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The Stillorgan Park Hotel

The 4 Star Stillorgan Park Hotel is located on the periphery of can cater from 2- 500 delegates with 20..

Silver Springs Moran Hotel

Silver Springs Moran Hotel combines contemporary design with traditional elegance. Each of our 109 deluxe bedrooms, including five luxurious suites..

Running a Conference is a little like Theatre…….

On 5 February, 2014 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Event Technology, Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips, Conference Venues, Hotel Sales, Hotel Sales Tips, Negotiating Rates

“Space Communicates a Message”

Conference Space Design has a massive effect on the outcome and results of a conference or meeting.

It affects people’s mood; how easy it is for them to meet people; their absorption of information, how well they retain information, the overall emotional experience they have had at the conference; what they walk away thinking and saying about the hotel and most of all if they will recommend the hotel or indeed the conference to their connections.

I had a very interesting conversation about Hotel design and in particular the design of conference and networking space. I was speaking with Ted Brumleve, Design Director at Dolce Conference Hotels. I am studying this concept at the moment for my book, I find it really fascinating.

There is a psychology behind well thought out space. Communications experts spend hours and days observing how people use existing space and what walk patterns they use.

I also had a cup of tea with Fiona McDonald of Design Space, Cork; she is passionate about how space design impacts and influences people. I just love this statement from her “Space Communicates a Message“. How true that is. Fiona is so interesting to meet with and talk about the “function of space”. She is also contributing to my book in this chapter about Conference and Networking Space.

So what are the top “must haves” of conference and meeting friendly hotel space– here are the top tips from the experts;

1. Natural Light. And it is “Golden” in the networking area according to Ted Brumleve.
2. Moveable furniture and plants that will influence the direction people walk in, where they congregate and influence how easy it is to strike up a spontaneous conversation.
3. Ciara Mundrow, International Communications Director of The Cardiology Society of Europe (who organise conferences of 200 to 30,000), told me they spend considerable money creating coffee shops and lounges at their events. This is essential to facilitating networking and the sharing of information; a key reason their delegates go to their conferences in the first place.
4. Effective Lighting. Invest in a lighting expert as this effects people’s mood at an event. Day lighting, soft lighting that makes everyone look good, evening lighting and night time lighting all play their individual role in the successful outcome of an event.
5. Brilliant technology behind the scenes. A conference centre and meeting place must be wired to assist the Meeting Planner run a smooth event. There is no excuse for delegates having to complain about the strength of the Wi-Fi, quality of the projection or not being able to see the presentations clear enough. It is the “backbone” of a great conference according to Ted.
6. Access to outside. Ideally patios off the networking areas.

The good news is most of these are easily fixed if a venue doesn’t have them naturally. You just have to speak to the right Design Space experts to ensure your hotel is helping Meeting and Conference Planners to run what they all want to run, a successful event. All sales pitches to Conference Organisers and Meeting Planners must include how the design of the hotel can help them achieve their goals.

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Ciara Feely is a Conference Sales Coach. She makes filling a hotel with conference and meetings business easy. For info on bespoke training, webinars and ebooks on the topic, feel free to email or call. +353 86 3611428, Ciara at FindaConferenceVenue.com.

Tagged: arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, Conference Hotels, conference organisers, conference sales coach, conference sales mentoring, conference sales tips, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, conference venues dublin, hotel revenue, Hotel Sales, Meeting Room Venues, networking, networking space

Google Opens a Conference Centre – Dublin’s hottest new venue

On 2 October, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Planning, Conference Venues, Dublin Conference Facilities, Venue Reviews

Google opened a hot new venue in Dublin just a few weeks ago. The Foundry – A Conference Centre designed to inspire, communicate and help companies build their business community. They went for a “Posh Garage” look – exposed ceilings, funky design, splashes of colour. Who was the first conference client to experience it – Ikea!

“It is a digital, conference centre and networking place to bring together the best people, share best practice and help super charge the economy” as described by John Herlihy, Head of Google Ireland. There is a Google Hang out room (Hang out on Air), for companies to hang out with and talk to their customers. Lots of fun gadgets and even a shopping experience. At long last, a space to inspire thought and innovation as a conference centre. Can’t wait to see it for myself. A tour is in the works for my next visit to Dublin. I have 3 clients it will suit perfectly for 2014 and 2015 conference venue enquiries.

Auditorium style it can fit 360 conference delegates.

Google Venue, Dublin\'s newest Conference Venue

Tagged: arranging events, city centre venues, conference and meeting place, conference hotel, Conference Hotels, Conference Venues, conference venues dublin, Conferences Dublin, Cool venues, corporate event planning tips, corporate event services, Corporate Team Building activities, Corporate Team Building Venue Dublin, Dublin City Centre Venues, Google Conference Centre, Google Conference Venue, Google Dublin, Google Venue, Meeting Room Venues, networking tips, The Foundry Dublin, tips on planning an event

Excellent Conference Centre option in Kilkenny

On 2 May, 2013 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Hotels, Conference Venues, Venue Reviews

Kilkenny adds another reason to take a conference or association meeting to the City….

