DataBites
A series of talks by Trigon Hotels
Imagine coming to work every day and doing the same old, same old. Boring right? Now imagine coming to work and being given the opportunity to learn and develop, be inspired, unleash your creativity and passions and potential … Sounds much better, doesn’t it?
We believe that an inspired workforce is better for you and better for our customers. If we are a creative and energetic and motivated team, then we can come up with great ideas and be great people, therefore building a great company.
This is why we have launched DataBites – (think TEDx, but more fun), a series of annual talks and workshops from inspirational and motivational thinkers and do-ers around the world, brought to Cork to inspire you. Whether you working with us part-time, or you want to run your own hotel group someday, these speakers are sure to inspire you.
They are certainly not a snoozefest, and all talks are open to all team members (pending approval from your manager). All talks are optional too, so you only need attend those that you really want to attend. We’d encourage our team to attend as it is a great opportunity for your own personal growth and development and we have a feeling you’ll want to attend them all!
2021 Speaker Series
11th Oct – Jordan Lee
21-year-old Killarney native Jordan Lee was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, he has navigated his way through life without a left forearm. A European Medalist in the sport of High Jump in Para-Athletics , and also a National Medalist in “Able Bodied” Athletics, Jordan finished 9th in the World recently in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was also such an honourable moment for him as he was chosen to lead out Ireland into the Olympic Stadium as the flag bearer for the country The Killarney high jumper wants to prove to the world that para-athletes are just as capable and committed as able-bodied athletes. He regularly competes and places in Athletics Ireland national championships.
19th May – Tara Rafter
Tara Rafter is a fully certified professional award-winning Life Coach. She holds advanced coach training in business, career, parent and relationship coaching and she is a Master Neuro-linguistic Programming Practitioner. She is also a successful author, speaker and educator for The Irish Life coach Institute.
14th April – Raquel Noboa
♻️ Raquel Noboa from Fifty Shades Greener has worked in the Hospitality industry for the past 23 years, working in hotels around the world since the age of 17. She knows the industry well, the challenges it faces and the mind-set barriers to greening a Hospitality business.
✅ Raquel has worked on Green Hospitality programmes with hotels around Ireland, with one hotel reporting reducing Energy by 30%, waste by 40% and water by 25% within 2 years implementing Raquel’s green actions.
♻️ Fifty Shades Greener’s mission is to embed Environmental Education into our Education Curriculum by 2025, to ensure every person in Ireland is aware of how to reduce their impact on the Environment.
21st January – Veganuary – Louise Kenny – “I’m a little vegan” –
Louise Kelly is a Cork based vegan food consultant and blogger at I’m a little vegan. Louise also works with SuperValu Ireland and has appeared on Irish TV on shows such as Ireland AM with her fantastic recipes. Louise’s core belief is to promote veganism in a gentle and relatable way through her clients and on her social media platforms. Louise shared her insights for those who wanted to explore new foods and better understand the health and environmental benefits of a vegan diet, and some great tips and tricks to start our teams on their journeys.
See Louise’s Vegan Sheherd’s Pie recipe here.
2021 Guest Speakers
24th Jun – Deiric McCann
Deiric is a two-time TED speaker and Head of International for Genos International, a world-leading provider of Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness assessments and education offerings. Leading a talk entitled “How to Connect with Absolutely Anyone”, Deiric led our team in an “EI Experience that focused on emotional intelligence – a practical skillset for connecting with others effectively. Our team enjoyed an informative session that enabled them to learn new skills to engage with those around them more effectively.
2020 Speaker Series
2nd December – Graham McCormack – Inspirational Speaker, Coach and a person in recovery living in Cork
Graham is an Inspirational Speaker, Coach and a person in recovery living in Cork, Ireland. Following a career in martial arts, Graham describes going through “just about everything a human being can experience,” in his struggle with mental health and addiction. In 2019, he appeared on Ireland’s longest running talk show, The Late Late Show, to share his story of challenge and resilience; and now works tirelessly to destigmatize mental illness and inspire others to reach their utmost potential.
5th November – Pat Falvey – Mountaineer, Polar Explorer, Expedition Leader and Cork-man
Pat Falvey will address the Trigon Hotels team with an inspiring and motivational talk based on a true-life story of success, failure, reinventing oneself and learning from lessons.
With over 40 years of up’s and down’s, having lost everything and then building back a stronger and more successful team, Pat developed a new course that would take him from the depths of depression and the recession to rebuilding his self-esteem and leading a lifetime of adventure around the world.
