Adare Manor , Co Limerick |
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city , region or country . For example , EICC recently took on the management of the Edinburgh Convention Bureau in June 2022 . “ Since then , we have dealt with over 100 new business event enquires for the city – of which nine are now confirmed ,” reveals Dallas . Additionally , the convention bureau has helped the destination host familiarisation trips , and several individual site visits to showcase the city to prospective clients .
Convention bureaus can also help create initiatives which shine a light on a destination ’ s sectoral strengths , which is important because “ conferences won ’ t come to a country or city unless there are really good alliance strengths in the area ,” says Jensen . This can be reflected in Liverpool ’ s ambassador programme , Club Liverpool . “ We work with academics and professional across the Liverpool
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City region , focusing particularly on the strengths that the region offers , and then work with those experts in those fields to attract those conferences to the city ,” explains Jensen .
Dallas reminds us that it ’ s not just about working with convention bureaus though , it ’ s about “ working collaboratively with venues , hotels , attractions and suppliers across the city so that we can present experiences which represent the best possible fit for each individual client . One client ’ s set of requirements will be quite different to another , and it ’ s important to remember that .”
International appeal
According to the destinations I spoke to , there are several ways to stand out and attract international conferences and delegates .
One way is to shine a spotlight on
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“ Conferences won ’ t come to a country or city unless there are really good alliance strengths in the area .”
– Jenny Jensen
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the unique cultural experiences that a destination offers , after all , “ it ’ s one of the greatest appeals for international conferences ,” according to Dallas .
This is because post conference , delegates want to go beyond a conference ’ s four walls , they want to explore the city and make the most of their time there . Whether that involves engaging with Liverpool ’ s musical and sporting heritage , exploring the 30,000 castles in Ireland , or attending festivals in Edinburgh – these destinations do not fall short of memorable experiences .
But what ’ s the point of these insightful conferences and memorable experiences if they are difficult to get to ? Accessibility is therefore a must ; and it ’ s always top of the list for event planners .
“ Ireland is a very compact
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