Corporate Social Responsibility

Waterfront Hall plays a vital role in contributing towards the social and economic betterment of the city of Belfast. We are committed to conducting business with a focus on quality as well as social and environmental responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility

Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall strives to build upon our position as a responsible business for customers, visitors, partners and employees. In doing so, we undertake a number of initiatives to support corporate social responsibility.

Our HR Department attend job fairs on a regular basis, giving presentations to jobseekers on what roles we have within our venues and the skills and criteria to apply for each post. We offer employability opportunities which consist of 9 placements per year, at various levels, for students and young people.

BWUH Ltd was also proud to have participated in the ‘Get Set’ Programme in association with Youth Action. This 12-week initiative was aimed at young people aged 16-24 not currently employed or in education in order for them to gain qualifications, and to get some hands-on experience on the different roles within our venues.

The company supports the “Springboard” in delivering a Summer Programme. The aim of the programme is to raise the aspirations of young people to help them better understand the relevance of their education to and experience the world of work within the hospitality sector.

BWUH Ltd welcomes school pupils to participate in our work experience programme, and our Event Operations department take in a student placement every January from Belfast Metropolitan College.

Environment

Through the development and delivery of sustainable initiatives, BWUH Ltd is focused on reducing any impact the business may have on the environment. We are committed to delivering sustainable activity and will continue to operate with respect for the environment while growing our position as an industry leader in sustainability.

As one of our core eight values as a company, we strive to protect our environment by operating in a way that will lessen or eliminate any adverse effect on the environment including using local suppliers to reduce our carbon footprint, recycling rubbish from our venue, using materials from sustainable sources and limiting our use of electricity and gas supply to eliminate any wastage.

We continually challenge ourselves to seek ways to improve our green credentials. In 2019, we challenged ourselves to be more efficient with the energy we use; our continual improvement brought about the installation of a CHP Unit. CHP stands for ‘combined heat and power’ which is a lower carbon technology that uses waste heat in the building to reduce the CO2 emissions. This has allowed us to reduce the percentage of emissions released into the atmosphere from a staggering 62% of total energy to an unbelievable 13%.

This innovation and forward-thinking approach to the environment gives us pride in the work we carry out every day.

Charity Partner

Our chosen charity for 2019/20 at the Waterfront Hall, Ulster Hall and ICC Belfast is Autism NI.

Autism NI is a parent-led partnership organisation formed to promote positive collaboration between parents, professionals and individuals with Autism. The team at BWUH Ltd are excited to get involved in fundraising for the charity across ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall to help spread awareness of services offered to adults, children and families living with autism.

"Autism NI is absolutely delighted to have been chosen by ICC Belfast as their charity of the year for 2019/20. We are really looking forward to working with the team and raising awareness and funds within the organisation in the coming months." Sarah-Jayne Cassells, Autism NI

The Waterfront Hall’s successful Christmas pantomime in 2018 included relaxed performances enabling full inclusion for children and adults, demonstrating the need for added awareness and services for those with non-visible disabilities.

Partnering with Autism NI will mutually benefit both organisations with BWUH Ltd setting their sights on achieving the Autism Impact Award to assist in creating a more ‘autism-friendly environment’ for their customers.