The International Social Housing Festival (ISHF), hosted in Dublin in June 2025, offered a unique opportunity for Ireland to lead in the global dialogue on social housing and drive meaningful change in the housing sector.

The ISHF is an initiative of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative, and Social Housing. In 2025, ISHF was hosted by Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) and supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), Housing Europe and Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI).
Following a successful bid by the Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH), Dublin was selected to host the International Social Housing Festival. Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority and Dublin Convention Bureau supported the bid by providing practical and financial support.

Impact Journey

Recognising the societal and long-term benefits that international conferences can have on a host destination, Fáilte Ireland partnered with global experts, #Meet4Impact, and embarked on an intentional impact journey with the Irish Council for Social Housing, Conference Partners International, and Housing Europe to manage and measure the impact of hosting this event on the local community, policy, and society.
This intentional impact project is the first of its kind in Ireland and aligns with Ireland’s recently launched Business Events Strategy 2030, which aims to support government policies and objectives that drive robust economic, social, and environmental outcomes.

(L – R) Amy Bartlett, Conference Partners International; Grace O’Shea, Fáilte Ireland; Lyndsey Anderson, Irish Council for Social Housing.

Storytelling – The Voice of the Tenant

As a central focus of the impact project, the ICSH sought to incorporate the voices of tenants in Ireland into ISHF 2025, by embracing the concept of “not about us without us.”  To align with the festival's theme of "Storytelling", the ICSH developed an oral history exhibition titled “From House to Home,” which focused on stories from tenants living in social housing in Dublin, Ireland.

Positioned at the entrance hall of the Convention Centre Dublin, the exhibition became a focal point of the festival and delegates were invited to ‘listen and look’ at the exhibition, which featured portraits and oral histories of people who have lived or are currently living in social housing.

To sustain the impact created at The ISHF Dublin 2025, an “oral history toolkit” was developed to assist with the collection of future oral histories. The toolkit was launched at the Dublin festival, and delegates were encouraged to utilise it within their own organisations.

Housing Europe aims to build on the success of the oral history project by creating a “living library” and aims to integrate storytelling into future iterations of the festival, creating a lasting legacy.

The Impact of The ISHF for Dublin

The International Social Housing Festival 2025 provided a platform to showcase Dublin's social housing projects and initiatives to an international audience. Hosting the festival brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world, fostering collaboration and the exchange of innovative ideas and best practices.
The ISHF Dublin 2025 created significant impact for Dublin:

• Social Impact: The festival actively involved the local community, including tenants, service users, children's choirs and advocacy groups. The storytelling project engaged tenants, allowing them to share their experiences and contribute to the festival's content and insights. This initiative sought to create impact by raising awareness of tenant experiences, fostering improvement ideas, and influencing housing policies. At European level, a living library of oral histories and an oral history toolkit will be shared with future ISHF host cities to shape discussions across Housing Europe member countries, and beyond.

• Economic Impact: The influx of over 2,500 delegates from 60 countries generated an approximate economic impact of €3m for Dublin, benefiting local businesses, venues, hotels, restaurants, and services.

• Environmental Impact: The International Social Housing Festival was an early adopter of Fáilte Ireland’s Business Events Carbon Calculator, helping to measure and manage the environmental impact of the event for future iterations of the International Social Housing Festival.

Ailbhe McLoughlin, Director ISHF Dublin 2025

Conclusion

The International Social Housing Festival (ISHF) 2025 in Dublin was a pivotal event for advancing global dialogue and driving meaningful change on social and affordable housing design, delivery, management and finance. By uniting diverse stakeholders, the festival facilitated the exchange of innovative ideas and best practices, emphasising inclusive and community-centred approaches.

The collaboration between Fáilte Ireland, Conference Partners International, and the Irish Council for Social Housing created positive social impact that will benefit Housing Europe in future festivals. The impact project, the first of its kind in Ireland, provided a structured approach to measuring and enhancing the event's social impact, serving as a model for future events across Europe.

For more information, please contact the Meet in Ireland team