December 2024
November 2024
- Travellers or Tourists? The True Essence of Incentive Travel
- In Memoriam: Bob Moony - "way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine … ”
October 2024
- Rethinking Incentive Travel in a Changing Social Landscape - lessons from Bowling Alone
- Free time is king: How incentive travel is embracing personal freedom
September 2024
- Beyond Short-Term Vision: Preparing the Business Events Industry for an Unpredictable Future
- SITE at Fontainebleau, Miami Beach - where two classics collide
- Why not start the incentive travel program in the destination and ditch the air?
August 2024
- New Incentive Travel Opportunities for DMOs
- Lessons from ethical retail for incentive travel professionals
July 2024
- Leading or being led? Client relations for incentive travel professionals today
- Incentives on the edge: St. John's, Newfoundland
- "To infinity and beyond!" - in memoriam Didier Scaillet.
- Is it still raining in Gleneagles? My first visit to Scotland's incentive masterpiece
- The way we travel now - implications of latest McKinsey research for incentive travel
June 2024
- Incentive travel - what we can learn from children
- Building & Bridging Cultures with SITE in Sydney
- Back in Abu Dhabi to visit the Abrahamic Family House
May 2024
- Why we need to re-frame and re-position incentive travel
- Can sustainability itself serve as the reward for incentive travel qualifiers?
- Communicating what's good about Business Events - Policy Forum at IMEX Frankfurt
April 2024
- Incentive travel is changing, but is it changing fast enough?
- Travel deeper, not further – a new model for sustainable incentive travel?
March 2024
- Why incentive travel professionals should follow Irish farmers by adapting to, and adopting AI
- On-time connections in Switzerland & SITE’s Incentive Summit Europe
August 2023
October 2022
September 2022
July 2022
- Cashel Palace Hotel & Spa - new 5 star hotel for Ireland
- Halifax, Nova Scotia - authentic experiences for incentive travel
June 2022
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
July 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
- Today I'm grateful for Freddie White
- Coronavirus – 5 things to keep in mind
- Future-proofing Ireland as a MICE destination - 4 things we learned in Dromoland Castle
February 2020
- Soft Power trumps hard dollars when measuring success of incentive travel
- Disruption in the Hospitality sector - the rise and rise of local experiences
November 2019
October 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
- Connect, Learn, Discover at SITE's Incentive Summit Europe
- Breac.House: New Luxury at Ireland’s edge
- A first glimpse of Vancouver for SITE Global Conference
March 2019
- Effective Destination Marketing – how Whistler is doing it with SITE
- Ditch the Pitch? Should eventprofs participate in competitive bids?
- The DMC sector in 2019 - a new value proposition?
February 2019
- Selecting a destination - balancing access, infrastructure & destination appeal for incentives
- Walls and Bridges in Dallas Texas and the incentive travel experiences bubbling under there
January 2019
- Shenzhen: host city of the world's largest conference & exhibition centre
- Bedazzled in Bangkok as Thailand re-defines Business Events
- How to be different in a congested luxury hotel market - the Rosewood story
December 2018
November 2018
- How should we respond to negative publicity about Incentive Travel?
- Incentive Travel - the search for higher purpose
October 2018
September 2018
- Bratislava Motor City - Driving new Incentive Travel experiences
- Montage Palmetto Bluff - inspiration for incentive travel professionals
- Close Encounters in Bali - how earthquakes ask big questions
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
- The Transformative Purpose of Incentive Travel
- Defining the Business Events Industry - the global voice of JMIC
April 2018
- Montenegro - how long will it be Europe's best kept secret for meetings & incentives?
- London for meetings & incentives - a tale of two cities?
- Ireland's Hidden Heartlands
March 2018
- Why join meetings & events associations?
- Can Independent Hotels prosper in the Incentive marketplace?
- On Measuring the Value of Incentive Travel
February 2018
- How attending a conference doubles your chance of promotion
- Tips for Better Networking - Questions to keep the Chat Going
January 2018
- Why destinations need international chain hotels & InterContinental, Ljubljana
- Rome for Meetings & Incentives plus SITE aggiornamento 2018
- What would a truly human-centric meeting look like?
December 2017
- Dory & Me - from Frustration to Friendship
- Albums of the Year 2017 and a short essay on the delights of vinyl
- In Memoriam: Paul Flackett & Jane Schuldt, giants of the incentive industry
- Social Media - the unanswered questions for #eventprofs
November 2017
- Venues for meetings & events - what's next in the evolution?
