MEETINGS INCENTIVES CONFERENCES EXHIBITIONS

MEETINGS INCENTIVES CONFERENCES EXHIBITIONS

1 10 REASONS TO HOLD YOUR EVENT IN GALWAY Welcome Described as The best place on Earth by Anjelica Huston, Ireland is the land of a Thousand Welcomes and Galway is consistently the preferred destination of both Irish and international visitors. Culture Located west of Galway City is Ireland s largest Gaeltacht region. Here, the Irish language (Gaeilge) is the everyday spoken language of the people who live and work in Galway s cultural heartland. People here switch from Irish (Gaeilge) to English and vice-versa with ease and their English is peppered with Gaeilge phrases. Here is a treasure house of all that is best in rich Irish heritage, culture and folklore where people still sing and dance in the old traditional manner Easy Access Choice of 3 international airports; Shannon, Ireland West Knock and Dublin. Daily flights from the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America. Stunning Location Known throughout the world for its scenery, Galway is a gateway to the vast and wild countryside of Connemara, to the Burren region, internationally famous for its karst landscape, to the Cliffs of Moher a designated UNESCO Geo Park and to the mythical and historic Aran Islands. Professional people The Meet in Galway team are highly experienced in organising events and will work closely with you from the bidding process right through to post event follow up. Food & Wine World class restaurants, national food heroes and uniquely indigenous ingredients will ensure your guests experience the best of Irish hospitality. Dynamic A diverse city with a modern technological edge. Galway is home to a number of multinational companies and bio medical researchers as well as digital experts. Size Galway is ideal for exploring on foot due to its compact size and pedestrian areas. Variety A wide choice of venues and hotels all located within a 5 mile radius of each other. Experience In 2010, Galway hosted over 2,050 meetings with total delegates in excess of 120,000. Firstly thank you so much for all the wonderful organising for the Galway Conference. It was honour to be invited and to be part of it. You were most welcoming of the stranger from far across the seas. Dr Frank Brennan Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Calvary Hospital, Sydney, Australia Connemara: Derryclare Lake with Twelve Bens in background.

CULTURAL HEART OF IRELAND Failte go Gaillimh Welcome to Galway On the western edge of Ireland, Galway city is an ancient city, full of rich cultural heritage combined with stunning beauty which creates a wonderful conference destination. It is a bustling city day or night, with an amazing range of dining and entertainment options available. Galway s hotels range from chic boutique hotels to the contemporary and traditional. The city has many venues suited to meetings, conferences and corporate groups. It s an ideal base for incentives with an excellent selection of exciting endeavours on offer in the area. Galway is home to a Professional Conference Organiser as well as a Destination Management Company who are experts in the region and have both been facilitating events in Galway for over 15 years. Ireland has played host to all types of international association, business and industry and Galway city is experienced at hosting events from intimate Board of Directors meetings to large international meetings right up to phenomenal events such as the Volvo Ocean Race which attracted 650,000 visitors in 2009. Having over 600 delegates from about 40 countries for a week was a large undertaking. We had tremendous feedback both during the conference and afterwards in letters and emails. Delegates clearly appreciated the scientific presentations but also remarked on the excellent tours and the Banquet with those unforgettable Riverdancers Dr Angela Savage, Chairperson, European Carbohydrate Symposium X

3 MEET IN GALWAY Multinational companies, international associations and small firms have all chosen Galway as a destination for important business trips and international conferences. High-tech facilities come as standard at conference and meeting venues in Galway, whether it is in the luxury of a historical castle or modern purpose-built conference venue. Galway hosts hundreds of conferences and events every year and welcomes many of them back time and time again. Meet in Galway will help event organisers create a successful conference with assistance given in: Bidding Venue Search Site Visits Conference Organisation Dine-around Evenings Gala Dinner Venues Accommodation Social Programmes Welcome Dinners Traditional Irish Music & Dance Events Coach Transfers Thanks to your strong support and co-operation, the Cartoon Forum proved to be a remarkable event. Your professionalism, precision and attention to details as well as your indepth knowledge and contacts in the country were all key factors in the organisation and the resulting success. Our delegates truly enjoyed their stay in the charming town of Galway, where they found excellent working conditions and opportunities to meet people from the world of animation at a European level. No doubt they will keep this edition of the Forum in their memories for a long time. Corinne Jenart, Director, Cartoon, European Association of Animation Film.

