Meeting & Incentive

Why Dublin as a Meetings Destination?

Dublin is a vibrant, safe and inspirational city eager to extend a warm welcome to business tourists from across the globe. The Irish capital is compact and easily walkable offering an unbeatable combination of world-renowned warmth and hospitality, excellent meetings industry infrastructure and a wide range of exciting activities. Its liveliness and high-quality suppliers make Dublin a must-consider for any meeting planner and an appealing and attractive destination for corporate and association clients alike.

In a nutshell Dublin offers:
• From 1 July 2007, a business delegate attending a qualifying conference is entitled to reclaim the VAT paid in respect of accommodation costs incurred while attending that conference.

• Dublin currently has 17,000 hotel rooms - this figure is set to rise to between 19,000 and 20,000 by 2010.

• Great destination appeal – we invariably attract a higher delegate attendance than other destinations; people want to come to Dublin!

• Easy access - Dublin Airport is the 19th busiest in the world with 98 airlines serving 170 destinations. Dublin is also accessible by regular ferry services from the UK.

• New Convention Centre Dublin (CCD) – opening 1st September 2010, purpose built facility in a city centre location that can take a meeting of up to 8000 delegates.

• Eurozone member.

• Proven track record in organising meetings from 50 pax to 6,000 pax

• Unusual venues from castles to hospitals, stadia to vaults and breweries to colleges.

• Professional, creative and experienced suppliers.

• Historic and cultural destination steeped in music and literature – plenty to see and do for pre and post tour options and social and partner programmes.

• City, sea and countryside all within easy reach means activities such as golf, horseriding, hiking, teambuilding, surfing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, hot air ballooning, car racing to name but a few are at your client’s fingertips.

• European headquarters for many major ICT, financial and pharmaceutical companies.

• Buoyant and stable economy.

• The Dublin Pass includes access to over 30 of Dublin’s top attractions as well as over 20 added value facilities plus a one way ticket on the Aircoach - available at a discounted price to conference delegates!

• Price/Value Relationship – Dublin isn’t just about the nice hotels, the castle experience, the food, the people, the activities, the landscape – it’s all of those things. Dublin and Ireland becomes such great value because there is such a great package in choosing this destination for your Conferences or Meetings. It’s the hospitality, the people, the craic (Irish for fun), the music…

• Signature Event Locations/Theme Parties – There is wonderful choice in the locations that can be used for gala dinners and special events. A host of unusual venues from castles to hospitals. stadia to vaults and breweries to colleges will guarantee the WOW factor for your event. Due to the approachable nature of the Irish people, it is often the case that one can approach a Nobel Peace Prize Winner or a Nobel Literature Prize winner to speak at a function, or have you ever thought about dining with nobility?

• Knowledge Capital - Experienced professionals, world-class researchers, multi-national organisations and innovative start-ups have all made Dublin their home. Over 1,200 overseas companies have chosen Ireland as their European base and are involved in a wide range of activities in sectors as diverse as e-Business, ICT, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, financial and international services. Dublin is now the world’s fastest growing location for financial services. Half the world’s top fifty banks have operations in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in central Dublin. In total, there are almost four hundred and thirty international institutions directly operating from Dublin with a further seven hundred managed entities carrying on business under the IFSC programme. Ireland is a key location for the pharmaceutical and chemical industry in Europe. Nine of the top ten companies in the world have operations in Ireland. Ireland is also home to thirteen of the world’s top twenty medical device companies. There are eighty three overseas healthcare companies and over half of these companies are involved in research and development, with a number of companies having dedicated research and development centres. In order to further develop Ireland as a centre of research excellence, the Government invested €646 million between 2000 and 2006 in Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). SFI has the goal of creating world-class research programmes in the areas of ICT and biotechnology and began to recruit world-class research scientists and engineers in these fields in 2000. Research in the area of Internet-related technologies and interactive and multi-media applications was further enhanced by the decision of MIT to establish MediaLab Europe in Dublin’s digital media district. This development builds on Ireland’s existing success in the field of IT. The top ten independent software companies in the world all have significant operations in Ireland.

• Unswerving support from the Dublin Convention Bureau!
www.dublinconventionbureau.com