In a move designed to further grow the business meetings industry in Ireland, the countries leading PCOs have made a commitment to assist the Dublin Convention Bureau (DCB) when bidding to bring international conferences to Ireland’s capital city.
The Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO) will lend their total support and industry expertise to the DCB in order to facilitate the bid processes required to secure these major international meetings.
Working in partnership with the DCB, the PCOs within AIPCO will contribute to an annual fund that would allow the DCB to promote Dublin internationally, grow the meetings industry as a whole within the capital and help the organisation itself grow and expand.
Speaking about the development, Nicola McGrane, AIPCO Chairperson, said "Over the past two years we have seen a welcome transformation in how the meetings industry in Ireland is developing and how the various stakeholders collaborate to ensure Ireland is winning its fair share of International Association Meetings."
"There has been recognition that it is only by coordinating our efforts and presenting a “Team Ireland” approach that we can rise above our international competitors and deliver consistent results right across the board."
A key part of the initiative is to enhance and develop the conference ambassador programme and provide assistance at every step of the bid process. The ambassador programme encourages and supports key decision makers within specific industries to act as a representative for Ireland and lobby to bring their national associations meeting to its shores.
"The conference ambassador programme is one of the key pillars in our efforts to ‘sell’ Ireland to international associations. Their enthusiasm, influence and the knowledge of their specific industry that they bring is essential in persuading international associations that Ireland is the ideal place to hold their meeting" said Martin Cassidy, Chairman of the Dublin Convention Bureau Advisory Group.
"The programme continues to be one of the great success stories in Irish tourism. It is a great example of how we can deliver business tourism for Ireland through cooperation amongst stakeholders across multiple agencies and by genuinely engaging with the broader industry."
The commitment from AIPCO also provides for support to the DCB on site inspections, where international buyers are brought to Dublin in order to showcase the available facilities. AIPCO will also act as a conduit to coordinate industry support for the DCB to grow the association meetings market both nationally and internationally, act as a knowledge resource and use their influence in publicising the work done by the DCB.
Jean Evans, Vice Chair, AIPCO said "with these prominent stakeholders within the Irish meetings industry working together and making a solid commitment to support each other both financially and in terms of knowledge sharing, it is sending a clear message that Ireland is not only open for business, it’s also the best place to do it."
