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Atlantic TU students collaborate on research projects with Galway Races with a view to enhancing customer experience and engagement
Over 150 students from the Galway International Hotel School (GIHS) at Atlantic Technological University (ATU) recently collaborated with the Galway Races on industry-led research projects, working in groups to identify 300 opportunities for the Galway Races team to enhance customer experience and fan engagement.
The students are studying across a range of degree programmes in Atlantic TU including Event Management with Public Relations, International Hotel Management, and International Tourism Management.
Galway Races CEO Michael Moloney says: “It has been very insightful to be involved in this collaborative project with Atlantic TU and its students. Their findings on Fan Engagement, Customer Experience, Sponsorship Activation, and Community Engagement for the Galway Races are both creative and inspiring for our team and our business. We would like to acknowledge the exceptional work carried out by the ATU students. The future is bright.”
Dr John Carty, lecturer at ATU’s GIHS, says: “It has been great to renew our engagement with the Galway Races team again, having worked on a similar project in 2018. The students enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with such high-profile industry partners and appreciate the support from the Galway Races team to enhance the applied focus of our ATU programmes.”
Some of the students on the Event Management with Public Relations degree share their experiences working on this project.
Student Rachael Doran says: “It was an honour to be asked to generate suggestions and ideas for the Galway Races. The experience has inspired us to reflect on all we have learned during our four years in college and it has helped to improve our creativity and teamworking skills.”
Angelica Wilcox says: “It was a fantastic assignment and something we can bring to future interviews. It gave us a boost of confidence to hear that we have our ‘finger on the pulse’ in relation to industry trends. The applied focus of the assessment made our college work more engaging and encouraged us to be creative!”
Emer Leonard says: “It was a great opportunity to present our suggestions to the team at the Galway Races. This project gave us all an insight into the working world and allowed us to be creative and share the ideas we developed as teams for the Galway Races. It was a challenging yet very enjoyable experience.”
Càit Noone, Head of School, says: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Galway Races team. Many assessed projects across the Galway International Hotel School are aligned to real life industry challenges and students enjoy this varied approach to learning and assessment. It is equally rewarding to work with a global brand such as the Galway Races as many of the outcomes are implemented by the Galway Races team and this is very exciting for all involved. We wish the team at Ballybrit a great season and look forward to continued collaborations.”
