Marian Flannery - Director, Savour Kilkenny Food Festival
THE FESTIVAL runs over the October bank holiday weekend and I’m on a three-month contract to organise it. My office is a short walk from home, unless I’m carrying loads of brochures in which case I’ll drive.
I’m in for 9am and much of the day is spent making and taking phone calls – from food producers and stall holders to the owners of cafes and restaurants involved in our Feast of Chefs event, where local chefs come together to cook for charity.
This year the food market element under the walls of Kilkenny Castle is free but we are asking people to buy a wrist band which gains them entry to the other events too.
This afternoon I’ve a meeting about our Young Producers Market, a space for youngsters to display their products in the hope it will encourage them to set up a food business. Between now and then we have to do a lot of food safety training with them.
I’ve another meeting today about a pop-up allotment we are trying to organise. The idea is to set up an allotment on plastic sheeting, with a potting shed, and have demonstrations about how allotments work, seeds, plants and soil. The guys from Grow Your Own will be on hand to answer questions.
I’ve also to get 13,500 brochures over to the local newspaper. It’s for distribution as an insert next week, as part of our marketing campaign.
Throughout the day people planning to travel to Kilkenny will be ringing with enquiries about accommodation or asking about the times of various events.
I’m a foodie but I also started my career in food manufacturing. It’s a very important industry for the economy. As well as having producers from around the country, this year we will have a Produced in Kilkenny pavilion to showcase the best in local produce.
I’m working on the website too, revising and revamping it to make sure it’s up-to-date. There’s just me and two part-time assistants pulling it all together but, as we get closer to festival time, I’ve a team of volunteers to help. So far, my stress levels are fine.
We had 8,000 visitors last year and hope to top that this year. Someone took delight in telling me that it’s going to snow on the bank holiday weekend but I don’t believe it.
I have a meeting now with young musicians who are organising a busker competition. It has to be lunchtime to coincide with their break because they are still at school.
One of them is my son. It’s the least he can do after all the noise he makes me listen to when he’s at home.
- savourkilkenny.com