The Conference capacities at a glance – I put this together as it took me an hour of trawling through the DCC site to find this!

• 22 conference rooms, multi functional and flexible.
• Capacity of 3000 theatre style, 2000 in the Auditorium
• Capacity of 2000 banqueting style
• Total capacity of 8000 conference delegates
• Ceiling height up to 8m
• 2 commercial lifts for ease of access and set up

For those of you with an interest in “Eco” friendly venues, it is the first carbon neutral conference centre in the world and for the techies it is one of the most technologically sophisticated venues in the world.

It is located close to a host of great conference hotels such as the gibson, Clarion IFSC, Maldron Hotel Cardiff Lane.  The local transport – the Luas, also runs right to the door, making it extremely accessible.  Parking is available for a few hundred cars also – not that you want that many in the area at the same time!

While I do get feedback that it can be a bit expensive, for local events that don’t need the high spec of technology, I would agree.  But for large Association conferences and exhibitions, when you consider the fact that a quote includes all the AV, technology, signage, carpeting, heating etc that so many venues of its size quote for separately, it compares well to conference venues around the world.  Dublin is also now recognised by hotels.com as one of the cheapest in Europe for hotel accommodation.  This is a massive consideration for any conference organiser.

For expert advice on conference venues in Ireland, feel free to get in touch.

Ciara Feely – +353(0) 86 3611428

Venue Matchmaker

As I type I am on the phone to Knightsbrook Hotel, they hosted the junior Solheim Cup and Europe just lost – on a technicality!  The hotel is enjoying the spin off from the main event and full for the week – as is Dunboyne Castle and various hotels in the area.

Meet in Meath have a stand set up at Killeen Castle to promote Meath as a meeting place – internationally it is not on the map but really getting there due to consistent effort by James and the hotel sales and marketing teams.  I wish them the best – I have booked 2 conferences there myself in the last 2 months.

For further information on venue and hotel options in Meath, check out our website. There is a fantastic choice of conference hotels and meeting venues….

Ciara

Conference and meeting organisers are under even more pressure to be more strategic when organising meetings and events and measure accurately the results and contributions made to a company or organisation.  72% of the meeting planners surveyed by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, cited this need.  70% of companies recently said that “online traffic” is an important measure of the value of their events”.

Mobile Apps in the conference and events business are already quite advanced and extensively used, but the next 2 years will see a large increase in their use “on the job”.  According to MPIs recent Future Watch survey, 80% of meeting professionals are using smart phones   and other mobile devices in their jobs. Yet, with this high adoption, relatively few have used mobile applications yet for their own meetings.  This is where measuring “online traffic” around an event is made easy.

Pathable.com is a meeting specific  app that have gained great credence in the last few years, but the major social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are a valuable marketing and  branding tools to use in events.  Location based apps such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places are all excellent mediums as networking channels before, during and after events.  It is all about making it easy for delegates to make great contacts at events.

Corbin Ball has written an extensive article on “The Business Value of Mobile Apps for Meetings”.
I have also touched on this in a previous post – Marketing your Conference on Twitter… Expert Tips

Corbin Ball – meetings in a minute – social media‘

Testimonial – we make it easy to find the right conference venue

I attended an excellent presentation by Christian Payne – @documentally, recently on Twitter for Business. Brilliant presenter, fantastic on the subject and kind enough to give me his time afterwards.

I asked Christian for a few tips for Conference and Event Organisers on how to effectively use Twitter to market the events….

1. Create your own hash tag for the event – don’t let others do it, as it is easier for you to track conversations with one hash tag. Eg # hospitalityconference
2. Pay good attention to it – follow the conversation in real time
3. Set up google alerts (for your keywords and to help keep track)
4. Find the nodes* and amplifiers** for your event/subject and make sure you are following them
5. Don’t think it is cool and funky to have the #tag playing behind the speakers on stage at the event – it is distracting. There are plenty of opportunities to advertise it pre-conference, on the website, at registration – have it very obvious at coffee break and lunch time and the bathroom is also a place where it will be noticed!
6. Use ***Storify to tell a story about communication of the event – collecting all the info as you are going along. Be on top of it in real time – this is vital or you will miss the conversation.
7. Other media – listen to facebook pages, FourSquare and gowalla. Use other social media communication to know what is being said about your event and to market it.

