Four overall winners were announced at the Cork Convention Bureau Conference Ambassador Awards 2022 with 68 ambassadors acknowledged for hosting 40 events in Cork over the last 12 months.
Cork continues to get the greatest share of conferences in Ireland outside of Dublin
Over 40 business events, from symposiums to large international conferences and global summits, brought an estimated 9,000 delegates to Cork in 2022, 80% of whom were international visitors. The value is estimated to be worth €14.4 million to the local economy.
Cork Convention Bureau last night hosted its annual Cork Conference Ambassador Awards in Castlemartyr Resort to pay special tribute to 68 ambassadors who brought these 40 events to the region, including four overall category winners. All of these events were organised with the support of the Cork Convention Bureau. The conference ambassadors were recognised for their vision and hard work in ensuring that Cork benefited from a well-needed boost of business tourism, and for helping the city continue to be a leading European destination for big conventions.
Since Cork Convention Bureau established the Cork Conference Ambassadors programme in 2010, which identifies local members of international associations and supports them in bidding for international conferences to come to Cork, over €100 million has been generated for the local economy.* The Bureau, which is the business arm of Visit Cork, works with people to organise distinctive, efficient and memorable conferences that showcase their organisation or area of study and the Cork region to the highest possible level. Business Tourism is a key part of Visit Cork’s strategic plan for 2022-2026 with plans already in train for 2023 with a number of big events confirmed, including the 15th World Congress of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimisation WCSMO-15, taking place in 2023 in UCC.
Events hosted in Cork in 2022 ranged in size, with some attracting large numbers. The European Dairy Farmers EDF Annual Congress and the Palaeontological Association Annual Meeting both attracted over 350 delegates each. There was also a huge variety of interests covered across the events from an International Napoleonic Conference, to a Dutch Offshore Wind Trade Mission to Cork, as well as seafarer wellness meeting and seabird group conferences.
Almost one in four of the events that Cork Convention Bureau supported were health related, which is testament to the high calibre of medical study taking place on Cork campuses, laboratories, and hospitals around the city, and Cork’s position as a centre for pharma excellence. Conferences included the meeting of the Society of European Robotic Gynaecological Surgery SERGS, the International Conference on Food Digestion, and the Biennial Meeting of the Pulmonary Pathology Society.
Last night’s event was about celebrating the organisers, with four overall groups being honoured for their tireless work and commitment in bringing significant conferences to Cork.
- The Association Conference Award: Dr. Jenny Butler, a well-known folklorist and Lecturer in the Study of Religions Department, University College Cork, who brought two conferences to the city, the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism 2022 and the 20th European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) 2022, attracting over 550 attendees.
- The Sporting Conference Award: This category was won by Liam Maher and Alan Craughwell who brought the high profile 2022 International Mixed Ability Rugby Tournament & Conference to Musgrave Park. Estimated to be worth €1.7 million to the local economy, the two events brought 1,100 players, 650 volunteers and 25,000 spectators to the city for a week in June, with 28 men’s and women’s teams from 15 nations taking part.
- Academic Conference Award: There were a number of entrants in the academic category with Dr Niall Smith and Elizabeth Carroll Twomey from MTU taking the honour for bringing the European Science Engagement Association Annual Meeting (EUSEA) to the MTU’s Bishopstown Campus during the summer. The 3-day event brought the European science communications community together.
- Sector Recognition Award: This award was awarded to the Teagasc Moorepark Research Centre which organised three large international conferences in Cork city and one online event (due to pandemic restrictions). The events were attended by over 1,000 delegates. The events included: the 7th International conference on Food Digestion ICFD7; the European Dairy Farmers EDF; the 8th International conference on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level (WAFL); and a Symposium on Food Structure and Functionality.
The Awards were presented by Minister Simon Coveney TD, Minister Michael McGrath TD, the President of MTU Professor Maggie Cusack , and Teagasc Director Professor Frank O’Mara.
According to Failte Ireland, Cork continues to get the greatest share of conferences in Ireland outside of Dublin, representing approximately 20% of the regional value of events. Cork Convention Bureau has confirmed that they already have €3.5 million worth of conference business in the pipeline for the next two years.
However, Evelyn O’Sullivan, Manager at Cork Convention Bureau says that business is top heavy for 2022: “We have lots of events in the pipeline for early 2023 as this year the focus was on getting rescheduled and imminent events over the line. We are now working hard to get confirmation of bid pending events for later in the year and leads for future years. Overall we are in a very good position and Cork continues to be one of the most sought after destinations for business tourism.
“We will continue to focus on showcasing the wealth of experiences available here for international delegates and the region as a sustainable tourism destination. All business tourism clients who are hosting a conference or event in Cork, will be presented with CSR (corporate social responsibility) options to support Cork social, environmental and economic causes, and a legacy and social impact programme will be put in place for all future events.
“Cork excels at attracting international association conferences, especially in sectors such as Agriculture, STEM, Space and Maritime, so there is huge potential to target these sectors even further over the coming years, working closely with Fáilte Ireland, to grow Cork as a destination of choice for conference business. We would like to encourage people in any sector to consider bringing an industry conference to Cork. We’re here to support you every step of the way.”
Seamus Heaney, Head of Visit Cork, highlighted just how important business tourism is to the county. “Conferences and large-scale events don’t just mean business for accommodation providers and meeting venues. There is a benefit to a much wider group of Cork businesses, such as tourism sites, food and drink venues, activities and interactive experiences, spa treatments, private transport, shops and tours. Often this is mid-week, providing business in traditionally quieter periods. More and more, we are finding that people will stay an extra day or two to explore the city and wider county, and after getting a flavour for the area, they plan a return trip for a holiday at a later date. Visitors also bring life to the city so we need to work hard to continue this really valuable source of tourism.”
Anyone who would like support in bringing an international meeting, conference or event to Cork should contact the Cork Convention Bureau on info@corkconventionbureau.com or go to corkconventionbureau.com to see all the supports that are available.
* Amount based on the value of each international delegate being €1,600.
Photography: Brian Lougheed
