01 Apr 2025

Tourism NI hosts first ever Meet the Maker event

Tourism Northern Ireland this week hosted tourism and hospitality businesses for the first Meet the Maker – Food and Drink Showcase.

Around 50 local food and drink producers were able to showcase their products to over 70 industry representatives, who were able to network with the businesses, taste and explore the range of high-quality local produce available across the region.
 
The aim of the event was to raise awareness of local food and drink here, while fostering connections to support the sourcing, serving and promotion of local produce across tourism-related businesses.
 
Food and drink are significant motivators for visitors to Northern Ireland, accounting for over 35% of all tourism spend, approximately £420 million of the £1.2 billion tourism economy.
 
Those attending the event, which was held at Galgorm Resort on Monday, were able to meet local bakers, cheesemakers, spirit producers, non-alcoholic drink innovators, local chocolate makers and many others.
 
One-to-one meetings took place between the providers and industry with further opportunities also available to network, discover new products and build valuable relationships with businesses in the food and drink sector.
 
There were also chances to taste unique products and ingredients which are not available anywhere else, perfect for businesses looking to enhance their offerings.
 
Gary Quate, Food and Drink Tourism Manager at Tourism NI, said: “We were delighted with the enthusiastic response we received from the food and drink industry for this event.
 
“More than 50 local producers took part, which offered them the opportunity to build partnerships with tourism and hospitality businesses.
“The event also provided ample opportunities for informal networking and sampling.

“Additionally, we showcased a selection of local food and drink producers at a special breakfast event, where food service colleagues and distributors experienced the best of our region’s produce.”
 
He added: “This pilot event has clearly demonstrated the strong demand for local food and drink, and we look forward to facilitating similar networking opportunities in the future.”