I Do!
9th May 2019
WeddingDates, the go-to platform for engaged couples and wedding businesses, has recently been named as Innovative Business of the Year 2019 at the All-Ireland Business Summit at Croke Park (May 2nd). Following their All-Ireland Business All-Star accreditation, the Cork-based company was put forth as a finalist to compete in the awards day held to recognise outstanding Irish businesses.
According to WeddingDates CEO and Founder, Ciara Crossan, ‘We’ve been building to this one for the last 11 years. I’m blown away and suffice to say I was suitably emotional collecting the award. Winning the All-Ireland Business Award for Innovative Business of the Year 2019 is a huge achievement for us as a team.’
WeddingDates has grown from strength to strength over the years. Starting the business back in 2008 with just a laptop and a copy of the yellow pages, Ciara added the details of Irish Hotels to a basic spreadsheet then launched the site with 30 hotels that October. From an appearance on Dragons Den, extensive market research, and expansion to the UK, WeddingDates now has over 750 wedding venue clients across Ireland & the UK. The popular websites www.weddingdates.ie & www.weddingdates.co.uk & have generated more than 250,000 enquiries which have resulted in 14,500 wedding bookings for their clients generating €100m in revenue for those wedding venues.
‘Every single person who has worked for, supported and purchased from WeddingDates over the years has gotten us to this point. I am unbelievably grateful and so proud that we have won this award,’ said Crossan. ‘We were in great company on the day, literally surrounded by the best of the best in Ireland. I still can’t believe it.’
All finalists for the awards had all previously earned accreditation through a rigorous judging process. Finalists invited to compete at the summit had the scores from their Business All-Star Accreditation audit combined with the final score from the live judging round, that took place on the 2nd, leading to the judges’ final decisions on the day. For more information visit here>>
