Fáilte Ireland targeting 8% increase in meeting events for Dublin

Fáilte Ireland’s Dublin Convention Bureau (DCB) is targeting an 8% increase in meetings in Dublin for 2015.

This would lead to an estimated economic ibenefitof €55m for the city in the year ahead.

The target will be unveiled at a DCB briefing for operators and stakeholders in the conferencing sector at the Guinness Storehouse tomorrow morning.

During the briefing, Fáilte Ireland will illustrate that the number of conference delegates brought to the capital by DCB has increased year on year since 2009, with 40,000 delegates worth an estimated €50m attracted to the capital in 2014.

It will also be explained that this year Dublin has climbed nine places to take the 13th place in the world rankings of the International Congress and conference Association and Fáilte Ireland will be working hard to ensure the city rose even higher.

Speaking today, Paul Keeley, Director of Business Development with Fáilte Ireland, said: "Dublin has a great attraction for international delegates and our own research shows that when an international conference chooses our capital city as a venue, they benefit from a ‘Dublin bounce’ with approximately 10% more attendees for their event, due to the reputation of the city as a lively venue to attend.

"Next year, our Dublin Convention Bureau has almost 60,000 delegates in its sights and we are confident of delivering extra business and revenue for Dublin.”

Tomorrow’s briefing will hear that there are 91 "key events" scheduled for next year with potential for up to an estimated 58,200 delegates.