The event was run by Media Contact – Jack Murray. They run great courses

Notes

*Nodes – a central or connecting point – who can connect you to your audience, who is talking about what you talk about.

**Amplifiers – who can reach a wide audience quickly

*** Storify– tool to tell your story online.

I have recommended John to various clients around the country also and got great feedback from everyone.

Festivals such as the Galway Arts Featival are vital to the economy of a city and region. It is estimated that the festival generates revenue of €20 million for the region.  Galway Hotels are full, restaurants are packed and shops, bars, street traders, taxis all have an opportunity to avail of the extra income being spent. I thought to myself it would also be a fantastic time for an incentive group to head to Galway and avail of the plethora of Irish artists and performers.  Galway is such a great city to walk around that you can’t go more than a few short steps before there are more examples of the talent that Ireland is producing at the moment. The Venue Finder at FindaConferenceVenue.com – Ciara Feely is currently trying to secure a group of TV producers from the US who travel to different Art and Film Festivals around the world – they attend some of the more famous festivals such as Cannes.  However,Irish Festivals would offer a fresh and unique experience for corporate and incentive groups while providing world class entertainment.

The Galway Arts Festival provides the perfect forum for new and up and coming artists to get their name out there to a much bigger audience than they would normally have access to. The smart bands, performers and artists perform in Galway during the arts festival and while it might not be part of the official programme, with the right advertisement they can attract a large audience as the city is full to capacity with visitors who all want to see a good show!

Intinn and Rootical Sound System -2 Galway acts- held one such fringe event on Saturday. I decided that in lieu of any real sunshine I would up my feel good vibes by dancing the night away to some great home grown Reggae. Intinn a brilliant Celtic Dub band took to the stage at 21 Eglinton Street playing their unique mix of conscious Reggae and Drum & Bass. They had amazing energy and quickly had everyone dancing. Their harp player Catriona Cannon adds a beautiful element to the bands look and sound. It’s great to see a traditional Irish instrument in such a contemporary setting. Intinn were followed by Rootical Sound System who provided the perfect sound track to keep the party going into the early hours.

Tips for marketing yourself at a festival –

My tips for bands, artists or performers looking to make a name for themselves on the festival circuit.

• Make a wish list of all the festivals you would like to perform at.
• Make contact early – many festivals start planning the following year’s festival as soon as the current year’s festival is over – if the festival is on in July your application may well need to be in the previous October or November so get organised.
• Be willing to work for free – many festivals do not pay new or unknown performers – instead providing free passes to events and of course invaluable free advertisement and access to a much wider audience than you would normally have.
• Put on a free or budget friendly priced show – If your application is unsuccessful then try and book yourself a gig in a venue that is adjacent to the main festival hub – many people will not be able to get tickets to the main events or perhaps can’t afford a large ticket fee so would be only delighted to attend your show instead of the main event.
• Get creative with your advertisement – there are all sorts of free social media available so make sure you have a Facebook page, MySpace page, blog and Twitter account and advertise your show to the masses without spending a penny.

Ciara Norman- Project Manager, FindaConferenceVenue.com

On Sunday the streets of Galway were lined with people eagerly awaiting the start of the Galway Arts Festival Parade. This year’s Macnas Parade “This Fierce Beauty”, viewed from outside Neachtains Bar on Quay Street was more spectacular than ever.