- Marketing Awards in Business Events
- Real hospitality: It’s all about culture and values
- 5 reasons why you MUST attend SITE + MPI Global Forum
October 2017
- SITE Index - Devil in the Detail
- 5 things I learned at IMEX America
- Malaysia - Best Value for Business Events
September 2017
- IMEX Las Vegas - the Festivalisation of Exhibitions.
- Falisia Resort & Spa - Luxury Collection comes to North East Italy
- It's time to Connect17 ...
- Influencer Marketing in the Meetings & Events Industry
August 2017
- Great destinations need great hotels - update on Ljubljana
- Welcome the era of Tactile Reassurance
- Adare Manor - the jewel in Ireland's incentive crown
July 2017
- Dublin's Docklands - new opportunities for incentive travel experiences
- What I learned about sales as a 14 year old
- Event of the Future - it's here and now
June 2017
- The Camino to Santiago: Experience & Meaning
- Will small cities rise on ICCA rankings in the future?
- DMO or DDMMO - What’s next for Destination Marketing Organisations?
- PCOs and DMCs: is there room for two agencies on the supply chain?
May 2017
- Bored Meeting Venues? 5 inspiring venues in Dublin and London
- EPIC stories at the Irish Emigration Museum
- 6 reasons why I hate Millennials
April 2017
- Luxury & Incentive Travel - together forever like love & marriage?
- Cycling the Ring of Kerry - better than a round at Ballybunion?
- It's Global Meetings Industry Day 2017
March 2017
- AIPCO highlights radical changes for Associations and PCOs
- Why ROI for meetings, incentives, exhibitions and events is a waste of time
- The Professional Conference Organiser (PCO) in the Twenty First Century
- Jameson Distillery Bow St re-opens - A Star is Born
February 2017
- Do eventprofs secretly pee in swimming pools?
- The Meeting & Event of the Future by Livestream, Slido and Convene
- Tips from SITE for brilliant site inspections
- 48 Hours in Northern Ireland: an unforgettable incentive experience
January 2017
- 5 things you'll learn at Exclusively Corporate at IMEX
- Business Tourism on Ireland's Ancient East
- Are hotels in the business of hospitality or just in the business?
December 2016
- What's the future for global hotels like Marriott and Accor?
- Best albums of 2016 - an highly eclectic, personal selection
- Who are the leading DMOs on Social Media for Business Events?
- Best of 2016 for #eventprofs
November 2016
- Branding cities for Meetings and Events
- Audience Engagement - at the Heart of Meetings
- How do event and meetings profs select destinations? Part 2
- How do event and meeting profs select destinations? Part 1
October 2016
- Why Meeting Professionals should ditch Social Media
- The Exploding search for Authenticity in Tourism today
- Building a compelling DMC brand: how the DMC Network re-branded
- 10 ways to book a meeting on-line
- The Tipping Point in Destination Marketing
September 2016
- The DMC conundrum - will it ever be solved?
- Ireland - building its brand in Food Tourism
- Visiting Oslo, city branding and all that jazz
August 2016
- Bratislava - Surprisingly Close, Exceptionally Smart
- In Memory of My Friend
- 10 must-do activities in Vancouver
- Vancouver: is there a better city for Business Events?
July 2016
- Tips for eventprofs from Shakespeare
- Connect16 Dublin - why you must be there
- 10 must do activities for a Summer in Dublin
June 2016
- Brexit, EURO2016 and Destination Marketing
- Start with Why - A new approach to meetings
- Why it's important to be a Good Country
May 2016
- Meetings & Events: in search of a mission
- Stand up for Brussels!
- Stories - what makes a destination truly unique
- 5 steps to a dazzling social media profile
April 2016
- Do meetingprofs have no ethics?
- Sharing Economy + Meetings Industry = Turkeys voting for Christmas?
- 10 ways to Nail your Sale
- DMC: arrogant, insecure, paranoid?
- Celebrating Ireland 1916
March 2016
- Prague - off the beaten track
- What Makes a Successful Congress Destination?
- 5 pieces of good advice - a gift for eventprofs
- The Indie Scene - hotels that do it different
February 2016
- What makes a great speaker?
- The Sharing Economy and The Meetings Industry
- IMEX - now is the time to prepare
- On re-launching the SoolNua website
January 2016
- The sunny side of the Alps and 6 more things to love about Slovenia
- Talking incentive travel with the Mayor of Ljubljana
- Bratislava - accessibility | innovation | execution
- Consultants: Shysters or Saviours?
