The Event
The GIY Gathering is the largest-ever get-together of GIYers held in Ireland. We are inviting veg-growers from all over Ireland to come and celebrate the harvest with us and be inspired, informed and entertained. The GIY Gathering takes place September 10th and 11th 2011 and is part of the Waterford Harvest Festival which takes place in the city that weekend. Speakers include Ireland and the UK’s top horticulturalists, chefs, broadcasters and food writers: Joy Larkcom (one of the world’s leading veg experts and writers),
Bob Flowerdew (BBC Gardeners World presenter and author), Darina Allen (founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School and author), Ella McSweeney (Presenter of Ear to the Ground), Suzanne Campbell (Author of “Basket Case – What’s Happening to Ireland’s Food”), John McKenna (Bridgestone Guide and Irish Times writer), Duncan Stewart (Presenter of Eco Eye and About the House), Klaus Laitenberger (Author of “Vegetables for an Irish Climate”), Hans Wieland (The Organic Centre), Síle Nic Chonaonaigh (Presented of TG4’s Garrai Glas), Pat Whelan (author of “An Irish Butcher Shop”) and founder of GIY Michael Kelly (Author of “Tales from the Home Farm”). For more information on the GIY Gathering visit www.giyireland.com.
What’s in it for your business:
Your support of The GIY Gathering will be promoted heavily to the GIY network – there are over 10,000 people involved between our community groups and the online network on our website. Our website attracts over 100,000 unique visitors per annum. The GIY Gathering is our most high-profile promotional event of the year and the largest ever get-together of GIYers in Ireland. Speakers include leading celebrity chefs, food writers, journalists, horticulturalists and broadcasters.
GIYing is about more than just growing your own food – people are getting involved with GIY because it is so completely in tune with values that appeal to consumers in these difficult times: provenance, value for money, authenticity, environmental sustainability, making a difference, and health/wellness. By sponsoring the GIY Gathering you will be supporting a registered charity (CHY 18920) that is trying to change the world, one GIYer at a time. Your support for the event will be highlighted as follows:
1. Your name and logo will be included in the GIY Gathering event brochure, which will be available on the GIY Website (currently receives over 100,000 unique visitors per annum) and in hard copy for delegates (over 400 people).
2. Your name will be included in press releases about the GIY Gathering and in a dedicated press release about the specific event that you are sponsoring.
3. Your name and logo will be included in the main sponsor’s sign at the Gathering and on signs at the specific event that you are sponsoring.
4. We would be delighted to discuss other promotional and publicity opportunities to maximise your investment in the GIY Gathering.
Sponsorship Options:
The GIY Gathering is a two-day event and includes over 40 workshops, talks, demos, tours, forages, panel discussions and debates. Your business can support the following individual events within the Gathering:
• The GIY Street Feast in Association with the Waterford Harvest Festival – 750 people coming together to break bread and celebrate the ultimate harvest hoe-down. Head Chef: Michael Quinn
• The Great GIY Food Debate – featuring John McKenna, Darina Allen, Mark Garrett, Ella McSweeney, Michael Kelly
• Over 30 GIY workshops, talks and demos at the Theatre Royal in Waterford including keynote speakers and special guests in the following strands:
o GIY Drilldown Series – in depth, focussed “how-to” sessions on growing vegetables led by some of Ireland’s leading vegetable growers such as Klaus Laitenberger and Hans Wieland
o GIY in the Community Series – panel discussions on allotments, community gardens, restaurant kitchen gardens, care farming and GIYing in Schools
o “Can GIY Save the World?” Talk Series – Suzanne Campbell, Ella McSweeney, John McKenna, Sile Nic Chonaonaigh, Duncan Stewart
o GIY Food Demo Series with leading chefs Darina Allen, Imen McDonald, Gaby Wieland
o Trends in GIYing Series – Expand your Mind and learn about new trends in GIYing
• GIY ‘Pop-Up’ Allotment in The People’s Park in Waterford partnership with a local community group
• Urban Potting Shed on the Quays in Waterford
• GIY Food Tours, Historic Garden Walks
• GIY Surf n Turf Forage – The Island, Waterford
Sponsorship options are available from €300 to €5,000 – please contact Sarah Fleming (sarah@giyireland.com) on 086 086 8770 for a rate card.
