Press trips, conferences and everything in between during a hectic month of April for the team of TravelMedia.ie. From the tropical beaches of Barbados to the bustling streets of Nantes, let’s take a look at what we got up to this month.
Michael and Leslie visit Hotel Honucai
On the first weekend in the month of April, Michael and Leslie travelled to the Mediterranean island of Majorca for the opening weekend of Hotel Honucai. Part of the Gallery Hoteles group, Hotel Honucai is a luxury hotel that caters to many different kinds of holidays and holidaymakers. Michael and Leslie were able to enjoy a relaxing weekend at the hotel’s opening weekend. See just some of the stunning views they were treated to below.
MICE Meet Up
On Tuesday 11th, the TravelMedia.ie team played host to a number of key suppliers and PCO’s in The Alex Hotel for an evening of productive conversation and networking during our MICE Meet Up, Ireland’s only outbound MICE event. Over the course of the evening many productive talks were held, and connections made.
Afterwards, a lovely drinks reception and dinner was put on for the group where the networking of the previous hours could continue informally. We then had the pleasure of listening to Alex Gibson talk about the recent advancements in the AI space and how that will have an effect on the travel industry in months and years to come.
Thank you to all who attended and to the staff at The Alex Hotel for hosting us.
Jenn and Raluca run socials for TravMedia awards
Raluca Andronic and Jenn O’Neill of TravelMedia.ie flew to London for a very special one-night gig; the TravMedia Awards to look after all live social media coverage this year.
The event was extremely successful and generated a significant amount of social media coverage. Over 40 Instagram stories were published, alongside 5 engaging reels. The event hashtag was also trending on Twitter. One of the reels achieved 3.5 times more views than TravMedia UK’s previous top reel, with 19.4k views. The team captured highlights of the event from the welcoming reception to the behind-the-scenes glimpses of the award ceremony.
The ceremony was of a glamorous affair that recognised some of the most talented individuals and companies in the travel industry and served as a reminder of the importance of recognising and celebrating excellence within the industry space.
See some of the girls great work here.
Jenn travels to Barbados for Jewish Heritage Trip
No rest to be had for Jenn as the next morning after the TravMedia awards, she jetted off to sunny Barbados for a special press trip looking at the Jewish history and heritage of the island. Paul Harris (Jewish Chronicle), Rupert Parker (Jewish Telegraph), Jennifer Frazer (Jewish News), Suzi Malin (About Time Magazine), and Nadine Batchelor Hunt (BBC).
The group enjoyed a number of activities across the trip. They visited the Barbados Archive Department with Ingrid Thompson. They were shown around Bridgetown and the Jewish Quarter with Dawn-Lisa Callendar-Smith. They enjoyed a tour of the island with Ronnie Carrington.
They were also treated to some special activities including a rum tasting at the famous Mount Gay Rum Distillery, a catamaran cruise with Cool Runnings Barbados, and they got to experience the wonderful Harbour Lights Beach Extravaganza.
Colm visits Nantes
Meanwhile, closer to home, Colm took a group of journalists to the West of France and the beautiful city of Nantes for three days of warm Spring sun, enlightening tours, and one or two glasses of delicious Muscadet wine. Colm was joined by Clodagh Meaney (Sunday World), Emma Nevin (Irish Daily Star), Ronan O’Flaherty (Irish Independent), Darren Norris (Examiner), and Ed Syers (UK Mirror).
On the first night, the group were treated to a lovely three course meal at La Cigale. Then it was an early start on day two as they were taken to Stade de la Beaujoire, the home stadium of Nantes FC and one of the stadiums to be used for the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup in Autumn. The group were shown the facilities that the Irish team and their fans can hope to enjoy when they take on Tonga on the 16th of September.
After the stadium tour it was back to the city centre to meet Xavier Theret, Head of International Promotion & Relations for Le Voyage à Nantes, for a lunch of sweet and savoury crepes at Le Coin des Crêpes, washed down with delicious, sweet French cider.
The group were then taken on the first of two walking tours of the city by Margaux Louet. The group were taken along the city’s green line, painted on the city streets, with notable sites dotted along the way. They were shown the Jardin des plantes, Nantes’ beautiful botanic gardens, the Cathedral St-Pierre and St-Paul, and the Castle of the dukes of Brittany, all steeped in history dating back centuries. After the tour, the group enjoyed a delicious dinner in L’Aristide, with special thanks to our waiter, Louis.
For the final day of discovering Nantes, Margaux once more showed the group what Nantes has to offer. She showed the group the memorial to the abolition of slavery, an important monument and a key reminder of Nantes’ history in the slave trade. They were also brought to the Machines de l’Ile, an old shipyard factory that is now used to create stunning machines of everything from small bugs to a huge, operational elephant that walks around the area surrounding the factory. Truly a sight that to be seen (below) to be believed.
The final activity saw the group take the train to the idyllic village of Clisson, located southeast of Nantes. There they were treated to a fabulous lunch at La Villa Saint-Antoine, before meeting local tour guide Thierry Fort. Thierry showed the group the history of Clisson, explaining the Italian influence of its architecture and the importance of the castle that overlooks the village, first built in the 13th Century. The group then returned to Nantes for a final meal at Song Saveurs et Sens before flying home the following morning.
Huge thanks to Hélène, Xavier, Pech, Margaux, Thierry and all that helped to organise a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable trip.
American Holidays Media Lunch
On Thursday, April 13th, American Holidays welcomed a number of key travel media members to Bang restaurant and wine bar on Merrion Row for an afternoon of food and drinks. At the lunch, Head of Marketing for American Holidays, Bladhana Richardson, outlined the exciting plans American Holidays has for the coming months and years and the ways in which media will be able to get involved. Big thanks to Senior Account Executive, Jenn O’Neill for organising a wonderful afternoon for all.