Limerick’s growing reputation as a five-star conference destination is set to get further amplification with the launch of a digital campaign to reach deeper into national and international markets.
Coming off the back of a record year for attracting conferences to the region, the ‘Meet in Limerick’ campaign will also seek to leverage the huge boost from the securing of the Ryder Cup 2026 for Adare Manor.
This year some €11.6m worth of conferencing business was won for Limerick and the wider Shannon Region, up 65% from the €7m won in 2018.
And to ensure that the momentum is built on again, Limerick City and County Council and Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau has launched the digital campaign to capitalise on the unprecedented platform the city and region has been given as a major conference destination.
The digital campaign comes with a newly developed ‘Meet in Limerick’ website, complete with animated video articulating Limerick’s compelling case as a conference destination.
The website also includes a ‘Why Meet in Limerick’ page, ‘Quick Facts’ about the city, a Conference Venue Guide, sets out a list of planned conferences in Limerick and includes a link to the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau. The Bureau is the Fáilte Ireland recognised convention bureau for the Mid-West that offers services free of any charges or commissions to conference organisers looking at the region as a potential destination for an event.
Meet in Limerick from Limerick.ie on Vimeo.
Said Laura Ryan, Head of Marketing and Communications at Limerick City and County Council: “We have an excellent offering here in the region for conferences. We have direct international connectivity through Shannon Airport, an excellent hotel stock and conferencing facilities and an outstanding academic sector, which is critical as academic conferences are a huge growth area.
“The timing is perfect for this also as the securing of the Ryder Cup will generate unprecedented international exposure for Limerick so we must be ready to capitalise on that. ‘Meet in Limerick’ will do that.”
Karen Brosnahan, Manager of the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau said that the Ryder Cup has been a huge boost to their efforts to attract more conferences to the region.
“The Ryder Cup is a huge statement. If you secure a Ryder Cup, you’ve clearly got the type of infrastructure for a luxury product. Golf is ultimately the sport of business and having the marquee event coming to Limerick in 2026 is a massive opportunity that we want to leverage between now and then.
“We are launching this campaign immediately and the focus will be on 2020. Our priority targets will be conferences for international associations, academic conferences and trying to get FDI companies here to bring global or regional meetings to the Mid-West. We have the capacity to cater for up to 1,000 people at any one conference and our strengths are our accessibility, proximity to the Wild Atlantic Way and a luxury product.”
Limerick, Ms Brosnahan revealed, has also got very significant green credentials, which enhances the city’s attractiveness for conferences further. “Limerick is shortlisted, with four other destinations globally, as the most improved destinations for sustainability in the Global Destinations Sustainability Index. That’s a very important designation today and will see us take on different initiatives, for example for offsetting carbon emissions, like getting businesses to plant trees and flowers and clean-up beaches and other amenity areas.
“We see conferencing as another area of growth for Limerick and we’re just making sure we continue the upward trajectory.”