The official opening of the National Convention Centre in Dublin recently should have a direct benefit for business tourism in Mayo and Galway, according to Fáilte Ireland. More than 120 overseas VIPs and top business tourism buyers from across the globe attended the ‘Meet in Ireland 2010’ workshop which was part of a seven day business tourism blitz undertaken by Fáilte Ireland to fully exploit the opening of the CCD.
“The Meet in Ireland event provided us with a unique opportunity to showcase all that Ireland has to offer for the business tourist and we hope to have persuaded some of the top international buyers in this sector to bring their conferences and events to these shores, and in particular the counties of Galway and Mayo, in the near future,” said Fiona Monaghan, head of operations in the west region.
The main focus of the launch was a business workshop which allowed the 120 members of the Irish trade to meet and deal directly with the 120 international buyers. These buyers represent up to €500 million worth of potential business over the next three years and included representatives from the US, Great Britain, mainland Europe, and South Africa, as well as Australia and Canada.
In addition to the main workshop event, a number of tours and information events were also organised to ensure the important group of buyers enjoyed the full Irish experience.
