The Connacht Group staff take on The Apprentice Challenge

You're Hired! The staff of The Connacht Group took on The Apprentice Challenge in Galway last week, raising funds for local charities along the way. Find out what they got up to here...

Advertisement

As the sun shone on the City of the Tribes on Wednesday last week, you may have spotted some enthusiastic entrepreneurs scrambling around the city. The Connacht Hospitality Group staff were taking part in their Apprentice Challenge. Teams had been working away behind the scenes for the past number of weeks refining and perfecting their offerings which were then launched on the sun-drenched streets for a flash sale to the public. From customised t-shirts to bespoke postcards and sustainable compost products, the judges were busy taking notes and assessing the creativity and teamwork of each group.

Each year the businesses across the group ask their staff to vote for their favourite charity which they raise funds for during the year. A new element for 2024 was a Galway version of the TV show The Apprentice, with a Sales and a Marketing challenge followed by a board room presentation in front of, The Connacht Hospitality Group General Manager, Wayne Neilon and his advisors Brian Lynch and Jacqueline O'Dowd. After a great deal of deliberation, the winner was announced to a full house in The Connacht Hotel.

Galway Bay Golf Resort were crowned winners after having raised the most funds on the day as well as excelling in the Marketing task. The funds raised reached a combined total of €5780 between the five teams, a remarkable achievement in the allocated three hours.

Group General Manager Wayne Neilon described the experience as “incredibly rewarding” and he continued to say; "One of the most satisfying elements of the day was to see how our companies values shone through at each stage of the process. It was an opportunity for our teams from across different disciplines to work together in a very different dynamic to their regular working relationship. Obviously the funds raised were a wonderful achievement but the energy and enthusiasm I witnessed yesterday was what gave me the greatest sense of satisfaction and pride."

The teams from The Connacht Hotel, An Púcán, HYDE Hotel, M Fitzgerald’s Bar and Galway Bay Golf Resort have returned to their normal work now but will continue to fundraise for their chosen charities which include, NBCRI, GRCC, The Simon Community, Cope Galway and Croi.