December 2015
- Tunes to rock your soul - my 2015 selection
- London in December
- 2015: a MICE year in review
- 24 Hours in Zagreb and The Museum of Broken Relationships
November 2015
- Dancing at the Fountain: Book Review
- 3 Great Speakers for your next Conference
- Destination Dublin
- Web Summit - final thoughts
October 2015
- How to run a brilliant fam trip – lessons from Ireland
- Luxembourg - big on conferences and meetings
- The Ying and the Yang of the Meetings Industry - Part 1
- Meetings Venues in London
- Disruption in the Meetings Industry: Chateauform'
- Playa del Carmen hosts SITE
September 2015
- Reflections on the Web Summit leaving Dublin - "It's not you, it's me!"
- Marrakech: a walk on the wild side
- Manchester - An Intellectual Capital
- Doing Meetings and Events "off-the beaten-track"
August 2015
- Destination Marketing – it’s really about the people
- Why you shouldn't use Social Media
- How Skellig Michael evokes the brutality of travel
- Choose a job you love. You'll never work a day in your life
July 2015
- I scream, you scream, we all scream for SoolNua world ICECREAM index
- Creating Immersive Meetings Experiences with #EventTech
- Destination Marketing - what are your symbolic actions?
- Washington DC – where to stay, go and eat
June 2015
- Washington DC with FICP
- New York City in a Moody June
- Brands as Visitor Attractions - Teeling launches in Dublin
- Cool and Unusual - 5 great places to hold an event in Dublin
May 2015
- Why you should enter for industry awards
- The Meetings Industry: 5 questions we need to answer
- How I could have been Bono
- How to get the most from IMEX15
- So what does SoolNua do?
April 2015
- Venues in Frankfurt for IMEX Events
- Why meetings really matter: reflections on NAMID
- Killarney - the things I love there
- Meetings Industry Fiction: The Tasting
March 2015
- How can Ireland remain competitive for conferences?
- Destination Marketing: What's Your Story?
- Slovenia's Splendid Isolation?
- Innovation in the Meetings Industry: Firmdale and Sundial
February 2015
- Conducting a Good Site Inspection: it's no joke!
- Brand New Horizons in Meetings and Events
- Meaningful, Memorable, Motivational: Dubai for Incentives
- Prove it! Why we need organisations like the Site Foundation
January 2015
- New Paradigms for Destination Marketing
- Ljubljana = Prague + Vienna with a little Venice on the side?
- Dublin - more roads less travelled
- Hotels that do it differently
December 2014
- Favourite Albums of 2014
- Barcelona in 48 Hours
- Competitive Advantage for DMCs
- Bratislava - 5 reasons to consider it for Meetings and Events
November 2014
- The Dean, Dublin - a star is born
- Start and end strongly: a master class in meeting planning from FICP14
- What I learned at the Site Conference in Toronto
- Web Summit 2014: 5 new technology tools for travel
October 2014
- Toronto – such a perfect day
- Why Aer Lingus needs a Teddy Bear Strategy
- On the Road Again - San Diego to San Francisco
- 3 days in Venice – still crazy after all these years
- What Ireland means to me [Guest Post]
September 2014
- Should the maids be tipped at Marriott?
- Bob and Janine go to Vienna: a short story
- Jordan: the Comeback*
- Peaceful easy feeling in Jordan
August 2014
- Belfast - what's the story?
- Belfast – an overnight MICE success after 20 years
- Seeing ourselves as others see us: Dublin as a MICE destination
- 5 places to go for great on-line content for MICE - Updated
July 2014
- Hey MeetPie - don't bite the hand that feeds!
- The 3 Ingredients for a Great Event
- Croagh Patrick, The Greenway and Westport House
- Large Events: Garth Brooks and the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle
- Dublin for incentives - how to do a great site inspection
June 2014
- It's the culture, stupid!
- New Orleans - a heart and soul for meetings and incentives
- Should Meetings be categorised with Travel and Tourism?
May 2014
- Tales about Sales and Riding on a Smile and a Shoeshine
- IMEX14: the Economic Impact of Events
- IMEX Frankfurt - what happens before the doors opens
- Salzburg - much more than the Sound of Music
- MICE in Cork - growing potential for Ireland's 2nd city
- 6 Networking Tips for IMEX Success
April 2014
- Ireland: Food Nation
- The True Value of Meetings - UNWTO Report 2014
- Excellence in Destination Marketing - Lessons from Iceland and Ireland
- DMCs - New Models for the Future?
March 2014
- Literature and MICE - only The Witches and Small World?
- DC tres cool - Washington DC for Conventions and Incentives
- MICE people at AIPCO14, Limerick
- Malaga - authentic Andalucian charm for Meetings and Events
- Social Media, Hotels and how Crowne Plaza Copenhagen does it
February 2014
- MICE in Belfast - but in a good way!
