Kilkenny ‘meets’ London’s West End

Forty-seven top British meetings and events professionals enjoyed a taste of Kilkenny recently at the annual ‘Ireland Meets the West End’ event in London.

The B2B event saw the buyers meet, and do business with, some 34 tourism businesses from Ireland, including Lyrath Estate Hotel and Mount Juliet Estate.

‘Ireland Meets the West End’ is an annual event, organised by Tourism Ireland in conjunction with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI, to grow business tourism from Britain to the island of Ireland. It proved to be a valuable opportunity for the companies from Ireland to showcase and sell their product for 2018 and to communicate what is unique about Ireland as a world-class destination for doing business.

“Tourism Ireland was delighted that so many top meetings and events professionals took the time to take part in our ‘Ireland Meets the West End’ event and meet our partners from Ireland – demonstrating their commitment and interest in the island of Ireland for 2018 and beyond,”said Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain.

Business tourism is the most lucrative form of tourism, with visitors travelling to Ireland for business purposes spending about 2.5 times more than the average visitor. Corporate meetings and association conferences continue to be the focus of Tourism Ireland’s business tourism promotions.

‘Meet in Ireland’ is the official MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) brand for the island of Ireland. It comprises three tourism authorities – Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland – who work in partnership to promote the island of Ireland as a leading conference and meeting destination.