Ireland is thriving on tech — for a small island, we’re heavyweights on the international stage. With nine out of the USA’s top 10 technology giants headquartered in Dublin, we’re seeing an exciting new generation of conferences and meetings emerging. A bubbling knowledge economy, vibrant digital landscape and some of the friendliest people in the world mean Ireland excels as a destination for meetings.
Web Summit, Dublin
The Irish tech landscape
Ireland is right at the heart of technology in Europe, with giants like TripAdvisor, Adobe and Yahoo flocking to the island alongside Google, Facebook and Airbnb (residents of ‘Silicon Docks’, Ireland’s tech quarter). Dublin and Cork, two of our urban hubs, are powerful platforms for growing businesses seeking to meet, expand and invest.
The scenic landscapes you’ll find outside the cities provide the perfect locations for immersive team-building experiences and memorable company retreats. It’s not hard to understand the buzz about Ireland; we’re a nation of innovation and energy, offering the perfect blend of opportunities for conference organisers and corporate event planners.
Tech meetings in Ireland
Nine of the USA's top 10 companies born exclusively on the internet operate in Ireland, meaning we excel at bringing together technology thought leaders. Global tech event Web Summit first emerged in this country and the Dublin Tech Summit is set to return to the capital in 2018, while trailblazers like Inspirefest continue to choose Ireland as their stage. Cork City will host the IEEE International Conference on Nanotechnology in 2018, while the IEEE International Conference on Communications is set for Dublin in 2020.
Tech ambassadors
Meet in Ireland Conference Ambassadors are dedicated to introducing international colleagues to the opportunities Ireland provides the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry.
Eileen Gallagher of the Internet Neutral Exchange Association is one such ambassador, with a keen interest in attracting internet and technology conferences to Ireland. She views it as a chance to showcase what technology-related businesses in Ireland have to offer, and gain good face-to-face contact with critical people in the industry, “on our own turf.”
A spirited nation
Ultimately, Ireland is networked, making it easy to engage with all stakeholders, while a sense of common purpose drives the growth of the tech events industry. The country’s intimate size is a huge attraction to companies looking to stage conferences and meetings — the well-worn cobbled streets of Dublin and the incredible landscapes beyond the cities creating the perfect ecosystem in which to network and engage.