€117 Million Ambassadors Honoured
Fáilte Ireland has honoured the outstanding contributions of 109 sector leaders at the biennial Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards held at The Royal Dublin Society.
These leading academics and industry experts, known as conference ambassadors, were celebrated for hosting international conferences in Ireland between 2023 and 2024, and collectively generating an estimated €117 million for the Irish economy. The role of conference ambassadors underpins the Government’s Business Events 2030 strategy by attracting high-value international conferences that deliver economic impact and long-term legacy for Ireland.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Conference Ambassador of the Year award to Professor Cathal Gurrin of Dublin City University. Since 2011, Professor Gurrin has secured multiple international conferences worth an estimated €6.4 million, including the 45th European Conference on Information Retrieval (ECIR) in 2023, which contributed approximately €470,000 to the local economy. With more events in the pipeline, his efforts continue to position Ireland as a leading global conference destination.
Two spotlight awards recognised excellence in sustainability and social impact:
Sustainability Award: The 35th International Geographical Congress 2024, organised by Dr. Niamh Moore-Cherry (UCD) and Professor Frances Fahy (University of Galway), took place at Dublin City University.
Social Impact Award: The 54th European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) Conference 2024, led by Dr. Lyndsey El Amoud, took place at University College Cork.
Since its inception in 2009, Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme has motivated and supported nearly 3,500 sector leaders in their journey to bid to host conferences worth approximately €2.9 billion.
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD said:
"I congratulate all of the ambassadors recognised at the Conference Ambassadors Recognition Awards. Their success in attracting international conferences is helping to deliver the Business Events 2030 strategy."
Posted: