Irish Travel Trade Awards, Friday 28th November 2014

On Tuesday 16th September, TravelMedia issued a self-serving statement that attempted to disassociate themselves from their own responsibility in having scheduled their “travel media” awards for the same evening as the Irish Travel Trade Awards, Friday 28th November 2014. 

Normally Irish Travel Trade News would not give oxygen to any such statement from a public relations company, but, lest anyone in the travel industry – in Ireland or abroad, be misled, here are the pertinent facts:

1. Irish Travel Trade News has been serving the Irish travel industry since 1964 and we are therefore celebrating our 50th anniversary this year.
2. The Irish Travel Trade Awards are well established and respected in the industry and are now in their 23rd year.
3. Traditionally held in late January, in 2011 the Irish Travel Trade Awards were moved to late November and have, since then, been co-promoted as the Irish Travel Industry Christmas Party.
4. Since 2011 ITTN has an agreement with the Burlington Hotel (now the DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin – Burlington Road) that the Irish Travel Trade Awards will be held annually in that venue on the last Friday in November. (Last year we agreed a move to the following Wednesday to facilitate the hotel, which had received a third-party request for a weekend conference booking.)
5. ITTN confirmed Friday 28th November 2014 for this year’s event with the DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin in December 2013.
6. ITTN informed key sponsors and industry personnel of our 2014 date throughout February, March and April 2014 – including personally advising one of TravelMedia’s main sponsors on 28th February 2014 of the date of the Irish Travel Trade Awards 2014.
7. On Monday 21st April 2014 ITTN followed up these personal contacts with an email to industry principals confirming our Awards date. TravelMedia announced their event three days later on Thursday 24th April 2014.
8. In 2013 TravelMedia had contacted ITTN to ascertain the date of the Irish Travel Trade Awards 2013 in order to ensure that their travel media awards event did not coincide. This year TravelMedia failed to do so.
9. In August this year ITTN met TravelMedia and their two sponsors in good faith to see if the situation could be amicably resolved, but no meaningful solution was forthcoming from TravelMedia, whose only “solution” – which in their statement they describe as “a very strong and generous proposal” – was that ITTN should move our Golden Anniversary Awards and Christmas Party to May 2015!
10. Nevertheless, ITTN did in fact and in good faith check availability at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin for a range of alternative dates, but there simply was no other availability at the venue.
11. ITTN had made TravelMedia aware of all the above prior to them issuing their statement, including the fact that one of their sponsors had been advised of our date on 28th February 2014.
12. The Irish Travel Trade Awards 2014 are being held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin on Friday 28th November 2014 and, as previously announced, will include the inaugural ITTN Industry Achievement Award, the inaugural ITTN Travel Agency of the Year Awards, the ITTN Budding Travel Writer of the Year Award, and 23 Irish Travel Trade Awards. Irish Travel Trade News and the event’s 12 sponsors are looking forward to yet another great night for the Irish travel industry’s annual “Oscars”, which are one of the biggest and most prestigious events on the Irish travel industry calendar.