There is another conference and convention centre option in Kilkenny.  Association and conference organisers will love it.  The Hub in Kilkenny, located just off the Dublin Road is a wonderful option for exhibitions, large conferences, summits and trade shows.  It accommodates up to 1200, what organisers in particular will love is that it is open space, very flexible and can be turned a number of ways.
conference space at the Hub Kilkenny
http://findaconferencevenue.com/venue/The-Hub-Conference-Centre-Kilkenny-Conference-venue-and-exhibition-space

Kilkenny is just over an hour from Dublin, just off the M9, making it extremely accessible and a great conference destination. Kilkenny City itself has a host of hotels with top class accommodation offerings, Lyrath Estate is the closest conference hotel to The Hub.

Tagged: association conference centres, association conference venue, association hotels, conference and meeting place, conference centre hotel kilkenny, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, conference venues ireland, find a conference venue, kilkenny conference centre, kilkenny convention centre, trade show centre, trade show facilities kilkenny

Conference Technology – making planning an event easy…

On 25 November, 2009 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Event Technology, Conference Planning, Conferences on a budget

I am doing some research at the moment on Conference Technology… Event Elephant seems to tick a lot of boxes when it comes to streamlining the planning and organising of a conference – it offers registration, payment, tracking options – everything that can be a nightmare to do manually.   It all seems to be organised in one easy place and at very reasonable rates too.   Tying into my aim to organise a Conference on a shoe string budget.

Tagged: arranging conferences, arranging events, conference and meeting place, conference organisers, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, Corporate Meetings, event organising, find a conference venue, technology for events, tips on planning an event

How to plan a conference – Corporate Event tips from the experts

On 6 May, 2009 by Ciara Feely Comments (2), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Venue Tips, Conferences on a budget, Smart organising tips
HOW TO PLAN A CONFERENCE – source In Any Evenet UK – www.inanyevent-uk.com
Step One – Planning
Decide who is going to be involved in organising the conference. Set up a conference planning committee.  Arrange a meeting to establish what work needs to be undertaken, by whom and set timescales.  Obtain handover notes if this event has been previously organised by other committees.
At this initial planning meeting is essential that you set your event objectives. For example these can be along lines of:
• What is the conference aiming to achieve?  What as an organisation are you trying to achieve by hosting this event?
• Who are you trying to impact?  Define your target audience in terms of delegates and sponsors?
• How do you define success?
Decide on dates for regular planning meetings and produce notes from meetings together with action points.
Step Two – Work in Progress
From the planning meeting draw up an activity schedule together with list of actions, status of actions and deadline dates. This will become your working schedule.
At each planning meeting produce an agenda based on the headings of the activity schedule. Produce meeting notes together with actions.  These together with the activity schedule will be what you use to plan your event.
Solis Lough Eske Hotel Meeting Room Donegal
Step One – Planning
Decide who is going to be involved in organising the conference. Set up a conference planning committee.  Arrange a meeting to establish what work needs to be undertaken, by whom and set timescales.  Obtain handover notes if this event has been previously organised by other committees.
At this initial planning meeting is essential that you set your event objectives. For example these can be along lines of:
  • • What is the conference aiming to achieve?  What as an organisation are you trying to achieve by hosting this event?
  • • Who are you trying to impact?  Define your target audience in terms of delegates and sponsors?
  • • How do you define success?
Decide on dates for the regular planning meetings and produce notes from meetings together with action points.
networking area Hotel Europe, Kilarney, Co Kerry.  Great conference hotel.

networking area Hotel Europe, Kilarney, Co Kerry. Great conference hotel.

Step Two – Work in Progress
From the planning meeting draw up an activity schedule together with list of actions, status of actions and deadline dates. This will become your working schedule.
At each planning meeting produce an agenda based on the headings of the activity schedule. Produce meeting notes together with actions.  These together with the activity schedule will be what you use to plan your event.
Step Three – next post
-  source of this expert advice –  In Any Evenet UK - www.inanyevent-uk.com
If you are interested in more tips from the professionals on how to plan a conference or event, check out these links….
Tagged: arranging conferences, conference and meeting place, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, corporate event planning tips, corporate event services, Corporate Meetings, Corporate Team Building activities, event management company, green venues ireland, organise a conference on a shoe string budget

Conference Check-list… onsite management of Conferences, meetings and events

On 8 April, 2009 by Ciara Feely Comments (1), leave your own!
Categories: Conference Planning, Conference Venue Tips, Smart organising tips

Last minute to dos to ensure a successful Conference
For Association Conferences Organisers and Corporate Events Organisers …

20 easy tips

• Do final arrangement checks with venue contact who will be working the day of your conference
• Get name and mobile no or set up walkie-talkie system with your venue onsite contact
• Set up conference office – ensure front desk at hotel knows where it is and what your phone no is

�
• Set up sponsors and exhibitors – take photos for future event sales
• Provide adequate signage (where permitted by the venue)
• Make arrangements for telephone lines, faxes and Internet access

�
• Provision of photocopy machines and other necessary equipment
• Supply of flowers for registration, dinner tables and conference room
• Provision of table menus, table plans, and places cards
• Provision for luggage storage, cloak room, first aid facilities on site

Clarion Hotel Cork City Centre

Clarion Hotel Cork City Centre

And 10 more…..

