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Meitheal 2026: A blueprint for sustainable business events
F or over five decades,
Meitheal has stood at the heart of Ireland’ s tourism industry. Established in 1975 and delivered by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Tourism Ireland, it has evolved into the country’ s flagship international tourism trade event – a powerful platform connecting Irish tourism businesses with buyers from across the globe. In addition to the trade show, international buyers travelled throughout Ireland on bespoke itineraries designed by Fáilte Ireland to experience first- hand the depth and quality of the country’ s tourism offering. These trips featured experiences across Ireland’ s Hidden Heartlands, the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland ' s Ancient East, and Dublin.
Bringing together 564 Irish industry partners and 267 international buyers and tour operators from 17 countries for over 11,000 pre-scheduled meetings at the end of March, Meitheal remained a hub of commercial opportunity. But behind the scenes, it also became a showcase for Ireland’ s leadership in sustainable business events – demonstrating that economic success and environmental stewardship are not only compatible but mutually reinforcing.
Set against the scenic backdrop of Killarney, County Kerry – a destination ranked among the world’ s most sustainable * – Meitheal 2026 was not just about promoting Ireland as a tourism destination. It was about redefining how tourism events themselves can operate responsibly, with sustainability embedded at every level.
Sustainability was not an add-on at Meitheal 2026 – it was foundational. Guided by Fáilte Ireland’ s Meitheal Sustainability Policy 2024 – 2026 as part of a three-year plan and aligned with Ireland’ s business events strategy‘ Business Events 2030’, the event was structured around three key pillars: environmental responsibility, social impact, and economic value.
These pillars were translated into tangible action through clearly defined commitments aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The approach positioned Meitheal not just as a trade event, but a sustainabilityled platform for business growth.
A defining feature of Meitheal 2026 was its commitment to data driven sustainability. Carbon footprint measurement played a central role, with emissions tracked across travel, accommodation, venue and food, and has indicated a 31 % reduction in carbon footprint per delegate compared to Meitheal 2025. Importantly, Meitheal’ s sustainability policy was shared with delegates in advance to encourage shared responsibility.
A Sustainable Delegate Guide was shared with attendees in advance, providing practical tips on reducing environmental impact before, during and after the event. Including delegates in the event’ s sustainability journey had an influence on behaviour with a 10 % increase in the use of electric vehicles and a 1.3 % decrease in per delegate emissions from meals due to more delegates choosing vegetarian options.
34 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 143