Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme

Who’s Who

Business Tourism is a key strategic area for Fáilte Ireland

• Association Conference Market is resilient

• Structured market

• Ireland has a wealth of conference facilities – 4 billion spent on conference infrastructure

• Ease of access

• Professional trade - RCBs, PCOs, DMCs, Hotels, Venues, Universities

• Ireland’s Conference Ambassadors

Economic Value to Local & National Economy

• Overseas business tourism grew by 10% in 2008

• Expenditure by business visitors increased by 7% to €583 million

• Breaking that down we calculate the worth of a conference delegate in Ireland as €1,400

• Out of pocket expenditure of International delegate - €980 (FI 2009)

• Out of pocket expenditure of Leisure tourist €545

Association Conference Research Objectives

• To grow Ireland’s share of the Association Conference Market

• Support and leverage the launch of new Conference product, as a key platform for repositioning Ireland as a leading conference destination.

• Research and measurement – to effectively promote the value of business tourism to the economy

• Generate Demand by develop a rolling pipeline of new international association conference leads

• Reinvigorate the Conference Ambassador programme by ensuring that ambassadors are motivated, educated and supported (practical & financial) in their efforts to bring conferences to Ireland.

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Business Tourism Structures

Business Tourism unit and Forum

RCBs Cork Convention Bureau

Lead generation process

Co-ordinated implementation

Strategy development

Winning business

Tourism Ireland overseas offices

Business Tourism Working groups

Trade Supports

Conference Ambassador Support

Financial assistance towards:550K Financial Support

• Bid process

• Site inspections

• Marketing costs

Cork Convention Bureau

• Practical supports

Conference Ambassador Support

• No restrictions on size of conference

• No restrictions on subject matter

• Simple application process

• Support agreed over a number years

Practical Supports

• Ireland DVD• Sample ‘Why Ireland’ Presentation• Sample Bid Document• Image Library• Sample programmes• Conference Checklist• Vat Reclaim• Governmental and regional letters

of invitation• Marketing worldwide at preceding

events with Tourism Ireland• Conference bags• Delegate information

• Ongoing research – lead Generation

• University promotions

• Advertorials

• GB & Pan – European Researcher

Conference Ambassador Initiatives

Conference Ambassador supports

Conference Ambassador Initiatives

What is a Conference Ambassador?

• Ambassadors are professional people from fields as varied as academia, science, technology, sport, medicine, law and business ……… who have potential influence over their Association's choice of conference destination

• The decision of an international association on where to host their next conference is most strongly influenced by the input of a local member of that association – 70/30

• The decision is usually based on a bidding process with individual bids spearheaded by local ‘Conference Ambassadors'.

Association Conference Research

• 2 Fulltime staff dedicated to this area

• We undertake database research to identify and secure new Ambassadors

• When we secure the leads we send them to the Regional Convention Bureaux

• Fáilte Ireland monitors the leads

• Fáilte Ireland distributed 28 leads in 2008

• In 2009 we set ourselves an target to contact 60 potential Ambassadors per month and then distribute at least 60 of these Ambassadors to the RCBs per annum

• Fáilte Ireland distributed 74 leads in 2009

Association Conference leads 2009

Target - €30m

Target Markets

Using databases ( ICCA & UIA) & internet we target:

• International Associations based in Ireland

• International Associations with Irish Executive committee members

• International Associations with Irish members

• International Associations with Irish National Associations

• British Societies with Irish members

Association Conference Sizes

• 94% of Global Association conferences have less than 2,000 delegates

• 94% of European Association conferences have less than 2,000 delegates

• 86% of European Association conferences have less than 1,000 delegates

Target Markets

+ Medical Sciences+Pharmaceutical

+Technology

+ Medical Sciences+Pharmaceutical

+Technology

• Awareness Campaign

– Supports available

– Ireland’s capacity to host conferences

– Term “Conference Ambassador”

– Benefits of hosting a conference

– Fáilte Ireland support team

• Generate Conference Leads

Promotional Plan

Irish Medical News

Irish Times

Digital Ireland

Thank You