Ireland is one of the best choices as a destination for meetings, conferences, corporate events and incentive travel in the world. The country’s temperate climate, high standard of conference facilities, tasteful and comfortable accommodation, selection of leisure and after-hours activities put it in a class of its own. The diverse range of scenery across this small country means business travellers can pack plenty of things to do into a short space of time. No wonder Ireland wins conferences of all sizes and in all fields...

Innovation wins entrepreneurship conference for Ireland. In June 2011, Ireland beat China and Taiwan to become host country for the ICSB (International Council for Small Business) 2014 World Conference. The theme will be Green Business and Sustainability. Ireland’s success in securing a valuable conference for 2014 shows a nation that can compete — and win — at the highest level on the international stage. Ireland may be known internationally for its landscape which, as we all know, comes in 40 shades of green but it can also make waves when it comes to the hosting of innovative and green conferences.

Technology founders to descend on Dublin as conference returns for a second year. In international conference circles it can be unusual for a conference to come back to the same city a second time. However, this October, approximately 150 international technology company founders will descend on Dublin city in Ireland for the second year in a row to an invite-only conference, F.ounders. The first F.ounders conference took place in October 2010 and included the founders of Twitter, Skype and YouTube. The organisers decided to bring the conference back to Dublin because the city’s relaxed and informal nature works in harmony with what they were trying to create. Communications Conference manager Daire Hickey explins “There is a genuine interest in coming to Ireland. What probably helped the conference last year is the vibrancy of a city like Dublin”.

International Eucharistic Congress. The forthcoming International Eucharistic Congress shows that Irish venues can cater for even the largest delegate numbers. Approximately 25,000 pilgrims (delegates), are expected to participate each day in the week-long event, which takes place in Dublin from 10-17 June 2012. One major consideration was that Ireland has the ability to run a large programme for up to 25,000 people each day on one campus. The numbers being catered for in the closing ceremony are even higher. Croke Park Stadium, the third-largest stadium in Europe, was chosen as a suitable venue with capacity for 80,000 people. Aside from the week-long programme taking place in Dublin, an attraction for many delegates is Ireland itself. Pre- and post-congress visits to other parts of Ireland will take place, as well as day and half-day tours during the week of the congress.