Day in the life

Killarney Outlet Centre manager, Paul Sherry, talks to Niamh Hennessy about his working day.

MORNING:

Mornings for me, usually means a walk through the centre, meeting with some of the store managers and owners. This is after I have cleared down my emails and checked my mail. On a Monday I like to check in with them to see how the weekend has gone for them.

We are lucky that, with so many activities and events right on our doorstep, we see a great increase in footfall for the centre and the individual stores when there is a big event taking place in Killarney, such as the Irish Open which was hosted this year and in 2010.

Mornings also for me, mean committee meetings. For my sins I’m involved in a number of committees and networking groups in Killarney. I just can’t seem to say no.

But, seriously, networking is a vital part of my role as centre manager. It’s important that I keep up-to-date on everything that is happening in the town and I love the whole community aspect of it all.

Killarney is a great town for people working together on events and activities. At the moment things are starting to come together for the Christmas in Killarney festival, there is a great committee with which I am involved all year round to create a really special environment for visitors to the town at Christmas.

AFTERNOON:

This afternoon I met Sarah, the manager of the Nike Store. We are in the middle of planning our 12th birthday celebrations and I was just checking in with them to see if they are planning any activities around the celebrations as, like the centre, they too are celebrating 12 years in Killarney. For things like this it’s important that we keep all the stores up-to-date on what is happening as often they will supplement the activity with their own promotions and activities.

In the afternoon I also have a quick check on our social media activity. Replying to people’s queries on Facebook and generally keep an eye on what people are saying about us online.

EVENING:

My working day usually finishes around 6pm. I’m lucky to be living in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, and just a few minutes’ walk from the centre I can be in the middle of the National Park. While the evenings are still long and after a busy day, it’s so nice to be able to unwind by taking a walk down by the lakes, a perfect way to clear the head.