The Art of Possible with Avoca’s Maoliosa Connell
“The amazing thing about Avoca is that it’s always about the art of possible,” says Maolíosa Connell, Director of Marketing, Creative and Buying at Avoca.
Having completed a businessrelated degree and a Master’s programme at UCD’s Smurfit Business School, she received an immersive experience working in events, including the theatrical show Riverdance, as well as during as her tenure with a luxury charter yacht company, where she organised bespoke industryrelated events. When the recession hit, Maolíosa explored the parameters of retail, first setting up a shop selling secondhand designer goods, and then joining the management team of a luxury Irish department store. When she joined Avoca in 2011 as Marketing Manager, she knew she had found the perfect fit in terms of her career.
“What Avoca offered was such a strong connection to customers but it really leveraged itself in driving a very experiential destination and that really mattered to me,” she says. “I have such pride in the brand because there’s much history and heritage to it and I was very inspired by the fact that they produced all of their own Irish quality food and having their own mill, as well as fashion element. It’s really a onestopshop and there’s nothing quite like it out there.”
It was with regret that she left Avoca to work and live in New York but she rejoined the company in 2014 and became Marketing Manager and subsequently Marketing Director. “My role has evolved in the last threeyears to taking over the helm of retail along with all of the creative as well,” she explains. “It’s a very exciting journey but one that brings me right back to what I really love about Avoca and it being very supportive of me and my career. I think ultimately, it’s such a unique culture within Avoca that creatively it just allows you to go somewhere that not every brand necessarily represents.”
It’s an exciting time for the brand this summer as it celebrates 300years of the Mill at Avoca village. Other developments include a new online platform that will drive an enhanced customer experience and investing in improvements across the Avoca stores that will bring an improved experience for customers. She is also excited about some of our seasonal summer events from BBQs and to wellness events, for all to enjoy.
Ask her what she recommends for visitors and she said it would be remiss of her not to point to some of Avoca’s offerings. “We’re lucky in that we have 14 stores around Ireland, everywhere from Belfast to Wicklow. There are our gardens, including Mount Usher which has thousands of different species of plants and people love going there because they’re just quite different and really special,” she says. “Our Mill in Avoca Village is like a rare little treasure. There’s a great sense of peace and tranquility there and you can also do a tour of the Mill.” Maolíosa, her husband and their daughter recently took the tour there and they also took in the Red Kite Walk, which takes visitors through woodlands and where you can see the Red Kite birds soaring. “It was the perfect day out for our little family,” she says.
For her, the Avoca experience is always centred on how to deliver amazing experiences for people that are committed to quality, craft and hospitality. “Irishness is about always sharing a connection and extending a warm sense of hospitality. I think that’s the wonderful thing that people experience when travelling around Ireland. It’s the people they meet along the way and the stories that are recounted that make them go away with a smile on their faces and fond memories to share. It a wonderful thing to be able to create experiences that move people and I believe Ireland offers that little bit of magic.”
Maolíosa Connell, Avoca Director of Marketing, Creative and Buying discusses the brand uniqueness and summer plans with Claire O’Mahony