Presentation I gave to the Hospitality Expo in the RDS, Dublin on 9th March 2010 to Irish Hotel and Restaurant Owners. By Ciara Crossan from WeddingDates.ie

1. Capture Your Share of the Lucrative Wedding Market Ciara Crossan

2. Some Stats… 24,000 weddings in Ireland each year Weddings cost on average €30,000 Wedding receptions cost €12,000 on average The wedding Reception market is estimated to be worth €290 million to the Irish economy

3. Wedding reception is the last item to fall victim to budget cuts 69% of respondents report they have cut their wedding budget due to recession concerns or issues. The wedding reception is the last item to fall victim to budget cuts, with only 7% trimming menu or bar options, and just 1% changing from the traditional plated meal to buffet service.

4. RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION “IF YOU HAVE REDUCED YOUR WEDDING BUDGET, IN WHAT WAY ARE YOU MAKING SAVINGS?” NOVEMBER 2008

5. Weddings offer fantastic opportunity in current climate 1/3 of hotels revenue is from weddings. This trend has increased by 10% since 2003. “Once in a Lifetime Day” for first time couples, suggesting hotel wedding reception market will be less badly affected by current recession than other areas of consumer spending. Source: Mintel: Hotel Weddings – Ireland – March 2009

6. Trend 1: More Informal Ceremonies could be ‘cheap and cheerful’, taking an easyjet approach to weddings with none of the extras associated with wedding services (ie music, decorations, etc). Offer downgraded options such as buffets, BBQs, more relaxed setting, with focus on fun as oppossed to formality. Case study: Silversprings Hotel in Cork, €5,000 wedding for 100 guests

7. Trend 2: Staying Connected People are now sharing their lives online, this naturally means they are sharing their wedding plans online too Facebook has over 1 million registered users in Ireland Venues need to “engage” with customers online & using social media

8. Trend 3: Green Weddings Eco-friendly weddings call for “green” venues Eco Boom generation couples (ie born 1982 -1995) come of age during a time of heightened awareness of issues, eg. global warming Case Study: Brooklodge & Wells Spa in Co. Wicklow: offers organic, locally produced food for wedding feasts “All our food is organic, and we have organic and conventional wines so the couples have achoice. The hotel’s organic principles are big factors for couples”.

9. Innovation is key Bridal Bootcamp – eg Muckross Park Custom Cocktails – create wedding cocktail that reflects the couple Personal Entertainment – short film montage of the couple from childhood to engagement Customize the Wedding, heritage based menu, celebrity chef, breakfast reception

10. Wedding Tourists Change in marriage laws opens up new marketing opportunities and encourages people from abroad to marry in Ireland. Create packages for international visitors or for irish ex-pats who want to return home to get married. Market internationally for your wedding business.

11. Different Type of Wedding Intimate weddings are very fashionable. Instead of sacrificing quality, people are having fewer guests. Highly personal – they are putting their own stamp on the day. Especially important for second-time-around weddings

12. How to reach new customers

13. An online presence is essential as most couples have easy/cheap access to the internet and tend to research online before considering visiting hotels. Word of Mouth still the prevailing trend for weddings, however more of this is happening online now on Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

14. A future for weddings? The economic downturn will force hotels to be more creative in order to attract customers. When faced with the cancellation of a wedding day celebration, the Best Western Brighton Hotel in Brighton had a novel way of turning things around. Hotel bosses placed the entire ceremony on eBay when acouple cancelled their wedding.

15. Summary Marriage rates are decreasing in UK but continue to grow in RoI. Winter weddings becoming an increasingly popular choice. Couples are using the internet more to get their information. Men and women are waiting longer to get married, however, the market is also benefiting from a rise in second marriages. The move to have a more thoughtful and eco-aware wedding is gaining momentum.

16. 2010 Survey Over 200 respondents Surveyed at Wedding Fairs in Jan/Feb 2010

17. Winter Weddings on the Up

18. Couples are Date Driven

19. Registered Civil Venues on the rise

20. What we do We help generate more WEDDING LEADS for venues Ranking #1 on google for “wedding venues” #1 wedding blog in Ireland, with 2,000 readers per week Active on Social Media sites, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter

22. Thank You! ciara@weddingdates.ie 021- 4928993 www.facebook.com/WeddingDates www.twitter.com/WeddingDates www.youtube.com/WeddingDates