Up to 200 delegates make their way to Lough Eske Castle, Donegal this Thursday and Friday (21st - 22nd March) for the 7th Annual AIPCO Business Tourism Conference. Fáilte Ireland is proud to be the headline sponsor of this must-attend event for anyone involved in business tourism in Ireland, a significant contributor to the local economy.
A veritable who’s who of the Irish MICE sector, including Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs), Destination Management Companies (DMCs), Convention Bureaux and Specialist Event Companies, will all be in attendance. The event will provide a platform for venues, hotels, transport companies, restaurants and exhibition specialists to showcase their offering, growing both business tourism nationwide and their own portfolios of work.
Ciara Gallagher, Fáilte Ireland’s Meet in Ireland Manager, said:
“Business tourism continues to be fundamental in the growth of the wider tourism sector and is currently worth at least €760million to the Irish economy, supporting 22,000 jobs. The Annual AIPCO Business Tourism Conference is a brilliant opportunity to showcase Donegal to conference planners from across the country.
Across the country, there is significant potential for future growth in the business tourism space, and Fáilte Ireland is working on growing the sector during the next six years to bring its value to the Irish economy over the €1billion mark. 2019 is off to a strong start and we will be actively seeking out every opportunity to secure more business for Ireland.”
Jaime Bennett, Chair of AIPCO, added:
“2019 marks the association’s 20th anniversary and no better way to celebrate this by cementing our theme ‘The Power of One’, which will see Ireland’s entire business tourism industry coming together to learn, share knowledge and network together. We have created an innovative educational and experiential programme making it a must-attend event for anyone involved in the Business Tourism in Ireland.”
The Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO) is a non-profit organisation founded in 1999, and is the premier professional association for conference organisers in Ireland. The association is committed to raising standards of service among its members and other sectors of the meetings industry by means of continuing education and interaction with other professionals. AIPCO works closely with Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Regional Convention Bureaux to develop Ireland into an International Conference hub.
Presenting at this year’s AIPCO conference is an illustrious list of keynote speakers, including Jaime Bennett of AIPCO and Conference Partners International, Carlo Boersma of Carton House, Fáilte Ireland’s Ciara Gallagher and Padraic Gilligan of SoolNua.
If you’re attending AIPCO 2019, stop by the Fáilte Ireland stand to receive a warm welcome from the Meet in Ireland team.