�
• Arrange rooms for audio-visual set up and speakers rehearsals
• Briefing of chairman and speakers. Collect presentations
• Conference reporting, hearing loops and other delegate aids

�
• Handling question and answer session from the audience
• Briefing of staff and volunteers
• Provision of general information files on conference desk

�
• Handling of delegate queries and messages through-out the event
• Provision of secretarial and administrative assistance
• If parking is free for attendees, ensure supply of paid for tickets
• Hand out evaluation forms and ensure method of collection is clear

The above are some handy guidelines provided by Event Organisers UK.

Conference room set up, Morisson Hotel Dublin City Centre

Conference room set up, Morisson Hotel Dublin City Centre

Tagged: arranging conferences, arranging events, conference and meeting place, conference organisers, Conference Venues, conference venues dublin, conference venues ireland, Conferences Dublin, corporate event planning tips, Corporate Meetings, corporate venue, dublin city centre hotel, meeting room dublin

Resolution for the new year… Attending Conferences to beat the recession!

On 6 January, 2009 by Ciara Feely Comments (0), leave your own!
Categories: Amusing, International Trade Shows, Networking in General
Thriving not just surving during the recession.

Thriving not just surving during the recession.

This year I have decided that my new year’s resolution will be to not do something rather than do something which is to not “participate in a recession”.    I have adopted a saying from Dr. Ivan Misner (Founder of Business Network International) as my new motto   “I refuse to participate in a recession”…

In late November I attended an International tradeshow in Barcelona – EIBTM.  I had 1000 badges printed up with this motto and I hired students to wear T shirts with the same.  I have to say I was delighted with the reaction.  I had people running down the tradeshow aisle after me asking me where did I get the T shirt from… in the bathrooms I had ladies ask me if I was the person giving out those great badges — they wanted to fly the flag for me and wear one.  Yeah, it was working.  So my point is that we are ready to be positive about all of this.

Overall the tradeshow was a fantastic experience for me.  I received excellent leads and met people whom I would never have met by staying at home.  There was serious business being done there and a real thirst for companies to discover countries they had not brought conference, meetings or incentive clients to before.   Ireland does not have the reputation abroad yet for having fantastic conference and incentive facilities and it is a constant battle to educate international delegates on the state of the art facilities Irish venues now have to offer.    And believe it or not, the first thing you have to educate most people on is why come to Ireland in the first place for a conference, meeting or event…. uniqueness of our culture, landscape and people, friendly welcome and as a very safe destination.

I took a wander around to compare how other countries were selling their country as a destination and there are some amusing photos to share –

Hungry –

Come to Hungry

Come to Hungry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norway -  love this one..

Norway - attractive incentive

Norway - attractive incentive

Berlin -
Now that's a dress!

Now that's a dress!

Ireland -
Ireland's stand at EIBTM

Ireland - Kenmare Park Hotel Samas Destination Spa

 Guatamela -

The Quetzal - national bird of Guatemala

The Quetzal - national bird of Guatemala

Overall it was an excellent tradeshow, with plenty of entertainment and eye candy to keep you amuzed such as this shirmp and lobster that wandered freely throughout the exhibition.

Anyone for Shrimp and Lobster?

Anyone for Shrimp and Lobster?

 

Ciara and the Queen of Nuremburg

Ciara and the Queen of Nuremburg

 

Ciara and the recently discovered Dinosour remains in Portugal

Ciara and the recently discovered Dinosour remains in Portugal

I am happy to share my advice and expertise on venues in Ireland.  My service saves hours of time in researching a venue.  Contact Ciara at ciara@findaConferenceVenue.com.   353 (0) 26 21015.

Tagged: arranging conferences, arranging events, conference organisers, conference venue ireland, Conference Venues, conference venues dublin, Confernce Speakers, corporate event planning tips, corporate event services, Different ideas for team building, Optimistic view point, The Recession
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    Ciara Feely

    Welcome to the blog of Ciara Feely, the founder of FindaConferenceVenue.com, Ireland's expert on Conference Venues in Ireland. Ciara offers a free service researching and giving advice on venues in Ireland for Conferences, Meetings and Events. Just call or email her. The website is a comprehensive listing of over 500 venues in Ireland – independently search for venues and send an enquiry directly through to the venue.
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