Mary Bannon
Athlone,Co. Westmeath
Summary
Knowledgeable, passionate, detailed orientated individual experienced in administrative procedures. Reputation for hard work, punctuality and willingness to learn new things. Diplomatic, aim to nurture individual's strength. Oversees day-to-day duties with strong planning and organisation skills to delivers projects in timely manner. Seeks opportunities to improve processes, procedures and practices. Tech-savvy and always looking for improvement opportunities. Highly adaptable and self-motivated leader with proven ability to manage diverse stakeholders. Offers strong analysis and innovation to identify solutions to challenging problems. Collaborative team player with excellent interpersonal, communication and conflict resolution skills. Energetic employee well-versed in strong communication.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
10
10
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Manager
Westmeath County Council
Belvedere House, Gardens & Park, Mullingar , County Westmeath
2022.12 - Current
- Direct day-to-day work of 9 employees and keep teams motivated.
- Streamline processes to improve and optimise office operations.
- Collaborated with developers to create a new website providing content, design input and sign off for launch in March 2023.
- Engage actively with organisations such as Fáilte Ireland to avail of grants as part of Ireland's Hidden Heartlands along with other schemes.
- Provide regular H&S, financial and visitor statistic reports to meet grant criteria and to fulfil council quarterly and annual reports.
- Establish clear budgets and cost controls strategies to meet objectives.
- Enforce H&S guidelines for staff and visitors.
- Apply critical thinking to analyse problems, evaluate solutions and select best decisions.
- Maintain organisational compliance with applicable legislation and regulations through risk assessments reports and regular meetings.
- Apply an open door policy and encourage open communication.
- Manage staffing schedules for employees, delivering operational efficiency.
- Maintain smooth-running business operations by delegating priorities to staff abilities.
- Investigate issues affecting group operations, prepare reports and help correct problems.
Visitor Services Supervisor
Westmeath County Council
Belvedere House, Gardens & Park, Mullingar , County Westmeath
2021.05 - 2022.12
- Cash handling, Meridian EPOS system, Agresso Finance system.
- Maintain customer accounts, issuing invoices, raising PO numbers.
- Streamline office processes, e.g. issue email invoice instead of paper.
- Team rostering, planning and frequent communication.
- Microsoft Office for reporting, scheduling, meetings and design.
- Maintaining a membership system with over 1500 members plus their families by issuing renewal letters, selling tickets and enhancing their visit.
- HR administration, H&S reporting within CORE system.
- Represented company in public forums, enhancing reputation and visibility.
- Event planning - staff, logistics, ticketing, design. E.g. St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Season Ticket Holder Day, Unusual Plant Fair
- Shared informational brochures with guests detailing additional points or facts of interest.
- Enhanced local tourism by recommending additional attractions and points of interest in surrounding area.
- Helped visitors feel welcome with friendly conversations, personal help and engaging stories.
- Monitored tour guests' behaviour and enforced site and tour rules.
- Engaged with tour operators, prospective visitors, accommodation providers and other attractions.
- Escorted tourists on professional guided tours, fulfilling tour requirements and creating enjoyable experiences.
- Learned historical and cultural details of Belvedere and local area to enrich tours.
- Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of local landmarks, cultural sites, and attractions.
- Assisted clients with special needs requiring additional support around vehicles or site environment.
Acting Manager
Westmeath County Council
Belvedere House, Gardens & Park, Mullingar , County Westmeath
2019.09 - 2021.04
- Directed day-to-day work of 9 employees and motivated teams to exceed objectives.
- Worked closely with Director of Service to maintain service through the Covid 19 pandemic.
- Enforced H&S and Covid-19 guidelines for staff and visitors.
- Monitored budget to meet sales and revenue targets.
- Applied critical thinking to analyse problems, evaluate solutions and select best decisions.
- Maintained organisational compliance with applicable legislation and regulations.
- Organised, planned and executed successful within budget events such as Santa Experience at Christmas which welcomed in excess of 2500 children plus their families.
- Championed customer-centric approach, resulting in enhanced client satisfaction.
