Fáilte Ireland secured €10 million worth of international conferences for Ireland at IMEX America, which concluded in Las Vegas on Thursday 13 October.
Details
The three-day event is one of the largest worldwide exhibitions for the meetings, incentive, conferences and events (MICE) sector. The latest business tourism wins mean a total of 313 international events, worth a total of €127 million, have been secured this year to take place over the coming five years.
As part of its work to showcase Ireland as a world class destination for business events, Fáilte Ireland hosted a number of sales retreats with key decision makers at the IMEX America trade show, which included an IMEX Golf Day with international planners, Irish suppliers and key decision makers.
Conferences secured from the Las Vegas tradeshow include:
- 36th International Papillomavirus Conference 2024;
- IATA Slot Conference 2023;
- Unison Steadfast Independence Day Conference (Next Generation) 2023;
- 2024 Clarinet Fest;
- International Clay Conference 2025;
- PLANCKS Conference 2024;
- and the International Association for Disability and Oral Health Conference 2026
Statements
Paul Kelly, Fáilte Ireland CEO, said, "Trade shows like IMEX America are a vital platform to build awareness of our world-class business and conference facilities, as well as the variety of high-quality experiences and attractions visitors can enjoy in Ireland. The revenue generated by these international conferences and events is not only a significant contributor to the Irish business tourism industry but has an enormous impact on the wider tourism ecosystem such as attractions and experiences, transport and food and beverage.
"By continuing to bring in major business events to our cities and regions, the lucrative business tourism sector can in turn continue to boost the revenue of the economy and support tens of thousands of jobs."
Commenting from the IMEX event in Las Vegas, Fáilte Ireland's head of commercial development, Paul Mockler, added, "Fáilte Ireland is joined by Tourism Ireland, Tourism Northern Ireland and 36 industry-leading trade partners at this event and together we are showcasing the very best that Ireland has to offer. We are pleased to have already secured €10 million worth of business meetings and events from our attendance at IMEX America, which means a total of 313 international events, worth a total of €127 million, have been secured this year to take place over the coming 5 years. We also expect to add approx. €26 million in new leads from IMEX, that can offer future potential opportunities."
Additional Information
Prior to COVID-19, business tourism had been one of the fastest growing segments of the Irish tourism industry, contributing more than €716 million annually to the economy and supporting up to 20,000 jobs, according to Fáilte Ireland, which also said that this sector is highly specialised, lucrative and high yielding for Ireland because each business tourism visitor generates almost three times the tourism revenue than that of a leisure tourist.
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