County Down Irish Whiskey and Gin distillery, Hinch, has appointed Sacha Donnelly as its new Events Co-ordinator.
Sacha will join the 50-strong team at the business and is the first of several appointments to be announced.
The Newry native’s appointment will see her identify and report on business opportunities, managing sales operations to reach financial and customer targets at what is one of the newest, up and coming tourism locations here.
Sacha will conceptualise, plan and coordinate business and social events, in addition to coordinating weddings.
She will work closely with the couple getting married to ensure that their big day goes off without a hitch. This often involves managing vendors, coordinating with other wedding professionals such as photographers and florists, and overseeing any number of other tasks related to ensuring that everything is perfect on this one day.
Using her creativity Sacha will spearhead a new itinerary of activities that will further boost the profile of the distillery, while her digital aptitude will allow her to ramp up the distillery’s online presence via social media networks.
Sacha achieved a First Class Honours in Event Management from Ulster University and has experience in the retail and hospitality industries, with senior appointments and event management responsibilities.
A true entrepreneur, after her roles in retail and hospitality, she set up her own wedding business, White Nights Teepee Hire, which offers bespoke weddings and events in unique canvas bell tents.
She will marry her new role at Hinch Distillery with her own business going forward.
Her appointment comes as Hinch Distillery secured funding from Tourism NI to complete the final stage of its tour experience.
That £500,000 Maturation Warehouse, which showcases the maturation process involved in making Irish whiskey, will add an additional element to the offering at the site.
Hinch Distillery is planning to add even more members to its team this summer including chefs and front of house staff.
Hinch Distillery Director, Patrick Cross, said: “We are delighted to appoint Sacha to the role of Events Co-ordinator. She will play a very important role in the future of Hinch Distillery and her background will see her execute many big events and weddings at the distillery.
“Hiring the right people is the most important part of building a strong team, of course, and delegating to give people more autonomy is a powerful motivator. We welcome Sacha to the family and look forward to working with her.”
David Roberts, Director of Strategic Development at Tourism NI, said:
“We are delighted to work with Hinch Distillery to help grow its tourism offering. We have offered them £200,000 of support under the Experience Development Programme 2020-2021, which has helped with the construction and fit out costs relating to the Hinch Distillery Visitor Centre Experience.
“The completion of the Maturation Warehouse will add another important dimension to the whiskey tour experience which is attracting domestic and international visitors. The distillery and visitor centre adds to Northern Ireland’s growing drinks tourism industry with its distinct product offering and customer experience. This is something that Terry and his team should all be proud of.”
