Insight
Finding a global voice through industry connection
CIARA DAVIDSON, DIRECTOR OF TRANSFORMATION AND GOVERNANCE, ICC BELFAST, RECENTLY JOINED THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION CENTRE’ S( AIPC) BOARD AS AN OBSERVER AND SHARES SOME IMPRESSIONS AND IMPACTS OF WORKING ALONGSIDE CEOS OF SOME OF THE WORLD’ S LANDMARK CONVENTION CENTRES.
M y first opportunity
with AIPC came when I joined its Future Shapers programme in 2023. I had no idea then just how transformative the experience would be. Over nine months, our international team – spanning Northern Ireland, Sydney, Paris, and Kuala Lumpur – tackled one of the industry’ s toughest challenges: how to attract and retain talent in an environment known for long hours and high turnover. Our team developed an app to showcase the wide range of roles available in our sector, and we won the final pitch at the showcase in Costa Rica. Even more rewarding was hearing that AIPC wanted to take our idea forward and are now developing the app.
That was just the start. In 2025, I was invited to mentor the next Future Shapers cohort for the finals at the AIPC Conference in the Shenzen Convention & Exhibition Centre in China, and led the Future Shapers Task Force for the Annual Conference in Bilbao in 2026.
Sitting alongside the most experienced global CEOs was originally daunting, all experts in major convention centre management. However, I soon recognised the valuable insights we can contribute and how much I enjoy learning from our industry leaders.
My role is to bring a fresh, operational-level perspective.
For ICC Belfast, these opportunities have had ripple effects for our team. My colleague Dave Young, who took part( and was on the winning team) in Future Shapers last year in China has also found his global voice and been invited to lead a new AIPC working group on Tech and Production. His passion and expertise will be harnessed to connect production innovators across continents.
Developing talent within Belfast and our industry is a huge focus for ICC Belfast. One of our senior event managers, completed the AIPC Academy in Brussels in 2025, bringing home fresh insights into operational excellence, and in turn delivering even greater value for our international clients and delegates.
Above: Ciara Davidson
The benefits for us include helping shape the future of our whole organisation and driving positive change across our home city of Belfast.
What strikes me most about being part of AIPC is the reassurance it provides. When we face challenges like inflation, skills shortages, or the slower sales cycle after Covid, it’ s easy to feel isolated. But then you sit in a room with peers from Europe, America or Asia, you realise we are all in this together. It’ s not a Northern Ireland problem, it’ s an industry challenge. That global perspective gives me confidence that ICC Belfast is on the right track – and in some areas, like sustainability and consumer-focused events, we’ re actually ahead of the curve.
Our venues sit in the shadow of two giant iconic yellow shipbuilding cranes, which define the Belfast skyline, and they are named Samson and Goliath.
Even though Belfast may be small on the global stage, we’ re winning international venue and destination awards.
I’ m extremely proud that involvement in this exciting industry and its professional network is giving us access to the greatest minds in the sector and allows us at ICC Belfast to make our“ small but mighty” global impact. n
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