Into Kildare, the County Kildare tourism board, together with the Dublin Convention Bureau brought 12 County Kildare conference and hospitality providers to meet the top 20 key meeting and incentive buyers in the UK for a Meeting Incentive Conference and Events (MICE) event. The ‘Meet County Kildare Conference’ took place at Windsor Racecourse in the UK on Monday, 24th of July and provided Into Kildare members with the chance to promote their conference and events offerings and leisure facilities.
The event was a great success and was attended by some of the county’s leading hotels and tourism outlets including Barberstown Castle, Cliff at Lyons, Irish National Stud & Gardens, Kildare Village, Kilkea Castle, Killashee Hotel, Newbridge Silverware, The Club at Goffs, The Curragh Racecourse, The K Club and Lawlor’s of Naas.
Councillor Darragh Fitzpatrick, Cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council was also in attendance on the sales mission and spoke about how impressed he was with the camaraderie the Into Kildare members have with each other. Speaking at the event he said, “County Kildare has much to offer when it comes to meetings and events. This sales mission in the UK, facilitated by Into Kildare allows our great conferencing, hospitality and tourism providers a wonderful opportunity to connect with key buyers. By working together, we can ensure our network of hospitality providers always offer a warm welcome to visitors to County Kildare.”
David Wardell of the Irish National Stud concurred and said that the event offered great opportunities to connect with those people who wanted to experience truly unique and immersive experience such as the new Irish Racehorse Experience at the famous Kildare stud. Ted Robinson, General Manager of Barberstown Castle was also delighted with the outcome and was very pleased that Into Kildare was able to attract premier conference buyers to the event which offered fantastic networking opportunities for conferencing outlets and centres such as Barberstown Castle.
Racing TV broadcast live from Windsor Racecourse on the day and interviewed various Into Kildare members at the conferencing event which offered even more opportunities for promotion for the county.
Áine Mangan, CEO of Into Kildare said, “This sales mission to Windsor in conjunction with the Dublin Convention Bureau is part of our ongoing strategy to promote County Kildare as a great place for meetings and incentives. The Meeting Incentive Conference and Events industry (MICE) has huge potential and is worth over €720 million to the Irish economy while also supporting some 20,000 jobs. We have a wealth of fabulous conferencing facilities in County Kildare as well as superb accommodation providers. Ireland attracts a huge number of international conferences and those delegates will often extend their stay beyond the duration of the conference itself. County Kildare has lots to offer for both the business and leisure traveller and this is particularly attractive to incentive buyers who want to offer both pre and post conferencing activities and experiences to their delegates.” She went on to say, “The inclusion of bespoke activities on conferencing itineraries such as golf, horse racing, or private tours of visitor attractions ensures a longer stay by the delegate and results in the sale of more bed nights and a higher ‘per delegate’ spend in the county.”
Into Kildare’s next overseas mission in conjunction with the Dublin Convention Bureau will take place on the 30th of August in New York and follows feedback from Into Kildare members who requested sales representation and support in the US market. For more information on Into Kildare please visit www.intokildare.ie
