by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President MCI and Vice President, Ovation Global DMC Ole, Ole, Ole London’s Convention and Exhibition Centre, ExCeL, is etched in the hearts of most Irish people. For a period last summer it often appeared that the entire facility had been colonised by the Irish such were the ubiquity of tri-colours and… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC Snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, further westwards, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling too upon every part of the lonely churchyard where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President Ovation Global DMC Leaving Las Vegas I arrived into McCarran from Montreal magically gaining back 3 hours of my day in the process. The Air Canada flight touched down in bright sunshine and soon I was in the all-new international terminal at Las Vegas, bathed in natural light and free… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Industry Relations, MCI There was a sense of homecoming. When I thought about it I realised it stemmed from a unique alignment of time and place. The 100th year anniversary of the birth of my Dad on 28 Feb rooted my thoughts around the Gilligan family and Annie, my Dad’s… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC It’s not what I say about my brand, it’s what you say about it. The first session at most industry events features a word of welcome from the destination’s official authorities – someone from the Ministry of Tourism, the Chair of the CVB, the Mayor etc. It’s… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President of Ovation Global DMC How to be a Canadian First, the sadness. Inside the front cover of the book, a handwritten inscription: “To our favourite non-Canadian, with love Moira”. My copy of How to be a Canadian by Will Ferguson and Ian Ferguson was given to me by the late,… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC Origins of the Species I’ve always regarded passion as an integral part of being professional. Words with Friends enthusiasts (Hi Jurriaen, Sean, Alison, Andrea, Rhonda, Joan!) will immediately spot that all the letters of the word “passion” are contained in the word “professional”. You cannot be a… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC In 1662 Irishman Robert Boyle made a scientific discovery that eventually allowed us to voyage to the bottom of the sea; 8 years later the exact same discovery was made by the Frenchman Edme Mariotte. The “multiple independent discovery” principle is well documented and includes Newton’s and… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC Learning, Connecting, Being Inspired In his seminal book Meeting Architecture, Maarten Vanneste identifies education, networking and motivation as the 3 pillars around which successful meeting outcomes are based. Thus we go to conferences to learn, connect and be inspired but the selected conference location contributes significantly to… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC “LAs fine and the sun shines most of the time …” The approach by air into Los Angeles takes you over miles and miles of urban sprawl leaving you wondering whether there’s a heart in this city at all. And when you process in your mind decades… Read more »