Conferences to boost Cork coffers by up to €10m

Conferences could be worth up to €10m to the Cork economy this year, according to an organisation which is promoting the region as an ideal location for such events.

Cork Convention Bureau (CCB) hopes to increase the city and county’s conference business by a further 8.5% on last year, when 6,500 delegates spent an estimated €9.1m. CCB announced the projected growth rate at a briefing for members and stakeholders — all of whom work or support the meetings, conferences and events market — at Gresham Metropole yesterday.

The organisation said this substantial year-on-year growth is expected to rise significantly post-2018, when the new 6,000-seater events centre is built.

“Cork is steadily increasing its share of the conference and events business and indicators are that this growth will continue to improve, year-on-year,” said CCB chairman, Seamus Heaney.

He announced that 68% of those surveyed by CCB recently said they had the potential to bring an international conference or event to Cork.

“This development offers huge opportunities for business tourism in the region, prompting Cork Convention Bureau to call on everyone to consider their connections and potential to bring international conventions and conferences to Cork,” said Mr Heaney.

He said that, in the past year, CCB representatives attended many international shows to promote Cork, meetings were attended and organised throughout the Britain and mainland Europe, and a number of inbound familiarisation trips also took place.

Last summer, an alliance was formed with four regional convention bureaus, all dotted along the Wild Atlantic Way. It is hoped that this alliance will strengthen the message of regional spread and will have a positive impact for each region.