9th & 10th September 2023
Weymouth Peninsula
21 November 2017
The team behind the Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival were ecstatic to win joint Gold, with Sherborne Abbey Festival at the Dorset Tourism Awards 2017 last night. The Awards are a celebration of the best in Dorset tourism and the festival team picked up Gold for the third time for ‘Tourism Event of the Year’.
The Pommery Dorset Seafood were up against some incredible festivals and events including: Great Dorset Chilli Festival, Sherborne Abbey Festival and the Original Shake & Stir Vintage Festival. The team were delighted to win joint gold with Sherborne Abbey Festival. A record audience of 297 guests witnessed 66 trophies being presented to tourism businesses from across Dorset at the Dorset Tourism Awards dinner, held for the first time at The Lighthouse in Poole on Thursday 16th November.
Now in its fifth year, the Awards broke all records in celebrating the best of Dorset tourism and also as the route for Dorset businesses to win in the South West and national Visit England awards
Winners had been through a rigorous judging process involving initial study of entry forms and online presence, a programme of visits – often mystery visits – and ending with decisions by an independent panel.
Chairman of Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival, Roger Dalton, commented: “Having just celebrated our 10th anniversary, winning gold is the icing on the cake of an incredible year. Just to be nominated in the Dorset Tourism Awards is an honour in itself. We won Gold in 2013 and 2015 and have worked so hard to progress the festival. This award is for everyone involved especially our Dorset chefs, producers and organising team who help us to develop the event annually and we couldn’t do it without our incredible sponsors especially Champagne Pommery”.
Chairman of the Judges, Professor Peter Jones commented: “As chairman of the Dorset tourism awards judging panel I’m delighted to report that the work of the panel becomes harder year-on-year. This is not just because of the number and the quality of the applications, but is a reflection of the commitment of the tourism businesses of whatever size and type in enhancing and developing the true authentic Dorset visitor experience.”
Successful businesses in the Dorset Awards will now be fast tracked into the South West Tourism Excellence Awards in February 2018 and possibly on to the National Visit England Awards in April 2018.
The quality and consistency of the Pommery Dorset Seafood Festival attracts a range of sponsors from a top champagne house, a luxury kitchen equipment manufacturer from New Zealand and the No 1 brewery in Dorset. Over the last 10 years, the festival has raised over £75,000 for the Fishermen’s Mission. This regular funding has allowed the Mission to employ a port officer for Weymouth and contribute to the wider regional work that supports the fishing industry.
The full list of winners can be seen HERE
Photos from the evening can be downloaded free of charge from http://nickwilliamsphotographer.co.uk/p90363110
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