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Storm Troopers who hosted a dance off at the Kerry Convention Bureau stand at Connect16 in the RDS, Dublin. Photo: Joleen Cronin
KERRY won the Best Regional stand award at the Connect16 closing ceremony in Dublin last week.
Kerry Convention Bureau (KCB) and 16 Kerry business event specialists took Dublin by storm, exhibiting at Connect16, Ireland’s largest ever event for the meetings and events sector which took place in the RDS on Wednesday last.
A Star Wars entertainment act, highlighting Kerry’s role in the recent movies and the Skellig Coast tourism attractions saw a Star Wars procession throughout the exhibition followed by Storm Troopers, Darth Vadar and R2D2 being taught some moves by traditional dancers.
Throughout the day, visitors to the Kerry stand engaged and interacted with venues, hotels, activity and transport partners from across the region and discovered why they should consider Kerry as the ideal destination for their next business event.
Interactive cultural experiences were on offer including the opportunity to make and taste traditional butter, try their hand at playing the bodran and sample some Dingle Gin.
At its inaugural event, Irish providers from across the hotel and venue sector as well as entertainment, activities and food supplier came together under one roof to showcase their wares to both international and Irish meeting planners and conference organisers.
Nationally, Business Tourism is one of the highest yield sectors in tourism and worth €669 million a year to the economy.
“Kerry is a spectacular place to inspire, engage and motivate business tourism delegates,” said KCB Chair Mike Buckley. Whether it’s an association or corporate meeting or a high end incentive, we offer unrivaled facilities in idyllic locations throughout our region.
“In the past four years, Kerry has welcomed over 150 conferences/ meetings and 120 incentives with more than 90,000 delegates from over 25 different countries. In 2016, we estimate that Business Tourism events held in Kerry will contribute over €20 million economic benefit to the region.”
Working closely in partnership with Meet in Ireland, KCB fosters the promotion and growth of Kerry as an iconic and diverse destination for business tourism events including national and international conventions, meetings and incentives.
