literally eat and drink themselves to a better understanding of our local produce. On completion of the training participants will be awarded the official WorldHost pin and certificate.

What the course covers:

• Why your role as an ambassador is so important

• Demonstrating a warm welcome to customers and visitors

• The importance of maintaining a positive attitude

• How to tell the stories of local food and drink products

• Experiential learning including local food and drink tasting

• Developments in our growing food and drink industry to help inspire local businesses with new ideas.

Added Value – Please note: When you train 50% or more of your front-line staff using any of the WorldHost programmes, you can also apply to become a WorldHost Recognised Business – a ‘must-have’ badge for customer service. It includes a certificate and stickers to show off in your business and a badge for you to display on your website.

Eligibility for Courses: Training courses are only available to Mid and East Antrim Borough based tourism and hospitality businesses. A maximum of 2 participants will be permitted from any one business, unless courses are under subscribed.

Places will be given on a first come first served basis. Once available spaces have been filled, applicants will be placed on a reserve list.

Booking Method: If you wish to reserve a space or have any queries regarding these training courses, please contact: Zoe Lindsay, Tourism Business Engagement Officer

Email: zoe.lindsay@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Tel: 028 2826 2379

To book please complete a booking form and return by post or scan / photograph form and return by email with payment, if applicable.

Payment: All courses have been subsidised by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. For chargeable courses, payment will be required in advance. This can be accepted in cash or by cheque made payable to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Please send to: Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (Larne Offices) Smiley Buildings Victoria Road Larne BT40 1RU

Cancellation Policy: Mid and East Antrim Borough Council reserves the right to cancel courses at any time, if there are insufficient participant numbers. In the event of participant cancellation, less than one week before the start of a course or failure to attend a course, no refund will be given unless the cancelled place can be filled from a reserve list of businesses. Substitutions may be made from within your own business at any time, but please give as much notice as possible.

Booking Form:

Participant Name: ___________________________________________

Business Name: ___________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________

Tel No: ___________________________________________

Email: ___________________________________________

Payment of £______________ is enclosed with this booking form. (if applicable)

More training opportunities: If you have any queries or interest in other subject areas, then please feel free to contact our tourism team. Other courses, run by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, may become available over the year. Please remember to sign up to the monthly Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Tourism and Hospitality E-zine to receive industry news, event updates, training and networking opportunities for the Mid and East Antrim area. To register visit: www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/tourismindustry