In 1986 Macnas showcased the 1^st ever Galway Arts Festival parade. It was a few weeks short of my 4^th birthday and I will remember it as long as I live. The excitement and wonder I experienced then was mirrored in the eyes of the children standing across from me on Quay Street watching the parade on Sunday evening. Featuring a huge dragon, legions of dancers, drummers and an 18ft girl with eyes that were eerily human when they blinked at you, it was fantastic from start to finish.

Galway Arts Festival Parade 2011

The Macnas parade is an integral part of the Galway Arts Festival, setting it apart from the multitude of arts festivals that take place in Ireland every year.  The most successful festivals in Ireland and worldwide feature a unique event or take place in a unique location which sets it apart from the competition.

My advice to all the budding festival organisers out there –

• Find your niche – don’t just follow the standard template
• Think outside the box and give your audience something to remember you by.
• An amazing parade or the most amazing view of the Irish countryside will keep them coming back for more of the same year in and year out.

Other tips to consider

-          Make the festival attractive to families – thousands of parents are looking for children’s entertainment options at this time of year. I’m still atending the Galway Arts Festival parade 24 years on!

-          Get the local community involved – local businesses such as hotels, will start to market the event for you so your marketing budget goes a lot further.

-          Talk to Failte Ireland – there is a budget for helping to market these events so get in early in order to secure some funding.

-          Chose your venue for the launch of the festival wisely – it will say a lot about the festival and help in generating PR for the festival if there are  quirky photo opportunities.

Ciara Norman – Project Manager, FindaConferenceVenue.com

Number of Hotels Surveyed – 216 Number responded – 77

How was the survey conducted? – online and on the phone.  We called 125 hotels, sent 216 General Managers an email 52 responded on the phone, 25 online at – http://findaconferencevenue.polldaddy.com/s/EAEFE109CB6B06BB?p=1

The majority who participated in the survey have passed on the savings in the area of Food, Beverage and the Guestroom rate.   The cost of a cup of tea or coffee is the main area that the reduction is not immediately being passed on in by some hotels (to Conference Groups for example); as for the sake of 11cent, (based on a price of €2.75) they have to reprint all their menus.  This will be more gradually introduced.

Trend from the survey – What is most interesting to me is that the hotels attitude to the issue is key in determining what extra business can be generated from the reduction.  For example – those that were the most willing to answer our questions and were taking a proactive approach to the issue, have generated good will with their customers and have generated extra business already.

Spotlight on Hotels Passing it on.. The Marriott Druids Glen, the Fitzgerald Woodlands Hotel Adare and the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel are the hotels that stand out and are managing the issue and turning it into a sales opportunity. Aileen Strachan – Director of Sales at the Marriott Druids Glen told us they contacted all their clients last month and let them know they are reducing the rates they had booked.  Clients were very impressed with this proactive approach and it created such good will that it has resulted in more business for the hotel. The Woodlands House Hotel in Adare have given the VAT reduction top priority with one of the owners handling the project herself – Elaina Fitzgerald, has spent days contacting clients letting them know the good news.  They believe it is a very positive move for the Irish Hotel Industry and it is up to each hotel to generate the business presented by the VAT reduction.

My husband is in the building industry and his comment was he would love the VAT rate to be reduced for his industry to help his rates be even more competitive.

The hotels that were not willing to participate in the survey or who were complaining about the extra work it has put on them, are the most negative and don’t believe it will help to generate more business.  It just shows if you put a positive spin on everything, opportunities are made. Some hotels are taking each piece of business on a case by case basis to see if they can pass on the reduction – some are incorporating extra value for money in packages offered instead.

Advice from an expert on Hotels and Venues – Ciara Feely of FindaConferenceVenue.com – if you have an event booked, check with your hotel to ensure the reduction is being passed on.  We are doing this on behalf of all our clients who have used our Venue Finding Service. The 5 questions we asked are below —

http://findaconferencevenue.polldaddy.com/s/hotel-vat-reduction-findaconferencevenue-com

RTE News coverage – VAT reduction Hotels and Restaurants