Wednesday 20 April 2016 For immediate release
Catering partnership for new Waterfront development
As Belfast Waterfront prepares for the opening of its new 4000m² extension in early May,the team behind the development has announced a new partnership with catering firm Amadeus.
The £16.3 million contract over five years covers the exclusive supply of catering for all conferences and events at Belfast Waterfront and its sister venue, Ulster Hall.
Already well established, the city centre venues attract a range of business and entertainment events. With the Waterfront expansion the number of national and international conferences is set to grow and the new catering partnership will bring the benefits from Amadeus’ 40 years of experience, including 25 years as the caterer forGenting Arena, the International Convention Centre (ICC) and other in Birmingham and other leading venues such as Dudley Zoo, and Town Hall Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
Ellvena Graham, Chair of the Board of BWUH Limited, which operates both Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall, is impressed with the vision presented by Amadeus, “Along with the outstanding food they produce, we value Amadeus’ innovative approach to catering.
“They have a wealth of experience in conference and events,backedup bya talented management team. Their commitment to local suppliers andstaff was critical in our selection process and we are very pleased with theinitialarrangementsAmadeus have put in place for this.In addition, Amadeus’ technological approach, including in seat and pre-ordering services,fits well with our own focus on technologywithin the venues.”
Chris Reynolds, Sales Director for Amadeus says, “I am delighted that Amadeus has been awarded the contract at Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall. The venue fits perfectly within our existing portfolio, enhancing our growth programme, and draws on our extensive experience of catering at the NEC Group’s convention centres – the ICC and the recently open Vox in Resorts World Birmingham.
“We are in the middle of the recruitment process for Northern Irish talent that will expand and strengthen the existing team, and we will be bringing in some of our experienced management team from other venues to help support the growth programme with our board being actively involved in the mobilisation.
“We are particularly excited to be expanding our portfolio to Northern Ireland in the NI Year of Food as provenance is something we strongly believe in at Amadeus. We have set up new, local suppliers and look forward to working with them to create the fantastic food we are known for. Belfast Waterfront’s expansion is creating 7000m² of fully flexible event space, with the addition of 2 multi-purpose halls, new breakout and circulation space. Together with the existing 2000 seat auditorium and flexible studio space the new development will ensure a range of facilities capable to hosting up to 4500 delegates.”
When the new venue opens for business in May, its first events will include a gala dinner for the local NI Chamber of Commerce, and the International Surgical Congress of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), which will welcome up to 1000 visiting delegates.
Eimear Burton, Operations Manager at the venues, looks forward to the new working partnership with Amadeus. “With a busy year ahead, the team at the Waterfront and Ulster Hall are excited to be working with Amadeus and welcome the high standards of creativity and service delivery they will bring to our events. We are particularly excited that the focus will be on Northern Irish produce, underlining just how important the local approach is to all aspects of our business.”
ENDS
Please see accompanying image:
From left to right: Eimear Burton, Operations Manager, Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall; Aaron Johnson, Executive Chef, Amadeus; Tony Baldock, Operations Director, Amadeus; Ellvena Graham, Chair the Board, Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Limited; Marc Frankl, Food and Beverage Director, Amadeus
For further information pleasecontact:
Janice CroweJenna Hadley
Marketing and Communications ManagerPR and Communications Manager
Belfast Waterfront and Ulster HallNEC Group
Tel: +44 (0)28 9033 4400Tel: +44 (0)121 767 3279
Mob: +44 (0)7824 338123Mob: +44 (0)7920 504441
Email:ail:
Notes to Editors:
Belfast Waterfront Extension
The 4,000m², £29.5m expansion project is jointly funded by Belfast City Council, Tourism Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund, under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland, administered by Tourism Northern Ireland.
Amadeus
Amadeus is the NEC Group’s retail, conference & banqueting, and hospitality caterer. Amadeus has over 40 years’ experience catering for the NEC Group’s 4 million visitors, at more than 900 events a year, across its world class venues (the NEC, ICC, Genting Arena and Barclaycard Arena). With more than 900 staff, including 91 chefs, the Amadeus team has won more than 650 awards for quality and innovation in catering.
In addition to its home venues, Amadeus currently operates at over 15 major ‘meet’ and ‘visit’ external events and venues, including Belfast Waterfront, Ulster Hall, The Scottish Open, , Cadbury World, Dudley Zoo, Stoneleigh Abbey, Delapre Abbey, The Library of Birmingham and Birmingham Town Hall/Symphony Hall. Amadeus utilises its Oak Kitchen restaurant brand and MADE café concept in many of the venues, and also manages more than 60 outlets for retail partners JD Wetherspoons, Starbucks, Subway, Pasty Presto, and DP Coffee.
The NEC Group
The NEC Group is one of the world’s top venue management companies, operating the NEC, the ICC, theGenting Arena and the Barclaycard Arena. It also owns a national ticketing agency, The Ticket Factory; hospitality brand, Amplify; and its award-winning caterer, Amadeus. In addition, the Group has launched three businesses that aim to take its expertise further afield; NEC Group International, MemoryHaus and Eight Feet Tall, the latter a specialist agency for the live events industry.