Fáilte Ireland has announced that 335 international business events worth €144 million have been secured for Ireland for future years.
The National Tourism Development Authority, in partnership with Tourism Ireland, noted that it wants to drive these numbers even higher over the coming days, at the annual IMEX America event in Las Vegas, from 17 to 19 October.
‘A Strong Year’
“So far, 2023 has been a strong year in terms of business events for Ireland, with numbers showing we are almost back to 2019 pre-Covid levels for face-to-face events,” said Paul Mockler, Fáilte Ireland’s head of commercial development.
“Business events not only have a positive economic impact on a destination – they can also contribute to positive social and environmental impact.”
Irish Trade Suppliers
IMEX America is the largest trade show in the United States for the global meeting, event, and incentive travel industry.
Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, together with 36 Irish trade suppliers, plan to promote the best that Ireland has to offer to over 4,000 global meeting planners, who organise international meetings, incentives, conferences and events.
“Trade shows like IMEX America are a vital platform to build awareness of Ireland’s world-class business and conference facilities to international event planners, ensuring Ireland is ‘top of mind’ for them when programming and recommending destinations to their clients in the years ahead,” said David Boyce, Tourism Ireland’s head of Asia, the Middle East, and global inbound.
‘Sustainable Business Events’
This year, four Irish business event regions were ranked in the top 40 most sustainable destinations in the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI).
“During IMEX America, we will be looking forward to sharing the progress that Ireland’s events industry is making in working towards more sustainable business events,” said Mockler.
“The pipeline for future business events up to 2032 is looking really strong for Ireland, and we’re valuing this pipeline at over €1.2 billion.”
