Does your town have what it takes to be crowned ‘Foodie Town 2014’ and win a package worth €5000?
The Restaurants Association of Ireland, in association with Admailer.ie from An Post, recently launched the search for Ireland’s premier foodie destination. The competition, run in conjunction with Ireland’s largest food awards The Irish Restaurant Awards, will see towns and communities from all over the country battle it out to be named Ireland’s top town for a foodie experience.
The ‘Foodie Town of Ireland’ award will recognise a destination that actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers’ markets as well as great dining experiences. The winning Irish town will have established a local producer/supplier network which is utilised and promoted by local businesses. Plans for future growth and investment into the food and hospitality industry at a local level will also be taken into consideration by judges. Education, training, development and employment will be key components of the ultimate foodie destination.
The winning town will be crowned ‘Foodie Town 2014’ at the final of the Irish Restaurant Awards on June 9th, and will receive a prize package worth €5,000 combining an Admailer.ie postcard marketing package and mentorship from senior An Post marketing executives to help raise the profile of their town. The nine runners up will each receive an Admailer.ie prize package to value of €500 each.
How to enter:
- Applicants can enter the competition by filling in the online form available on www.foodietowns.ie
- The application must be submitted by a minimum 3 businesses together.
- Deadline for receipt of application is Wednesday, April 9th
- All applications will be reviewed, and a shortlist of 10 finalist destinations will be announced and awarded a certificate.
- The top ten towns will then be subject to a pre-arranged visit to the town by independent assessors, a representative from the Restaurants Association of Ireland and a representative from An Post.
- A national public voting campaign will also be held with each of the ten finalists canvassing the country to vote for them
- The final decision will be made by combining the judges’ votes with the public vote that carry equal weight – both components account for 50% of the overall mark a town receives.
- The ultimate ‘Foodie Town 2014 will be announced on June 9th at the final of the Irish Restaurant Awards.
