First members event of 2024 at Peig's Bar at The Dean Galway
What a fantastic turn out for our first members event of 2024 at Peig's Bar at The Dean Galway where we reflected on our achievements from 2023 and shared our plans for the months ahead.
A huge thanks to Sally-Ann O'Brien & Grace O'Shea from Fáilte Ireland for joining us. They provided a comprehensive overview of their ongoing projects and insights into the supports available to our hashtag#members.
A warm welcome 'aboard' to Collette and Ciaran from Galway Bay Boat Tours, our newest members. Collette gave us an overview of their Galway Bay Boat Tour, Galway Hooker Workshop and Boat Tour & The Claddagh & Docklands Walking Tour offerings. For more details and booking information please visit https://lnkd.in/gsZPrKmW
A special thank you to Edel Lynch, Cian O Broin and Julie Bigot for hosting us. Your exceptional hospitality and delicious food was very much appreciated by all.
Two honours for Galway at Fáilte Ireland Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards
Professor Peter McHugh, University of Galway, named Conference Ambassador of the Year for his role in organising ‘11th European Solid Mechanics Conference, 2022’, worth €1.8 million to local economy;
‘EUGEO 2019 (Association of Geography Societies in Europe)' led by Professor Frances Fahy and Dr. Kathy Reilly, hosted at the University of Galway, picks up Sustainability Award;
University of Galway's Professor Peter McHugh picked up the ‘Conference Ambassador of the Year’ honour at Fáilte Ireland's Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards for his exceptional efforts in going above and beyond in his role as a Conference Ambassador, bringing the 11th European Solid Mechanics Conference to Galway in 2022.
Professor McHugh has been bringing groups of researchers in his field of engineering together in Galway for 20 years but in 2022 brought over 1,000 delegates from over 40 countries to Galway for a five-day conference which contributed over €1.8 million to the Irish economy.
There was further success for the University of Galway with the ‘Sustainability’ award going to the ‘EUGEO 2019 (Association of Geography Societies in Europe)’, which took place in the university in 2019, exemplifying its commitment to environmental responsibility. Prof. Frances Fahy and Dr. Kathy Reilly, from the College of Geography and Archaeology at the University of Galway, were responsible for bidding for, and winning the conference for Ireland.
Galway was Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2020 and is famed for its cultural and arts festivals. More recently its academic core is recognised as a global hub for the Creativity and MedTech sectors and R&D. During 2018 – 2022 it was also home to association conferences across several sectors including Medical Technologies & Science, Engineering, Media and Geography. Sixteen Galway ambassadors were recognised at the event with these individuals delivering fourteen association conferences and events, welcoming over 5,400 delegates, and collectively contributing over €10.2m to the Irish economy.
The Galway Ambassadors recognised include:
Helen Boles, Our Ocean Wealth Summit, 2018
Lís Ní Dhálaigh, 38th Annual Conference of CIRCOM Regional 2022, Supported by Go West
Lucy Medlycott, FRESH STREET#3, 2019
Niall Ó Brolcháin, 11th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance, 2018
Professor Frances Fahy and Dr Kathy Reilly, 7th EUGEO Congress of the Geography of Europe, 2019
Professor Gerry Molloy & Professor Molly Byrne, 32nd European Health Psychology Society Conference, 2018
Professor Peter McHugh, 11th European Solid Mechanics Conference 2022
Daniel Collins, 7th International Conference on Mycobacterium Bovis, 2022
Professor David Finn, 32nd Annual International Cannabinoid Research Society's Symposium on the Cannabinoids, 2022
Dr. Gerhard Schlosser, 7th Meeting of the European Evolutionary Developmental Biology Society, 2018
Professor Sean Ryder, 1st Annual EADH Conference: “Data in Digital Humanities“, 2018
Dr. Rachel Quinlan, The 24th Conference of the International Linear Algebra Society, 2022
Professor Dimitrios Zeugolis, 26th European Orthopaedic Research Society Meeting, 2018
Carmen Taheny, 16th Congress of Business and Professional Women Europe, 2019
In total, Fáilte Ireland celebrated the outstanding contributions of 104 conference ambassadors, including renowned academics and industry leaders, at an award ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin.
The ambassadors were acknowledged for their expertise, industry knowledge and unwavering commitment to successfully hosting an international conference in Ireland between 2018 and 2022. Collectively these conferences have contributed €125 million to the Irish economy and have made a positive impact on our nation.
Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme was developed to support individuals who want to host an international conference in Ireland. The programme provides assistance and financial support at every stage of the event, from the initial bidding, through to the marketing and promotion of the event. Ambassadors are sector leaders or influencers in their field and since the programme was established in 2009, Fáilte Ireland has supported almost 3,000 ambassadors in their bids to host conferences and events worth more than €2 billion.
The ‘Social Impact & Legacy’ award was conferred on the ‘WONCA World Rural Health Conference 2022,’ led by Professor Liam Glynn and which took place at the University of Limerick.
The award ceremony, which was attended by potential and established ambassadors, government officials, and trade stakeholders, also recognised “Regional Champions” for their exceptional dedication to promoting their regions for international conferences.
Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland Paul Kelly said:
“The Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards showcase the wide range of talent and commitment of our network of conference ambassadors. Their expertise, industry knowledge and unwavering commitment to successfully hosting international conferences in Ireland is nothing short of exceptional. They have created value that extends way beyond the realm of tourism and have exemplified what it truly means to be a conference ambassador. At Fáilte Ireland, we are always looking to recruit new conference ambassadors to help bring future business to Ireland. I hope that those at different stages of their ambassador journey are inspired and motivated by the talented ambassadors recognised at the awards and by hearing their stories of success.”