31st July – Ryan Andrews – Actor, Podcast Host and Motivational Speaker
Ryan most recently appeared on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Ryan blew audiences away each week with his performances & personality both on and off the dance floor. Ryan danced his way to the grand final!
Best known for his recurring role as ‘Sean Cassidy’ in RTE’s hit soap ‘Fair City’ Ryan has an impressive 12 year career in RTE. Every Christmas Ryan leads, writes & creative directs ‘The Olympia Theatre Pantomime Dublin’.
Ryan has also gained international recognition for his lead roles in award-winning short films including ‘Frankie’, ‘The Pool’, ‘The Coalboat Kids’, winning ‘best actor’ in New York Film Festival for his performance in ‘Prodigal Son’. Other theatre credits include ‘Greener’, the Gaiety theatre, a nationwide tour of ‘The Bruising of Clouds’, and most recently working with world-renowned director and writers Jim and Peter Sheridan, playing a young Brendan Behan in ‘Meet the Quare fellow’.
31st July – Conor Spacey – Chef & Culinary Director at FoodSpace Ireland
Conor is the Culinary Director with FoodSpace, an Irish Catering company that are committed to changing our food system and being fully sustainable. With over 28 years cooking in professional kitchens, he has always championed Irish ingredients and works very closely with farmers & growers throughout the country.
To date foodspace are the only catering company in Ireland that have been awarded the maximum 3 stars for sustainability for the Sustainable Restaurant Association, in 2018 they were also presented with a “loyal to local” award for all their work with Irish food.
They were announced as being listed in the top 20 sustainable companies out of 10,000 members and shortlisted for “Chef of the year 2019” and “Opening Right” for INK their total zero waste café in Dublin. Conor is committed to sharing his work on zero waste and plastic free kitchens that also have a low carbon footprint that people can introduce to their homes as well as professional kitchens
He is also part of the global Chefs Manifesto. They have launched the Irish Hub in the fantastic Grow HQ in Waterford. Here chefs can meet and be part of workshops and discussions on the United Nations sustainable development goals and implement change into their kitchens with the aim of achieving these goals by 2030.
3rd July – Derek McGrath a prominent GAA Hurling figure
Derek addressed our teams on the topic of “Innovation”. He started his career as a player and work his way up becoming a manager. He is considered as a revolutionary thinker and an expert analyst of hurling and team development. He is an inspirational speaker and endurance athlete who has taken on some of the world’s toughest challenges and he shared a few insights into The Secrets of High Performance Teams.
5th June Marie Gleeson – Former Irish Navy Ships Captain & Motivational Speaker
Marie Gleeson honed her leadership style over the course of a twenty year military career operating primarily in the harsh and hostile Atlantic Ocean. Her journey from naval cadet to Captain of the LE AOIFE has given her unique insight into people and how to maximise performance even in the most challenging of circumstances. She has experienced the highs of international drug busts to the tragedy of the loss of a colleague overboard at sea.
Marie was one of the first female officers in the Irish navy and this gives her a unique insight into the reality of leading in a “mans” world. Marie addressed the Trigon Hotels team on Overcoming Adversity, a specially prevalent topic during the Covid-19 pandemic.
15th May – Enda O’Doherty, an inspirational speaker and endurance athlete who has taken on some of the world’s toughest challenges discusses The Secrets of High Performance Teams.
An incredible endurance athlete whose mind-set and mental toughness sets him apart, completing 9 marathons in 8 days, an incredible feat while carrying a washing machine on his back makes it an incredible achievement. Constant change, progression and growth have seen him attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, 19,000 feet. Enda is driven by fierce energy and passion, to inspire people to achieve the best they can in a sporting, business, professional or educational field. His passion comes from energizing audiences with stories of his physical and mental challenges that set him out on a journey of self-discovery. Developing effective teams is the secret to boosting productivity and meeting customer demands in a highly competitive market. This high energy dynamic presentation unlocks the secrets of how our team can move forward and perform at optimum levels. Its purpose is to inspire change and a winning mindset.
30th April – Tracey Kennedy – Chairperson of Cork GAA & Principal at Carrignafoy Community College
The first ever female chairperson of the Cork GAA county board, Tracey is a change maker and generously donated her time to discuss her experience of leadership and resilience in a voluntary role, and what we can learn from it.
2nd March – Alan Shortt – Comedian, Actor & MC
Alan Shortt has been working in radio and television in Ireland for the last twenty years, gaining wide experience from both behind and in front of the camera.He has worked as a presenter, performer, producer, and is currently a regular contributor on RTE Radio/TV and BBC Radio Ulster.
Alan entertained us with his hilarious political impressions while teaching us a trick or two about communication.