- Are airlines and hotels really listening on Social Media?
- 48 hours in London - beyond the tourist trails
- Can DMCs protect their intellectual property? ADMEI14
January 2014
- DMCs in the spotlight as ADMEI comes to DC
- Dublin – 10 things to do off-the-beaten path
- Give a dog a bad name - the MICE conundrum
- Milestones, Highlights and Lessons Learned: 20 years as a DMC
December 2013
- Albums of the Year 2013 - Let's Change the World with Music!
- Nashville
- Site at 40 - Annual Conference, Orlando 2013
- Ethics in the Meetings Industry - the debate continues [Guest Post]
November 2013
- Ethics in the Meetings Industry - let the debate begin
- Live Events: Inspiration, Insight and Loud Laughs
- 5 highlights from FICP13, Boston (and one from Barcelona)
- Please come to Boston - FICP13 kicks off
- Lessons from Shakespeare for Meeting Industry Newbies
- An ICCA Virgin in Shanghai
- The Power of Live Events - 5 things that Web Summit did for Dublin
October 2013
- What do travel bloggers think of Ireland? TBEX Dublin
- IMEX13 – 5 reasons why IMEX is a great meetings industry exhibition
- IMEX13: early AM on The Strip in Las Vegas
- 5 Tips for Success at IMEX13, Las Vegas
- Chicago: a night on the town and Hyatt revisited
September 2013
- Arthur's Day: not a black and white issue
- Vienna Reviewed and New Luxury at Ritz Carlton
- 5 steps to success for Destination Management Companies
- Athens, Greece: open for business meetings and events
August 2013
- How books help sell destinations
- Donegal and Lough Eske Castle: up here it's different
- Istanbul 2013 – 5 new discoveries
- Geeks, Trojans and lessons from Mad Men (for DMCs)
- Bodrum: Wonders Never Cease!
July 2013
- Can an on-line guide replace your DMC?
- DMCs - wake up and smell the ... technology?
- Cycling the Ring of Kerry - 180km in a day
- Day Dreaming at The Gibson Hotel, Dublin
June 2013
- Shining White Nights in St Petersburg - Astoria 100
- Meetings Elevated - Scaling new heights at Park City
- New Ideas, Fresh Inspiration: Take a Look in your Neighbour's Backyard
May 2013
- Villa Kennedy: "rus in urbe" seclusion in Frankfurt
- Denmark, Norway and the curious case of a Disappearing Country: Tales from IMEX13
- Frankfurt: Exclusively IMEX
- 5 ways to ensure the success of your meeting or event
- Brilliance and more from the Incentive Research Foundation
- Cancun's Secrets
- The Best Place to Holiday in Ireland
April 2013
- Naples - 5 things you should know
- Italian Diary - a Week in Italy
- Smoke on the water, fire in the sky - Ovation Trophy Day 3
- Reaching New Heights: Ovation Trophy 2013 - Zurich - Crans Montana
- 2nd Ovation Trophy 2013 – The Prologue
- The Value of Meetings Industry Associations - Site at 40
- In a New York minute: chance encounters in the Big Apple - The Roger, The Breslin
March 2013
- London Calling: M&IT Awards, CONFEX and the Irish back at ExCel
- Snow in Antwerp and what we learned at Site EMEA Forum 2013
- Antwerp: Shine bright like a diamond Site EMEA Forum 2013
- Leaving Las Vegas: Off the Strip at Red Rock Resort
- Philadelphia: a sense of coming home
February 2013
- Associations and PCOs - Final Thoughts from IAPCO13
- Tempus Fugit - Irretrievable Time Flies: IAPCO Dublin 2013
- Montreal = Arcade Fire? / Final Night at ADMEI
- Destination Branding a la Montreal - More Tales of ADMEI
- How to be a Canadian - Tales from ADMEI
- MadMen at the Rome Cavalieri
January 2013
- Brand New Look - "Padraicino" two years on
- Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered by Brussels (and Le Meridien re-visited)
- DMC: Origins of the Species and Changing Channels
- 5 Principles for Success in Destination Management
December 2012
- The Nature/Nurture debate and Brands: lessons from Paris
- The Best of 2012 – my favourite albums of the year
November 2012
- California dreaming
- Information, Inspiration and Vision: what happened at FICP Day 3 and 4
- Sitting in the Dock in LA - FICP Day 2
- FICP Live in LA - Day 1
- Tying up loose ends – Live Events, Expedia, The Gathering and Jurriaen Sleijster
- IMEX America: rumours of the demise of the trade show greatly exaggerated.
