IHF calls for Definite Completion Date
for National Conference Centre

Thursday 31 August 2006: The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today welcomed the designation by the Government of the Spencer Dock International Conference Centre Consortium as the preferred tenderer for provision of the National Conference Centre at Spencer Dock in Dublin. The IHF also urged that the contract stage is now completed with the utmost haste in order that a definite completion date in 2009 is established.

According to IHF Chief Executive, John Power, the setting of this date will enable the state tourism agencies, the Dublin Convention Bureau and the conference sector within the tourist industry to mount a major international marketing campaign aimed at attracting that large section of international conference which heretofore rejected Ireland due to the lack of a conference centre.

Mr. Power stated, “With a global conference market valued at €40 billion per year, enormous opportunities clearly exist to grow the Irish conference market. When the National Conference Centre’s future is assured, the timely construction of this state of the art facility will be central to putting Ireland on the map for international conferences. To fully exploit the long lead in times for conference bookings, a coordinated and well-funded promotion of the facility involving Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, Dublin Convention Bureau and the hotel and tourism industry needs to be rolled out without delay.”

Ireland currently has an estimated 1% of the business tourism market, but the IHF believes it has the potential to capture a greater share of the market given the right competitive taxation environment.

ENDS

FOR INFORMATION:

Winifred McCourt / Eoin Quinn Tel: 01 6760168
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