Triumphant IKT Awards Evening
The second Ireland’s Kitchen Trade Awards evening sponsored by Silestone by Cosentino took place on 25th November at a gala event in the Hilton Belfast.
Leading lights in the industry nationwide came together for a glittering evening to mark the finale of what has been a remarkable awards process. A fantastic response followed our initial announcement and the standard of entries was phenomenal. A big thank you to everyone who took the time and effort to take part. Tasked with the very difficult job of selecting the finalists and winners was our panel of independent judges. So a big thank you to Denise O’Connor, Architect, Interior Designer & MD Optimise Design, Ruth Cahir, Director Articad, David Caulfield, Sales & Marketing Director BA Components, Padraic Little, Executive Grant Thornton and Margaret Cunningham, Client Manager (Construction) Invest NI. Judge Denise O’Connor said, ‘Being a judge was a really enjoyable experience and the standard of entry in all three of the design categories was outstanding. The highlight for me was most certainly meeting with everyone who was shortlisted and of course seeing the awards being presented on the night. All of the winners are a beacon of hope for the future.’
The awards were sponsored by Silestone by Cosentino and General Manager of Cosentino Ireland Mark Burke, said, ‘Thank you for a fantastic night. In such difficult times it was great to see such positivity, entrepreneurial spirit and drive from so many kitchen companies and indeed suppliers. The show was a credit to Ireland’s Kitchen Trade Guide and the hard work of all the staff.’ Our esteemed guest Julian Simmons did an excellent job and was the ideal host to proceedings. Julian said, ‘It is wonderful to see such world class design in God’s own country. The awards night was inspirational and a real tribute to the wonderful talent we have.’
A big thank you to all our sponsors for each of the individual awards too. They include Miele, BA Components, Würth, Eco by Cosentino, Topform, Siemens, News Speed and Flanagan Fittings. Thanks also go to Nordmende who sponsored the casino. It was a wonderful team effort from all involved and the reaction on the night and feedback since has been fantastic to hear. One of our aims is to celebrate this industry and the talent within it, acknowledge those that are excelling in their particular field while at the same time providing a platform for optimism to build on for the future. To see everyone’s reaction on Friday and to hear their comments since means we have certainly achieved that. Plus of course it’s a lovely evening to catch up with old and new friends.
