by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua This week the SoolNua team attended a highly impressive, compelling presentation organised by Ireland’s national tourism development authority, Fáilte Ireland. Aimed at the movers and shakers in leisure and business tourism in the greater Dublin area, we got a report card on past progress (lots of A+s), a survey on… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua A recent survey of meeting planners by Development Counsellors International (DCI) on destination selection highlights some very interesting trends. Somewhat counter-intuitively, social media is regarded as unimportant while email is ranked as the favoured channel for communication. Of interest in the context of this post, however, are the 90% of respondents… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua I pulled back the curtains in anticipation of waking in a room with a view and when I awoke there it was, in all its glittering morning glory, the Sugar Loaf, beautifully framed in the floor-to-ceiling window, a modest mountain by world standards, but massive to us who live in… Read more »
by Pádraic Gilligan, Managing Director, SoolNua The rise and rise of content marketing has brought the art of storytelling right into the science of marketing. These days marketers approach new products and services in search of their underlying story more than their features and benefits. Naturally this has extended to destination marketing and it’s causing… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua Passion and Energy in Limerick The Association of Irish Professional Organisers (AIPCO) made its annual assembly into a pan-MICE gathering this year and attracted almost 200 meetings and events professionals to Limerick, City of Culture. The entire event was characterised by palpable passion and energy, evidenced by the great… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua Destination MICE Despite changing demographics and new generational preferences the filter for destination selection still pivots around crucial infrastructural categories like hotel, formal and informal venues and unique destination experiences. I recently re-visited Belfast and was hugely impressed by how far it has come as a MICE destination in… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Ovation Global DMC TBEX, Dublin Technology, the internet and digital platforms have systematically altered the business tourism landscape as dramatically as the recent emergence of luxury destinations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi in locations where 30 years ago there were only sand dunes. These radical changes were brought home to… Read more »
by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolNua I’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity over the past 4 weeks to re-acquaint myself with Ireland as an incentive destination. A combination of familiarisation trips and live programmes brought me, in quick succession, to two of Ireland’s premier locations for corporate meetings and incentives, the Shannon area renowned for its… Read more »