Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme

Who’s Who Keith McCormack Head of Golf, Business Tourism & Events Keelin Fagan Manager Business Tourism Unit Orla Canavan Conference Research Officer Grainne McGuinness Conference Research Executive Alison Johnston Incentive / Corporate Mtgs Officer Azeta Seery Online Marketing Officer Neasa Ní Dhomhnaill Business Tourism Assistant

Business Tourism is a key strategic area for Fáilte Ireland Association Conference Market is resilient Structured market Ireland has a wealth of conference facilities – 4 billion spent on conference infrastructure Ease of access Professional trade - RCBs, PCOs, DMCs, Hotels, Venues, Universities Ireland’s Conference Ambassadors

Economic Value to Local & National Economy Overseas business tourism grew by 10% in 2008 Expenditure by business visitors increased by 7% to €583 million Breaking that down we calculate the worth of a conference delegate in Ireland as €1,400 Out of pocket expenditure of International delegate - €980 (FI 2009) Out of pocket expenditure of Leisure tourist €545

Association Conference Research Objectives To grow Ireland’s share of the Association Conference Market Support and leverage the launch of new Conference product, as a key platform for repositioning Ireland as a leading conference destination. Research and measurement – to effectively promote the value of business tourism to the economy Generate Demand by develop a rolling pipeline of new international association conference leads Reinvigorate the Conference Ambassador programme by ensuring that ambassadors are motivated, educated and supported (practical & financial) in their efforts to bring conferences to Ireland.

6 Business Tourism Structures Business Tourism unit and Forum RCBs Cork Convention Bureau Lead generation process Co-ordinated implementation Strategy development Winning business Tourism Ireland overseas offices Business Tourism Working groups Trade Supports

Conference Ambassador Support Financial assistance towards: 550K Financial Support Bid process Site inspections Marketing costs Cork Convention Bureau Practical supports

Conference Ambassador Support No restrictions on size of conference No restrictions on subject matter Simple application process Support agreed over a number years

Practical Supports Ireland DVD Sample ‘Why Ireland’ Presentation Sample Bid Document Image Library Sample programmes Conference Checklist Vat Reclaim Governmental and regional letters of invitation Marketing worldwide at preceding events with Tourism Ireland Conference bags Delegate information

Ongoing research – lead Generation University promotions Advertorials GB & Pan – European Researcher Conference Ambassador Initiatives Conference Ambassador supports

Conference Ambassador Initiatives What is a Conference Ambassador? Ambassadors are professional people from fields as varied as academia, science, technology, sport, medicine, law and business ……… who have potential influence over their Association's choice of conference destination The decision of an international association on where to host their next conference is most strongly influenced by the input of a local member of that association – 70/30 The decision is usually based on a bidding process with individual bids spearheaded by local ‘Conference Ambassadors'.

Association Conference Research 2 Fulltime staff dedicated to this area We undertake database research to identify and secure new Ambassadors When we secure the leads we send them to the Regional Convention Bureaux Fáilte Ireland monitors the leads Fáilte Ireland distributed 28 leads in 2008 In 2009 we set ourselves an target to contact 60 potential Ambassadors per month and then distribute at least 60 of these Ambassadors to the RCBs per annum Fáilte Ireland distributed 74 leads in 2009

Number of conferences identfied 74 Possible total number of delegates 60,850 Possible total revenue €85m Average Revenue per conference €1.15 million Association Conference leads 2009 Target - €30m

Target Markets Using databases ( ICCA & UIA) & internet we target: International Associations based in Ireland International Associations with Irish Executive committee members International Associations with Irish members International Associations with Irish National Associations British Societies with Irish members Association Conference Sizes 94% of Global Association conferences have less than 2,000 delegates 94% of European Association conferences have less than 2,000 delegates 86% of European Association conferences have less than 1,000 delegates

Target Markets + Medical Sciences +Pharmaceutical +Technology + Medical Sciences +Pharmaceutical +Technology

Awareness Campaign –Supports available –Ireland’s capacity to host conferences –Term “Conference Ambassador” –Benefits of hosting a conference –Fáilte Ireland support team Generate Conference Leads Promotional Plan

Irish Medical News

Irish Times

Digital Ireland

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