October 2012
- Creating sustainable competitive advantage: lessons from the schoolyard
- From The Venetian to Via Veneto: the importance of authenticity in the destination experience
- IMEX America 2012: Lessons in Tradeshow Marketing
- Back in Las Vegas - IMEX12: the prelude
- Meetings and Events: How good are we at marketing ourselves?
September 2012
- Building a Brand with Teddy Bears and Hugs: the Ovation Story
- The unrelenting, unparalleled, unmitigated power of live events
- Words with Meetings Industry Friends: Rhonda, Joan and Andrea.
- Copenhagen: from hostile Vikings to hospitable design kings
August 2012
- Walking the Camino de Santiago - 5 Reasons why you should do it
- Shanghai Surprises (Part 3) - Marriott, Fairmont and Peninsula
- Shanghai Surprises (Part 2) - how it all ended
- Shanghai Surprises (Part 1) - when people come together, magic happens!
July 2012
- Hybrid Events and the new event participant
- Moira Hearn (1949 - 2012): A Personal Tribute
- MCI Academy and Madrid goes Mental
- Destination Marketing: If I were the Mayor of Santorini ...
June 2012
- Site EMEA Forum, Berlin - Where to Europe?
- "Berlin: coolest city on the planet?" At Site EMEA Forum 2012
- Greece - is there a better time to visit?
- Behind the Scenes at the IRF - what happened at the parties
- The Ubiquity of Kenny G (and great education at The IRF Invitational)
May 2012
- Florence - City of Art and Artisans
- 24 Hours in Rome - Gran Melia Villa Agrippina, Roma
- 24 Hours in Rome - Part 1
- Coming Home - Revisiting Ireland's Incentive Icons: Killarney Park, Europe, Dromoland, Adare
- Hard Lessons in Unintended Consequences - the GSA Western Regions Conference
April 2012
- Ovation Trophy 2012 - the Epilogue
- Ovation Trophy 2012 Day 1 - Lucerne to Interlaken
- Ovation Trophy 2012 - the Prologue
- Killarney, Destinations, Hybrid, Delta
- Care in the air: my on-going saga with Delta Airlines
- Care in the Air. Customer service at Delta Airlines?
March 2012
- From Spectator to Participant – the Revolutionary Impact of Hybrid Meetings and Events
- Want to build your destination brand? Hire somebody to write you a great song!
- How do you market a destination? Lessons from Memphis
February 2012
- Memphis lives! Final tales from ADMEI
- Memphis: Destination King
- Walking in Memphis - Tales from the ADME Annual Conference
- It's all about the culture, Stupid! Further lessons from last week's Social Media gaffes
- Focus on fake reviews V Focus on what REALLY matters: More on Trip Advisor
January 2012
- Irish boutique hotels on Trip Advisor's Top 25 - lessons in on-line marketing
- Global DMCs - a beautiful oxymoron?
- Paris for Meetings and Events: Not down and certainly not out
December 2011
- Great Music from 2011 - a very personal selection
- It’s not about the money, money, money? Leveraging employee engagement and emotional connections for success
- Sweet Home Alabama?
- EIBTM 2011 - Behind the Scenes
November 2011
- 40 years of growth: the art and science of the DMC
- FICP - Day 2
- FICP - Day 1
- FICP in San Antonio - Arrival Day
- Do you know weird and wonderful people? Key Attributes for DMC success.
October 2011
- Hero or Villain? The true identity of the DMC!
- A week in Las Vegas - Days 4, 5 and 6 (Site International Conference)
- A week in Las Vegas - Day 3
- A week in Las Vegas - Day 2
- The Language of Business
- An Island Story - in the footsteps of J.M. Synge
September 2011
- 5 key ingredients for a successful incentive travel programme
- "Munich: a world of its own"
- Come on hotels, get with the programme a
August 2011
- More Facebook in HootSuite? Even the Win
- “Muddy Waters, Headhunters and very tall buildings – getting beyond first impressions in Malaysia”
- 5 Steps from a Reluctant Networker for Networking Success
July 2011
- "Flash Mobs in Bangkok: is this Thailand?"
- Prague and the Road not Taken
- When the buskers are playing Dvorak, not
- Budapest is knocking on heaven's door
June 2011
May 2011
- The Tasting
- Rooms with a View - private venues in Florence
- Hero or Villain? What is the true identity of the DMC?
- The all-new Las Vegas
- All Aboard the Marrakech Express ('cos the Times they are a changin')