W5 Is 'Visitor Inspired'

The W5 interactive discovery centre in Belfast scooped the ‘Visitor Inspired' award, sponsored by People 1st and the Department for Employment and Learning, at the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards last month.

Adrian Lutton, design and exhibitions manager at W5 (pictured centre) received the award from George Wilson from the Department for Employment and Learning, and Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st, at the event at Belfast City Hall on 3 June.

W5, which provides nearly 200 interactive exhibits in four exhibition areas, won the award for its customer-driven attitude. The W5 management has developed a healthy commercial ethic in order to attract visitors back, and this ethos is explained to every team member. All customer-facing staff are trained in customer service, and regular business updates are circulated to ensure that every member of staff appreciates the importance of the visitor experience, and how it impacts on the organisation.

This was W5's third award for its approach to customer care – the company scooped the Customer Service Excellence award at the 2006 Belfast Business Awards, and was named Customer Service Team of the Year: Leisure, Travel and Tourism at the 2007 Customer Service Awards Ireland.

Stephanie Berkeley, W5's marketing manager, commented: “Winning this award provides fantastic recognition for W5's commitment to putting the customer at the heart of the business. At the heart of this is our commitment to training and evaluation, so every member of staff is aware of the importance of the visitor experience.

“Our staff realise that people do not have to visit us and, should they choose to spend their hard earned money here, it is our responsibility to offer them a world-class attraction with world-class customer service.”

People 1st's Northern Ireland manager, Roisin McKee, congratulated W5 on its achievement: “Customer service is a key ingredient in the future success and competitiveness of the tourism industry – people are at the heart of everything we do. People 1st research has shown that this is a key skills area that needs to be improved and we are working with partners to raise standards across the industry.

“I would like to congratulate the team at W5 on winning this award, and providing a great example of customer service in our sector.”

Also highly commended in the ‘Visitor Inspired' category were the Bushmills Inn Hotel in Co. Antrim, and the Clandeboye Lodge hotel in Bangor.

For more information on the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards and view videos of the award presentations, visit www.nitourismawards.org