News comes as €230m worth of business is up for grabs at Ireland’s biggest meetings & incentive workshop
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, together with Fáilte Ireland’s Dublin Convention Bureau today (Wednesday) confirmed two more significant international conferences will take place in Dublin contributing approximately €7.7m to the Irish economy. The Conference of the Cognitive Society has confirmed it will host its 2017 event in Dublin and the Renaissance Society of America will bring their conference to the Convention Centre Dublin in 2021. This news comes as more than 100 Irish businesses prepare to bid for up to €230m in business at the Meet in Ireland 2015 Workshop which is being held in the Royal Hibernian Academy, Ely Place tomorrow (22nd October 2015).
New Conference Wins
The Cognitive Science Society will hold their 2017 conference in the RDS Dublin which they expect will deliver 1,500 overseas delegates to Ireland, an increase on the 1,300 delegates which attended their 2013 conference in Berlin.
Having beaten stiff competition from Madrid, Dublin will also host the Renaissance Society of America Conference in 2021, with the event due to attract 4,000 delegates.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe said: “The ability of Fáilte Ireland to compete and win international conferences such as these adds significantly to the number of tourists we welcome to Ireland and also the amount of tourism revenue generated. Business tourism is a very valuable part of our tourism product and the fact that those who come here on business very often extend their stay makes it an even more important sector.
“Fáilte Ireland has secured and supported a total of 251 business tourism events for 2015 and beyond through their Meetings, Incentive and Corporate Event (MICE) supports programme. This is worth in excess of €175m to the local economy. I am delighted with today’s announcement and look forward to welcoming more conferences to our shores in the coming years.”
Speaking about the wins Miriam Kennedy, Head of Business Tourism for Fáilte Ireland emphasised: “Winning significant international conferences such as these are a true testament to the capability of Ireland as a conferencing destination. These additions to Dublin’s conference calendar are just two events our Business Tourism Unit have in the pipeline. Our Meet in Ireland team is working with a number of organisations and individuals, through our Conference Ambassador Programme, to secure even more future business for Ireland.”
Meet in Ireland 2015
These international conference wins come as 111 key international buyers specialising in the areas of corporate and incentive travel arrive in Dublin to attend Meet in Ireland 2015 – a five day programme bringing top international meeting planners face to face with Irish businesses to scope out future opportunities for corporate meetings and incentive travel.
The main focus will be a business to business workshop tomorrow (Thursday 22nd October) which will facilitate over 3,000 meetings between 100 members of the Irish business tourism trade and 111 international meeting planners. These planners represent up to €230 million worth of potential business tourism events that Ireland can pitch for, and include representatives from 12 countries including, the US and Canada, Great Britain, Mainland Europe as well as India.
In addition to the main workshop event, buyers will take part in an interactive ‘Meet the City’ Treasure Hunt a Gala dinner in Christ Church Cathedral and a number of site visits have been organised on Friday to ensure this important group of meeting planners get a good taste for what Ireland can offer as a business destination. Site visits in Dublin of include Dublin’s Convention Centre, The RDS, Aviva Stadium and the newly opened Teelings Distillery.
Speaking ahead of the workshop, Ms Kennedy continued: “Events such as Meet in Ireland 2015 give us the unique opportunity to showcase Ireland as a business destination and we hope to persuade the top international meeting planners in this sector to bring their meetings and incentive visits to these shores in the near future.
“Business tourism is a highly competitive game, with a lucrative return which is why Fáilte Ireland is so committed to supporting Irish businesses to attract as many overseas visitors to our shores as possible. We have pulled out all the stops this week to ensure that the visiting buyers have an unforgettable experience and we are hopeful that this will translate into solid visitor numbers and increased revenue next year and into the future.”
Business tourism plays a big part in Ireland’s tourism sector – currently valued at €581million to our local economy, it supports 20,000 jobs across the country.
Aside from the Dublin workshop, the international meeting planners head off on an action packed few days along our Wild Atlantic Way, the longest coastal touring route in the world and discover Ireland Ancient East where they will be kayaking, cycling, cooking, hiking and experiencing the very best of our business tourism product.
The Meet in Ireland 2015 Dublin Programme was co-ordinated with the support of the Irish Tour Operators Association (ITOA). This is just one of a number of initiatives being run by Fáilte Ireland in conjunction with Tourism Ireland.
Click on LINK for General Images on Dublin
Ends
Press Office, Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, 01 604 1090 / 01 604 1093 www.dttas.iepressoffice@dttas.ie
Further information:
Laoise Donnelly, Press Office 086 0404788 / 01 8847195
Notes for Editor
Fáilte Ireland
Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy. The tourism and hospitality industry employs an estimated 205,000 people and generates over €3.5billion in overseas revenue a year. Growing tourism numbers and revenue are important factors when it comes to job creation within the tourism sector. For example:
- Every 55 international tourist visits helps support one tourism job
- 1,000 additional tourists support 18 jobs in the tourism industry
- Every €1 million of tourist expenditure helps to support 34 tourism jobs
Business Tourism
Business Tourism is one of the highest yield sectors in tourism, worth €581 million a year to the economy and the sector employs 20,000 jobs in Ireland. Business Tourists or international delegates are valued at €1,400, that’s 2-3 times that of a leisure tourist and on average each delegate will extend their stay to nearly three days on top of their business commitment, affording them the opportunity to mix business and pleasure.
MEET IN IRELAND
The Meet in Ireland banner is the official MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) brand for the island of Ireland. It comprises of three tourism authorities: Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Tourism Northern Ireland, who work in partnership to promote Ireland as a leading conference and meeting destination.
Incentive and Corporate Travel
Building Ireland’s position as a major destination in the incentive travel sector, where companies reward employees with trips abroad, is a central focus for our Business Tourism Unit. International incentive buyers are looking for a unique experience for their clients, something they cannot experience as individuals or in their own country. Fáilte Ireland offers a range of supports in this area.
Find out more at www.meetinireland.com
The Cognitive Science Society
The Cognitive Science Society brings together researchers from around the world who hold a common goal: understanding the nature of the human mind. The mission of the Society is to promote cognitive science as a discipline, and to foster scientific interchange among researchers in various areas of study, including Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, Anthropology, Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Education.
The Society is a non-profit professional organisation and its activities include sponsoring an annual conference and publishing the journals Cognitive Science and TopiCS. Find out more here.
Renaissance Society of America
The Renaissance Society of America is the largest international learned society devoted to the study of the era 1300-1600. Founded in 1954, RSA has grown to include over 6,000 members around the world.
Members identify with one or more disciplinary groups including the Americas, Art and Architecture, Book History, Classical Tradition, Comparative Literature, Digital Humanities, Emblems, English Literature, French Literature, Germanic Literature, Hebraica, Hispanic Literature, History, Humanism, Islamic World, Italian Literature, Legal and Political Thought, Medicine and Science, Music, Neo-Latin Literature, Performing Arts and Theatre, Philosophy, Religion, Rhetoric, Women and Gender. RSA also recognizes some ninety associate organizations, which range from other learned societies, to research centres, to university seminars.
Find out more atwww.rsa.org