Niamh Stack of the Galway Convention Bureau said:
“It was wonderful to see so many Galway Ambassadors recognised as part of Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards. We are very proud to have two of the overall winners hail from the region. The Ambassador of the Year, awarded to Professor Peter McHugh who led the bid to bring the ‘11th European Solid Mechanics Conference’ to Galway in July 2022. This was the largest International Conference to be held on the University of Galway campus, bringing together over 1,200 delegates to Galway for a 5-day intense programme. The Spotlight Award for Sustainability, which demonstrated leadership by consciously engaging in responsible consumption in delivering a sustainable event, was deservedly given to Professor Frances Fahy and Dr Kathy Reilly, following their comprehensive submission based on the 7th Congress of the Association of Geographical Societies in Europe Conference, held at the University of Galway in May 2019. All of the Galway Awardees are fantastic ambassadors for the region, and we are extremely lucky to have such a diverse group of individuals that are passionate about Galway and hosting their international events here.”
Conference ambassadors come from diverse backgrounds and industries and have been instrumental in helping to bring 810 conferences to Ireland between 2018 and 2022, which were attended by 270,000 international delegates across Ireland’s major business hubs - Dublin, Cork, Kerry, The Shannon Region and Galway. These events were worth €443 million to the Irish economy and are often held during off-peak seasons. They have not only augmented hotel and industry supplier revenues but have also contributed to positive social and environmental impacts.
Each international delegate is valued at more than three times the average leisure tourist, underlining the importance of this sector.
We’re putting the call out: ‘Bring your tribe to Galway’!
Call out for Conference Ambassadors
We at Galway Convention Bureau are looking for people throughout the region to become ‘Conference Ambassadors’. As you know, we promote Galway as a destination for international meetings, conferences and events and we’re working on a pipeline of events worth €20m that will bring 11,000 people to Galway over the next four years.
We’ve relaunched our Conference Ambassador programme this month as we embark on a drive to recruit industry leaders who can help showcase Galway on the national and international stage as a premier conference destination and place to do business. We’re particularly looking to speak to people from sectors such as academia, business, medicine, engineering, community and many more, who have the influence and profile to bring events that are relevant to them to Galway as the host destination, and we offer a wide range of supports to assist in the process.
Could it be you? Signing up for the programme and bringing an event to Galway offers several exciting benefits for a Conference Ambassador, including:
● a significant boost to their professional profile among their peer group
● a showcase for their work and their team’s achievements
● the chance to foster networking that can spark funding or collaboration opportunities
● the opportunity to contribute to the local economy and tourism industry
Our manager Niamh Stack has this message to anyone thinking of joining the effort: “I would encourage anyone who has international association or organisational links abroad and who would like to bring an international conference to Galway to contact our team. We will help with planning right from the start. We offer guidance on the various practical and financial supports available. We are here to make the process easier for you. Galway has a fantastic business tourism product with much to offer a very competitive market. We want to work with more Conference Ambassadors to help make a big impact”
Paul Mockler is Head of Commercial Development at Fáilte Ireland and he says the programme offers huge potential for Galway: “Business events bring high economic and knowledge value to Ireland. We currently have a pipeline of business worth in excess of €1 billion, as far out as 2032. Each conference delegate is worth €1880 to the Irish economy, up to three times the value of a leisure visitor, but by bringing international thought leaders to Ireland for their events, we demonstrate Ireland’s prowess in many fields while at the same time learning from global leaders. Fáilte Ireland invests in our regional convention bureaux as business events benefit the country regionally and out of the main tourism periods.”
Our team here at the Convention Bureau helps Conference Ambassadors tackle the three biggest challenges of event planning - time, resources and budgeting, by offering a range of free supports, including:
● Independent advice on all aspects of organising an international conference, from bidding to staging
● Advice on access to vital financial support through Fáilte Ireland schemes
● Sourcing of venue and accommodation options informed by valuable local knowledge
● Introductions to local contacts and suppliers across the city and county
The diverse range of events we’re helping in the year ahead include the AHSRAE Region XIV Chapter Regional Conference & Young Engineers in ASHRAE Leadership International Conference Galway 2023, the 10th EuroGOOS (European Global Ocean Observing System) International Conference and next year’s Conference of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies.
We’re working with Conference Ambassador Dr Tokie Laotan-Brown at the moment and she recently successfully bid for the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS) annual conference that’s set to bring up to 800 delegates and will be worth over €1m to Galway next year. She’s recommending the experience: “This was a key part of our success in bringing this event to my home town. I’ve been amazed at the level of support the Bureau provides, from the bidding process to helping plan the itineraries for our visiting delegates. It helps me to concentrate on tailoring the content of the conference to our audience. I would really recommend the programme to anyone interested in bringing their network to Galway”.
Mayor of Galway City Cllr Clodagh Higgins has also praised our work: “The Galway Convention Bureau is delivering for the city. They have the expertise to help make each event they support a success. They have aided many Conference Ambassadors in their journey to organise excellent conferences from a really diverse range of industries and sectors. If anyone is in a position to host or help Galway win a Business Tourism event I would recommend they get in touch with the Convention Bureau and join the Ambassador programme which helps support our local economy”.
Are you part of an international organisation that might consider visiting Galway for an event in the future? Would you like to be instrumental in bringing that to the city or county? It’s a fantastic opportunity for our Ambassadors and for Galway and we will do everything we can to help you on that journey. For more information please get in touch on 087 7730512, info@galwayconventionbureau.com or visit our website www.galwayconventionbureau.com