The Red Dot design award is one of the biggest design competitions in the world which requires participants to submit products, communication projects and brands as well as prototypes and concepts.

A team of Guinness innovators, designers, and taste experts developed the two patented dispense innovations as part of a mission to bring the world-renowned stout to more places and spaces.

The first brand ever to win a Red Dot Award for beer dispense, Guinness was awarded for two breakthrough innovations in beer dispense: Guinness Microdraught and Guinness Nitrosurge, with the Nitrosurge also scooping a special innovation award.

Guinness Microdraught is a world-first beer dispense system which enables pubs, bars and other outlets around the world to serve beautiful, fresh Guinness draught on tap, no matter their size or setup.

Guinness Nitrosurge, above,  puts the iconic two-part pour in the hands of consumers, with a pocket-sized, rechargeable device that uses ultrasonic technology to give drinkers a beautifully smooth two-part pour, bringing the magic of the experience of Guinness in a pub, to the home.

The recognition of the Red Dot Awards, not only positions Guinness as a leader in design and innovation but shows a commitment to a continued pipeline of innovation, exploring exciting new ways of bringing Guinness to more people, in more places.

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Hospitality and tourism faced more challenges than any other industry during the pandemic. While the industry will likely emerge battered and bruised, there is a determination to come back in a more sustainable manner achieved through creativity, adaptability and sheer persistence.

Your employees will be the driving force behind adapting your organisation to the new ways people will travel and entertain themselves, meeting higher customer expectations regarding hygiene, innovation and digitisation required to attract customers.

In recent weeks and months, we have seen a range of protocols adopted across the industry answering questions on key HR areas. Think People Consulting have created an Employee Checklist for hospitality and tourism businesses planning their revival following COVID-19. While not exhaustive, it reflects the critical areas within your sector:

• Have you reviewed your HR policies and procedures and contracts of employment to ensure they reflect changes of the past year and those yet to come? e.g. Do you have a vaccination policy in place, what is your stance on COVID testing, do you have a contractual lay off clause?
• Consider your organisation structure. Are some roles no longer necessary? Are essential skills and knowledge missing?
• Do you have a plan to reintegrate furlough returners? Building a structured re-onboarding and engagement plan is key.
• Do you have clear workforce planning, including projections for skills needs, recruitment and selection? Talent attraction is going to be a challenge.
• Do you hire from the EU? Consider applying for a sponsor licence. Encourage existing EU employees to apply to EU settlement scheme. Have you completed right to work checks?
• Have your Health and Safety and Hygiene policies and measures been updated to fully meet COVID standards? Have you the necessary PPE in place for staff to do their jobs.
• Be prepared for employee relations issues. Upskill HR or have a HR professional on stand-by should employee relations issues arise. After the personal and work-based challenges your employees have faced through the pandemic, returning to work will bring challenges for some. Badly handled issues such as absence, conflict or grievances could be the difference between an engaged or a disgruntled employee, and that could be the difference between a customer revisiting your business or not.
• Are managers prepared to support the return, to build a great employee experience, to meet possibly new needs of customers and to manage the issues that may arrive?

Think People can help you develop your plan for re-opening or assistance on any of the areas listed in our checklist. We provide hands-on advice and support in:

• Outsourced HR support or project-based support
• Updating contracts, HR policies and
  procedures
•  Employee engagement assessment and planning
• Recruitment and talent development
• Reorganisation and redundancies
• Employee relations issues which arise during changes
• Change management
• Optimising performance
• Management skills development

Learn more on our website at:
https://www.thinkpeople.co.uk/

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Created over a decade ago by two college graduates, Four Loko has established itself as the leading Ready To Drink (RTD) brand in the US, with its broad flavour range and successful marketing drive to create ‘Epic Stories’ for millennials and Gen Z consumers across the United States.

Taking the number one and two spots in value sales in the US market for the past five years, the brand will launch four 8.5% ABV vodka spirit-based flavours.

Unique twist

Each flavour brings its own unique twist to the table. To fill the night with epic memories and keep it blue, Four Loko Blue is bursting with a delicious berry blast flavour with a hint for fresh meadow dew. To satisfy a sweet tooth, the Four Loko Gold gives a delicious, sweet hit which tastes like sweet fruits and tutti fruity combined.

On the hunt for an unforgettable night and feeling bold? Four Loko Fruit Punch blends together everyone’s favourite fruit flavours in one incredibly delicious drink. Finally, for a sweet and subtle sour flavour, Four Loko Sour Apple is exploding with a sweet, tart and tangy flavour all in one. All four flavours will be available within the Northern Ireland off-trade channels in April. Available in Musgrave NI, NISA and Wineflair Off Licences.

Four Loko offers its target 18–24-year-old audience the perfect at-home, unconventional, full-flavoured, ready to drink solution, in a convenient 440ml can format.

Flavoured alcohol

“Flavoured alcoholic beverages have been a key sub-category for some time and this trend is predicted to continue into 2021. Category growth in the North of Ireland is being fuelled by innovation within the traditional Ready To Drink space,” said Gavin Woodroofe, UKIRE Manager, Phusion Projects.

“It’s clear that there is strong innovation within this sub-category with traditional brand extensions being launched.

“With the total flavoured alcoholic beverages market worth £382.1 million in the UK, Four Loko aims to recreate its US success by building the brand through targeted social media activation, influencer-led events, and student experiences, later in the year. The brand will also launch its own e-comm website for its fully engaged fan base offering merchandise and product for sale.

Brand journey

“Four Loko has exceeded our dreams within the US market and our brand journey, creating epic stories for our engaged consumers, has proved itself in the highly competitive Ready To Drink arena and we are looking forward to engaging with Northern Ireland consumers with our bold marketing strategy and importantly our exciting unconventional flavours, to fuel their lifestyles.”

Four Loko will be exclusively distributed in Northern Ireland by independent sales and marketing company Richmond Marketing.

“As off-trade continues to grow and on-premises businesses get back on their feet following a year like no other, it’s great to be offering new and innovative brands to market, which are going to be genuinely exciting for Northern Ireland consumers,” said Commercial Director (NI) Philip McGowan.

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