THE WORLD IS WATCHING…Ferghal Purcel
WHEN David Cameron announced the Lough Erne Resort as the venue for the G8, on 20th November last year, its general manager, Ferghal Purcell, first heard it on the news, despite the fact that the Prime Minister had been in the hotel that morning!
But, the impact was no less.
“Truthfully, I could not believe it at first. The sense of reality was very hard to fathom. It would have been very easy to be overwhelmed by the prospect but, thankfully, the property is in great shape and required very little from the maintenance point of view.
“We are very lucky in that we have a brand new, 5-star property. But, let nobody kid you: it is like having the mother-in-law coming to visit.
And, as leader of 180 staff, he said the message he wanted guests to leave with was of the friendliness and the hospitality of the people of the Lough Erne Resort.
And, to that end, he organised ‘cultural awareness’ training.
With 30 years’ experience in the hospitality trade, including 25 years in South Africa, he was well placed to compare the Lough Erne Resort.
“I have had the privilege of running some of the most beautiful properties in the world, in South Africa, and this (the Resort) absolutely compares to the very best I have run.”
He had no doubts in the slightest that the Lough Erne Resort would step up to the mark, G8 or no G8.
He was confident that, numbers wise, the Ross Suite could easily accommodate needs in that it can cater for 300-400 people
“A lot of people commented about us taking on extra staff, but we are substantially busier now and the challenge of the G8 is not that very different, really, to the business we would do on an average June week-end.
“OK, the profile of the client is different, but not the volume.”
As for the knock-on impact, Fearghal said the G8 was ‘a wonderful opportunity’ where Fermanagh would have the world’s media on its doorstep and, then the ‘spend’ factor.
“Don’t forget: these media people are going to be in town, shopping, eating and drinking, so we all have a role to play.
“Apart from that, every hotel in Fermanagh is full, and it’s the same across the border.”
That, and the multiplier impact of staff wages all point to a brighter future for Fermanagh, thanks to the G8.
“It has a future and a sustainability in that it will attract more business to the county, and that’s a wonderful footnote to start looking ahead from,” he added.
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