Ireland
THE BUSINESS HEART OF IRELAND
Powerscourt Distillery, Wheat Fields, Co Wicklow
Located on the edge of Europe, Ireland is the only English-speaking country in the eurozone, providing the perfect hub for international associations and corporate meetings. Here award-winning researchers, numerous regional corporations and 1,200 + multinationals all come together to produce an international, multilingual melting pot of skills.
But for an island known for so many traditions reaching back into the past, the rich blend of business sectors is often a surprise. Here we highlight some of the key areas.
Agriculture: Ireland has traditionally been known as the Emerald Isle for good reason – it more than lives up to the name thanks to its fertile soil, temperate climate and abundant rainfall. These ideal conditions also explain why agriculture has become one of Ireland’ s most important indigenous manufacturing sectors. Today, Irish food and drink thrives on the global stage, with more than 700 food and drinks companies exporting to 160 countries worldwide. The sector employs 170,000 people and growth is strong and consistent. And a special mention to the Irish whiskey sector, one of the fastest growing spirit categories globally; in the 1980s there were only two distilleries in the country; there are now more than 40, with a glorious 3.5 million barrels of spirit maturing across Ireland.
Bio-Pharma: Across Ireland, the bio-pharma sector is soaring as it discovers, innovates and manufactures new medicines to help improve health outcomes internationally. Ireland’ s connections offer great networking potential, giving access to both leading companies and experts within the field. The sector accounts for over € 80 billion in revenue each year, backed by a recent capital investment of almost
Balmoral Show, Balmoral
€ 10 billion in new facilities, the biggest wave of investment in biotech facilities anywhere in the world. Over 90 biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical and chemical companies make up the Irish BioPharmaChem industry, including eight of the world’ s top 10 Biopharma companies. With activities centred around manufacturing and services, the sector employs over 80,000 people directly. Ireland is the world’ s third
8 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / IRELAND WWW. TOURISMIRELAND. COM