Dublin. Despite intense competition from global destinations, Ireland has continued, throughout the recession, to attract major international business tourism meetings to the country. Recently, the Executive Committee of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) chose Dublin as the destination of choice for their 2012 Annual Meeting. The world’s largest conference devoted to molecular evolution, SMBE 2012, will bring up to 1.300 international delegates to the City on 23 – 26 June, 2012.
The local economy is expected to benefit significantly from the meeting, taking place in the newly built Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), with estimates putting the delegates potential spend at € 2.6 million over the four day conference. These figures do not include any extra activities undertaken by the delegates beyond the conference dates.
The conference was won for Ireland through the work of leading Irish Academics, including Professor Kenneth Wolfe of Trinity College, Ms Marie-Louise O’Donnell at Dublin City University, Ms Emma Teeling of University College Dublin and Professor James McInerney of NUI Maynooth, with the support of Failte Ireland.
Conference Ambassador Professor James McInerney said: “Being able to bring such a prestigious conference to Ireland is a huge boost for the scientific community in Ireland. SMBE has consistently been at the forefront in the field and we hope that Ireland can contribute to and benefit from this influx of knowledge to our shores. I recently gave a presentation on what Dublin has in store for 2012 and this was very well received. We are aiming for the most successful conference to date!”
The Executive Committee of SMBE chose Dublin as a direct result of the efforts made in recent years to make it a more attractive destination for business travelers and meetings. With the opening of the CCD, easy accessibility for international travelers, top-class accommodation and the countries famously welcoming nature, Ireland is becoming a magnet for associations worldwide looking for a location to host their events.
MCI Dublin was chosen as the bid partner due to their years of experience in organising the largest conferences to take place in Ireland. Jean Evans, MCI Dublin’s Director of Conferences, said ‘The investment in Dublin’s business tourism facilities over the last decade is beginning to bear fruit and the income from these conferences will provide the economy and local businesses with a sustainable source of revenue for years to come.’
