Ireland will, next week, play host to the first ever IRELAND X-Change, a leading global incentive travel sales platform which will bring together up to 100 of the top North American business event planners and global incentive suppliers for a week of one-to-one business meetings and networking.
The regions of Kerry and Dublin will be showcased as diverse and green destinations for world-class incentive programmes.
Fáilte Ireland, in collaboration with Tourism Ireland, won the bid to host the sales platform, which runs from April 8th – 13th.
Business event planners attending IRELAND X-Change, manage and place events worth hundreds of millions of euros each year into preferred destinations, and Ireland has the potential to target some of that future business as we showcase our offering to them in person next week.
Incentive travel is defined as a once in a lifetime travel experience used by organisations to motivate, incentivise, and reward top preforming employees. It is an extremely lucrative sector with business event visitors estimated to be worth 2-3 times the value of leisure visitors.
By hosting IRELAND X-Change, Kerry and Dublin will be showcased as world-leading incentive destinations, and business event planners will experience a bespoke once in a lifetime programme including Killarney National Park, Muckross Traditional Farms, before heading to Dublin for Windmill Lane Studios and the Guinness Storehouse.
In addition, Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Tourism Ireland, will host ten of the top North American business event planners on a familiarisation trip prior to IRELAND X-Change, where they will get to see even more of the country; exploring the very best of Ireland’s Ancient East, with a bespoke and authentic incentive programme showcasing Wicklow, Kilkenny, and Tipperary, before concluding in Kerry.
Commenting on the importance of hosting this conference in Ireland, Paul Mockler, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Commercial Development said: “Fáilte Ireland is delighted to extend a warm Irish welcome to all the delegates attending IRELAND X-Change. This event, which is proudly supported by Fáilte Ireland, is the perfect platform for this community of incentive professionals to meet, network and share industry insights. Importantly it will also help establish and maintain relationships between global business event planners and Irish tourism suppliers, which will no doubt result in future opportunities for international incentive programmes to come to Ireland”.
Commenting from Tourism Ireland, David Boyce, Head of Business Events said: “We very much welcome the opportunity to increase awareness of Ireland among these influential business event planners, ensuring the Emerald Isle is kept top of mind and is considered as a host destination for incentive travel programmes for future years. Hosting this conference will help Ireland to secure a greater share of the worldwide incentive travel market, which as a segment generates annual spend of more than $78bn, and its regional spread and seasonality makes it a perfect target for a destination like Ireland.”
