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A collective legacy: The impact of ISHF Dublin 2025
THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL HOUSING FESTIVAL( ISHF) BROUGHT 2,348 DELEGATES TO DUBLIN IN JUNE 2025. A NEW REPORT MEASURES WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND – AND OFFERS ASSOCIATION PLANNERS A TEMPLATE FOR PROVING THEIR OWN VALUE
M ost conferences end with
a delegate count and an economic impact figure. The International Social Housing Festival( ISHF) 2025 ended with a report, and that offers a guide and template for future positive action.
Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland, published its first intentional impact report on a business event, covering ISHF Dublin 2025. The festival, an initiative of Housing Europe, was hosted by the Irish Council for Social
Housing( ICSH) at the Convention Centre Dublin, 4 – 6 June 2025. It drew 2,348 delegates from 48 countries across five continents and generated an estimated € 3m for the city.
Those numbers are familiar territory and demonstrate significant economic impact. But, what sets the report apart is everything else: a structured ambition to show what an association conference changed for its host community, its sector and its destination – and how that change was measured. That work is
Left: Top row, left: Oral history exhibition participants Lynne Hooper, Norbert Hanlon, Imelda Doyle. Bottom row, from left: Sadie Larkin, Terry Kearney and Antoinette Reid now, also, a powerful guide to future action. ISHF was Fáilte Ireland’ s first intentional impact pilot.
Paul Mockler, Head of Business, Festivals and Major Sports Events at Fáilte Ireland, writes in the report’ s foreword that the festival“ showcased how business events can serve as catalysts for social change”. He adds that the report highlights“ the opportunity to embed social impact into how we attract, deliver, and evaluate association conferences in Ireland.”
The work was, importantly, a partnership. Fáilte Ireland worked with the Irish Council for Social Housing( ICSH), PCO Conference Partners International( CPI), and Housing Europe. As a central focus of the impact project, the ICSH sought to incorporate the voices of tenants in Ireland into ISHF 2025, by embracing the concept of“ not about us without us”, aligning with the festival ' s theme of " Storytelling ".
Before the event, a broad stakeholder group co-created a Theory of Change – a framework that maps each activity to short-, medium- and long-term outcomes. Two impact pathways were chosen: 1. Tenant empowerment and. 2. Strengthening the housing ecosystem. These ran alongside a main programme of policy dialogues with Irish and European ministers, site visits to Dublin housing developments, and cultural events across several venues.
Evaluation drew on a post-event survey of 270 respondents, semistructured interviews with 11 domestic and international stakeholders, and partner documentation. The report notes the approach“ moved deliberately beyond satisfaction metrics”, focusing on how the event generated value rather than how much delegates enjoyed it.
Tenants at the front door The first aim of the project, Tenant Empowerment centred on an oral history exhibition showcased at the entrance of the Convention Centre Dublin. Titled,‘ From House to Home,’ it
24 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 145