Some Taste Wexford businesses come together to talk about community engagement and sustainability
As part of the Immersive Food Tourism Programme, Taste Wexford invited many participants to partake in two workshops on ‘Community Engagement’ and ‘Sustainability and Regeneration’.
The workshops were hosted by international food and travel advisor Anthony O’Toole, Tina O’Dwyer from The Tourism Space and food & sustainability champion, Seáneen Sullivan.
Some of our Wexford food and drink producers and tourism and hospitality establishments with our Trainers Sharon Noonan, Tina O’Dwyer, Seáneen Sullivan, Anthony O’Toole, Lorraine O’Dwyer and Jean O’Connell.
Community Engagement Workshop
Community is a group of people living in the same place and having something in common. Taste Wexford in itself is a community and grounding blocks must be established in order for it to grow and cherish.
Before the workshop began each business introduced themselves and gave a small description of what their business is and what they hope to achieve in participating in the Immersive Food Tourism Programme. This was a facilitated session with attendees asked to focus on specific questions, discuss with peers, and share findings with all those present. It was interactive and lively, with all attendees having an opportunity to discuss selected questions in small groups and then with the wider group.
The workshop included contributions by Guest Speaker Seáneen Sullivan, a food and drink tourism expert who is an active and leading member of a number of community initiatives in Stoneybatter, Dublin.
Seáneen shared experiences and insights around community-led festivals and events, while Tina O’Dwyer shared some tangible community-building measures used by the Burren Food Trail and Burren Ecotourism Network in Co. Clare.
Everyone attending on the day thought that it would be good to visit each others business so that they had an idea of what each business and experience had to offer. This would be the best way for each to learn about their community and what they had to offer.
Sustainability & Regeneration Workshop
The purpose of this workshop was to give an understanding of what sustainability and regeneration means in the Food Tourism context. It established existing good practice within the Taste Wexford Community and helped to consider how Taste Wexford’s Sustainability Story can be better articulated and shared over the next year.
Below is some of the outcomes of the works on how to develop the Taste Wexford Sustainability Story over the coming months
Visit each other premises to grow familiarity and awareness and share learnings
Support local more
Work together in offering joint food experiences. Visit xx down the road next. Offer packages together to encourage visitors to stay in your area
Investigate circular economy opportunities within the group
Consider a shared food waste initiative, for example the 2Good2Go initiative
Focus on advocacy, awareness and education
Protect and shout about the Taste Wexford Charter more
Show how the sustainability story can be highlighted more in the day-to-day digital marketing of participants
Amplify what the Taste Wexford Community already does in this area
The design and coordination of these workshops were supported by Visit Wexford and Wexford Local Development through the LEADER Programme 2014-2020.
