RDS News, The RDS Conference Village, conference village, failte Ireland, Dublin horse show 2013
The new Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr. Oisín Quinn, has launched the RDS Conference Village at a ceremony in the RDS Minerva Suite, today, Friday, June 28th.
The RDS Conference Village is a collaborative initiative between the RDS and local hotels and businesses to encourage international conferences and exhibitions to the area. The objective is to attract over 10,000 delegates per annum, which equates to an economic impact of €15 million to the local area supporting the creation of full-time and sustainable positions.
To date the initiative has been successful in securing two conferences, PCI Security with 500 delegates and Gamestop with 350 delegates. The initiative is an important component in the current bid process to host several International congresses, with the potential to bring up to 5,000 delegates to Ireland.
To date the initiative has been successful in securing two conferences, PCI Security with 500 delegates and Gamestop with 350 delegates. The initiative is an important component in the current bid process to host several International congresses, with the potential to bring up to 5,000 delegates to Ireland.
With combined marketing resources, the members of the Conference Village have drawn up an activity plan that is innovative, creative and sustainable in the long term. All the partners of the initiative will play their part in encouraging more business to the area.
There is a range of benefits for both the Conference Organiser and for delegates to enjoy while booking or staying in the “RDS Conference Village”. From the initial enquiry a full quote can be offered to include hotels and venue availability, a bid document can be produced in conjunction with the Dublin Convention Bureau, an introduction to a Professional Conference Organiser or local Destination Management Company and a site inspection arranged through Fáilte Ireland.
Our hotel partners include a glass of wine or beer on arrival and a range of individual offers in each of the hotels, restaurants and pubs wherever the official Conference Village logo is displayed. These exclusive benefits can include free Wi-Fi, dedicated mini-coach, automatic upgrades, restaurant offers, and entertainment options. It is hoped that all of these offers ensure that the delegate has an immediate connection with the local community and is made to feel instantly welcome.
In conjunction with this launch, the RDS is rolling out a High Density Wi-Fi network throughout the campus designed to support up to 20,000 concurrent users. Offering conference delegates a dedicated bandwidth of 100mb, which can be increased if required and a secure network. Installation of the wireless network is due to complete by 30th June 2013 and will be fully tested during this year’s Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show. The RDS has also installed a 1 GB primary Internet connection and a 100MB backup connection. A network of “Points of Presence” throughout the campus makes the delivery of ICT services very straightforward.
In conjunction with this launch, the RDS is rolling out a High Density Wi-Fi network throughout the campus designed to support up to 20,000 concurrent users. Offering conference delegates a dedicated bandwidth of 100mb, which can be increased if required and a secure network. Installation of the wireless network is due to complete by 30th June 2013 and will be fully tested during this year’s Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show. The RDS has also installed a 1 GB primary Internet connection and a 100MB backup connection. A network of “Points of Presence” throughout the campus makes the delivery of ICT services very straightforward.
The economic impact of the RDS since the society was founded 280 years ago is immense, having attracted visitors from abroad and enhanced Ireland’s image as a business and tourism destination.
Indecon Research showed that the RDS generates direct expenditure of €263m to the economy annually and total direct, indirect and induced expenditure of €623m. The Dublin Horse Show contributed a total direct expenditure of €18.3m and a total direct, indirect and induced expenditure of €43m to the Irish Economy in 2010.
In 2012, the RDS successfully hosted a number of conferences including the International Eucharistic Congress with 35,000 delegates, OSCE with 1,200 delegates, and the Dublin Web Summit with 3,000 delegates.