Ulster University Business School is delighted to sponsor the Tourism and Hospitality Company of the Year category at the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2023.
It’s a new, important award category recognising outstanding businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector.
This sector has demonstrated great strength and resilience during the pandemic, with many impressive examples of innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable business models emerging.
As Northern Ireland’s largest business school, we are leaders in creating possibility and are focused on shaping the futures of our students to develop them into highly skilled graduates who can make an impact on our fast-changing world and build opportunity into the businesses they join.
The Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Ulster University Business School is one of the oldest departments of its kind in the UK. It has a long-established reputation and international presence in delivering high-quality undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Through accredited Masters programmes, CPD courses and consultancy, our dynamic and entrepreneurial department continues to develop a range of courses that will support individuals and companies in improving their knowledge and understanding of the skills required to advance their career within this critical sector.
Our staff are actively involved in research to help improve the competitive position of the sector.
Industry engagement is delivered through several initiatives including student work placements and internships, teaching, research and engagement with knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs), Fusion projects and tailored PhD research.
Furthermore, we have established a food and drink business centre of excellence to deliver sector specific support in research and business education.
The centre provides a unique range of world-class and award-winning support facilities to complement industry business development. Facilities include the consumer insight lab which uses virtual reality technology in its work, the market intelligence lab, the food and consumer sensory testing suite for sensory evaluation and product development activity, and The Academy for testing concepts for food service.
Recently, the department has worked with McDonald’s to help in the launch of McPlant, a brand new vegetarian burger launched nationwide. By utilising our food and consumer sensory testing suite for sensory testing, McDonald’s was able to access results quickly to keep the project moving.
Our state-of-the-art educational centre, The Academy incorporates a restaurant, culinary school and beverage schools, and conference and meeting facilities — all open to the public.
It showcases sustainable approaches to business and contributes to the ongoing development of Northern Ireland as a world-class food and drink destination. In partnership with the Oxford Cultural Collective, and with support from the Savoy Educational Trust, we are staging the Culinary Salon in The Academy restaurant — which will see a series of dinners hosted by some of the UK and Ireland’s most admired chefs and food writers.
Such collaboration allows the industry’s forward-facing efforts to gain a better understanding of how to innovate, develop new product concepts, and become thought leaders within the sector.
To find out more about how Ulster University Business School can help you and your business grow, please contact the Business Engagement Unit at engage@ulster.ac.uk
Article featured in the Belfast Business Telegraph 2023.