We’re putting the call out: ‘Bring your tribe to Galway’!
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