Fáilte Ireland recruits academics to bring conferences to Limerick

FÁILTE Ireland has joined forces with the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau to recruit academics in Limerick and Shannon to bring more international conferences to the area.

Experts in the fields of sports, science, engineering and medicine were given a special briefing on how they can help to bring more major international events and conferences to Limerick through Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme, an initiative supporting those who want to host conferences here. 

According to Fáilte Ireland, 80% of all international conferences that come to the Shannon region do so following a direct invitation from a local Irish member or host.  

“We already have great Conference Ambassadors for the Shannon and Limerick region who have secured excellent conferences in their area of expertise,” Paul Mockler, of Fáilte Ireland, said. 

“Conferences like these are not only lucrative in terms of generating significant revenue for the region, they also leave a lasting legacy in terms of being recognised as a centre of innovation and excellence in these fields.” 

“We are always looking to recruit expert Conference Ambassadors to help bring future business like this to Ireland.”

The tourism development authority has already worked with Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau to bring major conferences to the region worth €4.5million this year alone, he added. 

This includes ‘The Network Towards Unity For Health’ conference, which will see 800 delegates come to the University of Limerick in August. This follows a successful bid driven by Dr Khalifa Elmusharaf from UL’s Graduate Medical School.

Professor Elfed Lewis from UL has also attracted the IEEE Internet of Things Symposium to Limerick, bringing 1,000 delegates to the city in 2019.

Karen Brosnahan, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau Manager, said : “Ambassadors are hugely important in sourcing and winning this lucrative tourism business for Limerick.”

“Over 80% of international business coming into the region is attracted through the conference ambassador programme,” she added. 

“Fáilte Ireland’s support really helps shoulder some of the financial costs associated with bidding for international business, while the Bureau is on hand to offer practical advice from the start to end of the bid journey.”

To find out more about the Conference Ambassador Programme, visit: www.meetinireland.com