4 Member Venues Bedrooms Total Banqueting Capacity Reception Capacity Theatre Capacity NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND GALWAY n/a 500 1,500 1,100 GALWAY MAYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY n/a n/a 300 280 ARDILAUN HOTEL 125 400 650 650 CLAYTON HOTEL 195 500 1200 800 g HOTEL 101 120 300 120 GALWAY BAY HOTEL 153 500 1,000 650 HARBOUR HOTEL 96 120 150 130 HOTEL MEYRICK 97 300 450 300 MALDRON HOTEL 113 140 100 100 Pillo Hotel & Spa 104 80 80 150 RADISSON BLU HOTEL & SPA 272 650 1,000 900 SALTHILL HOTEL 161 600 800 600 THE TWELVE HOTEL 48 100 130 100 WESTWOOD HOTEL 58 275 270 350 Total hotel bedroom capacity in Galway 3,404 Total bedroom capacity including non-hotel accomodation 5,304 A priority for us was to ensure the conference was run professionally so that Ireland Inc. stood out and that in turn NUI Galway stood out, so attention to detail was everything.the highlight was when someone says to you this was the best conference they ve ever been at and people remarked how they were blown away by the social programme. It s the events that are organised with a conference that makes the difference and making it possible for people to enjoy themselves. Dr. Willie Golden NUIG, International Conference in Information Systems, 400 Delegates

5 VIBRANT EVENTS Surprise your delegates by holding your incentive, conference or social programme in one of Galway s unique and unusual venues. Motivate your team and impress guests with a venue that will stand out in their memories. Captivate your audience with performances of Irish Music, Song and Dance and treat your attendees to a spectacular blend of Irish culture that transcends all language barriers. From historic universities to littleknown urban architectural gems and from awe-inspiring contemporary design to ancient castles, these venues offer state-of-the-art facilities and will conclude your event in style. The Labour Party held its 65th Party Conference, arguably our most successful Conference to date, at NUI Galway April 2010. Over 1,000 delegates attended this major three day event. We were so impressed with the facilities and staff that we are returning for our 2012 Conference and I really don t think we could pay a higher compliment. Ita McAuliffe, General Secretary, The Labour Party

6 Thanks to your support, your preparation and your professionalism, we have held another successful event in the West region. Feedback from many of the attendees has confirmed that the evening was glitzy, classy and thoroughly enjoyable. Susan Bennett, Regional Office Manager - West, Bank of Ireland

7 MEMORABLE INCENTIVES Galway offers a unique and diverse range of activities for those that visit - celebrated as the youthful, fun-loving and cultural capital of the west of Ireland and described by Yeats as the Venice of the West, the City is beautifully located on the banks of the River Corrib. Day Tours to popular sites such as the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and the Aran Islands City walking tours around the many medieval sites of Galway Opportunities to browse the varied Irish delights that the many local shops have on display Wide variety of outdoor activities available including fresh water and deep sea angling, walking, cycling, canoeing, surfing and sailing Enjoy a boat journey on board the Corrib Princess that takes passengers along the majestic River Corrib Unsurpassed views of the historic monuments that make this the most spectacular waterway in Ireland Golfers will also find themselves spoilt for choice between excellent links and parkland courses across the region Take in a traditional Irish music and dancing show such as Trad on the Prom Galway is home to two destination management companies that are experts in the region in addition to those based throughout the island of Ireland

If anyone would consider coming to Ireland for a conference or an event or an incentive, I would just highly recommend it because it s just so special. You can really treat your clients to a professional work atmosphere, but also a great incentive part with the ability to play golf or to visit beautiful sites and cultural things and so it s a perfect destination for events. This is where easy-going meets hard-working... We have done really hard work so far but we also had great times... this is the great atmosphere to have both. GALWAY 8 Alexandra Herbrand, Agentur Imagepeople GmbH

9 MEET IN GALWAY MEMBERS

EASY TO GET TO Airport Information Ireland West Airport Knock - 1 hour from City Centre Flights from Barcelona, Birmingham, Bristol, Düsseldorf, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Gatwick, Liverpool, London Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Milan & Paris. www.irelandwestairport.com EDINBURGH GALWAY 10 Shannon International Airport - 1 hour from City Centre Flights from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Heathrow, London Stansted, Manchester. Also flights to many European airports and North America www.shannonairport.com Dublin International Airport - 2 hours from City Centre Most UK airports, Europe, USA, Middle East www.dublinairport.com BELFAST RAIL LINKS 2.5hrs from Dublin, 1hr from Limerick www.irishrail.com ROAD LINKS Direct Motorway from Dublin (2 hour journey time) ARAN ISLANDS CLIFFS OF MOHER IRELAND WEST AIRPORT, KNOCK GALWAY SHANNON AIRPORT DUBLIN LIVERPOOL MANCHESTER CORK CARDIFF LONDON I returned just now to India from your beautiful place Galway, Ireland. Thank you for you well organised and impressive conference. Dr. Tarun kumar De, Department of Marine Science, India Delegate SEGH 2010

Galway is not just a place to hold a conference... it is a remarkable destination which can turn a conference into a lifetime experience. MEETINGS INCENTIVES CONFERENCES EXHIBITIONS Email: info@meetingalway.ie Call: +353 91 577109 Website: www.meetingalway.ie www.facebook.com/meetingalway Photography courtesy of Meet in Galway Members, Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Meet in Ireland.com. Designed & Printed by Snap Galway.