IMEX America provided a lucrative haul of international conferences for Ireland.
Tourism body Fáilte Ireland secured an extra €10m worth of international conferences at IMEX America, bringing to €127m the worth of 313 international events due to take place over the coming five years.
IMEX America is one of the largest worldwide exhibitions for the lucrative Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Events (MICE) sector.
“By continuing to bring in major business events to our cities and regions, the lucrative business tourism sector can in turn continue to boost the revenue of the economy and support tens of thousands of jobs”
As part of its work to showcase Ireland as a world class destination for business events, Fáilte Ireland hosted a number of sales retreats with key decision makers at the IMEX America trade show, which included an IMEX Golf Day with international planners, Irish suppliers and key decision makers.
Boosting Irish business tourism
“Tradeshows like IMEX America are a vital platform to build awareness of our world-class business and conference facilities, as well as the variety of high-quality experiences and attractions visitors can enjoy in Ireland,” said Paul Kelly, Fáilte Ireland CEO.
“The revenue generated by these international conferences and events is not only a significant contributor to the Irish business tourism industry but has an enormous impact on the wider tourism ecosystem such as attractions and experiences, transport and food and beverage.
“By continuing to bring in major business events to our cities and regions, the lucrative business tourism sector can in turn continue to boost the revenue of the economy and support tens of thousands of jobs.”
Conferences secured from the Las Vegas tradeshow include:
- 36th International Papillomavirus Conference 2024
- IATA Slot Conference 2023
- Unison Steadfast Independence Day Conference (Next Generation) 2023
- 2024 Clarinet Fest
- International Clay Conference 2025
- PLANCKS Conference 2024
- International Association for Disability and Oral Health Conference 2026
Prior to Covid-19, business tourism had been one of the fastest growing segments of the Irish tourism industry, contributing more than €716 million annually to the economy and supporting up to 20,000 jobs. This sector is highly specialised, lucrative and high yielding for Ireland because each business tourism visitor generates almost three times the tourism revenue than that of a leisure tourist.
“Failte Ireland is joined by Tourism Ireland, Tourism Northern Ireland and 36 industry-leading trade partners at this event and together we are showcasing the very best that Ireland has to offer,” said Fáilte Ireland’s head of Commercial Development Paul Mockler.
“We are pleased to have already secured €10m worth of business meetings and events from our attendance at IMEX America, which means a total of 313 international events, worth a total of €127m, have been secured this year to take place over the coming five years. We also expect to add approx. €26m in new leads from IMEX, that can offer future potential opportunities.”
Main image at top: Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Commercial Development Paul Mockler and Shawn Pisani from meetings procurement company HelmsBriscoe at IMEX Las Vegas
