Cork Convention Bureau (CCB) hosted its annual Cork Conference Ambassadors Awards at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Little Island, Cork. The prestigious ceremony paid special tribute to 31 ambassadors, including four special category winning ambassadors, who have helped secure almost €11 million for the local economy over the past 12 months. The ambassadors were instrumental in bringing almost 8,000 delegates to Cork in the past year, approximately 80% of whom were international guests.
Seamus Heaney, Chairman of Cork Convention Bureau, said: “This is our fifth year of celebrating the extraordinary efforts of our Cork ambassadors in bringing valuable business tourism to the city and county. The Conference Ambassador Programme has been running for over 10 years in conjunction with Meet in Ireland. It identifies local people who are part of international organisations or associations and we work with them to bring their conferences to Cork.
“Almost €87 million has been generated in Cork as a result of business tourism and more than 75% of all business events that come to Ireland come here with the help of an ambassador. It is wonderful to be able to pay tribute to our Cork ambassadors tonight, to acknowledge their dedication to Cork and to give them the recognition they deserve,” concluded Mr Heaney.
During the awards ceremony, winners were awarded for bringing international conferences and events to the region. Special recognition was highlighted across four separate categories:
- Academic Institution Award
Dr Declan Jordan from UCC, for bringing the fifty-eighth European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Congress to Cork. The conference brought over 700 academic delegates to Cork, delivering a spend of over €1 million to the local economy.
- Association Conference Award
Michael O’Donovan and Deirdre Hennessy from Teagasc, for bringing the twenty-seventh European Grassland Federation annual meeting to Cork. The event was worth in the region of €750,000 to the Cork region, bringing over 400 international guests to Cork.
- Sporting Event Award
Rowing Ireland, for hosting the Coupe de la Jeunesse, the international rowing event, at Inniscarra Lake. It brought together 14 nations from all over Europe, over 750 athletes took part and the event delivered more than €1 million to the local economy.
- Special Interest Event Award
Dr Gerard Clarke, who was instrumental in bringing the International Society for Serotonin Research conference to UCC in 2018, which was worth over €1 million to the local economy.
Photos: Joleen Cronin Photography
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