The Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers is celebrating a landmark 10 years in existence this year and reported that the organisation is going from strength to strength, recently welcoming new member Odyssey Convention Ireland.
Established in 1999 to give a voice to and maintain standards in the distinct and highly specialised sector of Professional Conference Organisation within the meetings industry, members of the AIPCO now sit on the boards of key tourism bodies such as the Business Tourism Forum and the Dublin Convention Bureau Advisory Board to name but a few where they have been instrumental in advising on policy development and practice in a sector where Ireland has many natural advantages and still plenty of potential for further growth.
Pat Delaney, Chairman of AIPCO and Managing Director of MCI Dublin said ‘We are very happy with how the organisation and its influence has developed over the past ten years and firmly believe that our activities have not only contributed to the recognition of the profession of congress organisers but have assisted in maintaining extremely high professional standards while all the time lobbying key decision makers in government and industry on relevant issues.’
Delaney continued ’Our members have managed an incredibly diverse range of the largest and most successful conferences that have come into Ireland in the last 10 years with topics including environmental health, food, music, language, dental education, veterinary practice, a variety of scientific and medical disciplines and even beekeeping! We can handle conferences from 50 to 5000 delegates and have the track record to prove it. It’s important that clients know when considering working with a PCO that with an AIPCO member they are buying into our ongoing investments in registration, abstract handling and online communication technologies, our considerable bank of first hand conference management experience, our creative and dedicated staff and our commitment to excellence’.
In conclusion Delaney commented ‘The AIPCO is looking forward to the next ten years with a positive attitude and even though economic conditions have changed, we believe that the human need to connect in person, to discuss, to learn, to debate and to communicate face-to-face will not change. These are exciting times and only companies that can adapt, anticipate, innovate and move more quickly than their competitors will survive, no matter which industry they operate in. The AIPCO members are more than ready to meet this challenge!’
For more information, visit www.aipco.ie
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