Visitor Services Supervisor
Westmeath County Council
Belvedere House, Gardens & Park, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
2017.10 - 2019.08
- Details for this position are outlined above.
Cultural Officer
Athlone Arts and Tourism Ltd.
Athlone, Co. Westmeath
2015.09 - 2017.10
- Tour programming tailored to specific groups.
- Event organisation, promotion and execution.
- Exhibition research and planning.
- Use of social media to promote venue and events.
- Athlone Castle representative at trade shows and Fáilte Ireland networking events and training.
- Marketing and promotion, distribution of event material.
- Customer service, till operation, cash handling, administration.
- Script castle tour, tour guiding, liaising with tour operators & visitors.
- Café and gift shop operation, volunteer and facilities management.
- Compiled and recorded H&S documents and reports for manager.
Art & Heritage Guide
Athlone Arts and Heritage Ltd.
Athlone, Co. Westmeath
2012.09 - 2015.09
- Build the profile of Athlone Castle as a new tourist attraction and increase visitor numbers.
- Customer service, till operation, cash handling, administration.
- Prepared engaging script of castle tour.
- Adapted communication styles to cater to diverse groups, including international visitors.
- Supported guests with professional guided tours, pointing out landmarks and answering questions.
- Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of local landmarks, cultural sites, and attractions.
- Café and gift shop operation, volunteer and facilities management.
- Event organisation, promotion and execution. E.g. Medieval Fair, Halloween & Christmas events, Heritage Week.
- Collaborated with local businesses to create unique and immersive tour experiences.
- Offered positivity, enthusiasm and warmth to all participants for exceptional customer experiences.
- Rendered first aid in cases of injury or illness during tours.
- Enforced H&S rules
Library Cataloguer
Aidan Heavey Library
Athlone, Co. Westmeath
2011.11 - 2012.08
- Edited for publication a bibliography of works owned by Oliver Goldsmith & Douglas Hyde, part of the library's private collection.
- Designed brochure of Oliver Goldsmith Country for Heritage Week.
- Explained use of library services and equipment to customers.
- Managed library borrowing and interlibrary loan facilities, obtaining fees from users.
Education
QQI Level 6 - National Tour Guiding
Galway Roscommon Education & Training Board
Galway 2020.10 - 2021.05
Master of Arts - History
National University of Ireland
Galway 2010.09 - 2011.04
Bachelor of Arts - Heritage Studies
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
Galway 2005.01 - 2009.05
Leaving Certificate - Mandatory + German, Business, History & Geography
St. Josephs College
Athlone, Co. Roscommon 2001.01 - 2005.04
Skills
- Proficient typing & IT skills
- Full driving license
- Intermediate Irish
- Fáilte Ireland ‘Excelling at Customer Service Programme’
- Museums Basics Course
- Occupational First Aid
- Dignity in work & Child protection
- Volunteer Management
- Fire Warden
- GDPR
- Health & Safety using Core system
- Agresso Financial system
Reference
- Stephen Masterson, E. stephen.masterson@teagasc.ie P. 087 392 9814
- Carmel Duffy, Athlone Arts and Tourism E. carmel.duffy@westmeathcoco.ie P. 09064 42170
Timeline
Manager
Westmeath County Council
2022.12 - Current
Visitor Services Supervisor
Westmeath County Council
2021.05 - 2022.12
QQI Level 6 - National Tour Guiding
Galway Roscommon Education & Training Board
2020.10 - 2021.05
Acting Manager
Westmeath County Council
2019.09 - 2021.04
Visitor Services Supervisor
Westmeath County Council
2017.10 - 2019.08
Cultural Officer
Athlone Arts and Tourism Ltd.
2015.09 - 2017.10
Art & Heritage Guide
Athlone Arts and Heritage Ltd.
2012.09 - 2015.09
Library Cataloguer
Aidan Heavey Library
2011.11 - 2012.08
Master of Arts - History
National University of Ireland
2010.09 - 2011.04
Bachelor of Arts - Heritage Studies
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
2005.01 - 2009.05
Leaving Certificate - Mandatory + German, Business, History & Geography
St. Josephs College
2001.01 - 2005.04