Three ADAPT members picked up ‘Conference Ambassador’ awards at Fáilte Ireland’s annual event last week(22nd November 2023) for their exceptional efforts in bringing large international conferences to Ireland.
Professor John Kelleher of Maynooth University and Professor Andy Way of DCU were commended for organising the 60th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. Julie Connelly also received an award for her role in bringing the 29th European Signal Processing Conference to Ireland. They were joined by over 100 other conference ambassadors, including renowned academics and industry leaders, at the award ceremony at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin.
The ambassadors were acknowledged for their expertise, industry knowledge and unwavering commitment to successfully hosting an international conference in Ireland between 2018 and 2022. Collectively these conferences have contributed €125 million to the Irish economy and have made a positive impact on our nation.
Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme was developed to support individuals who want to host an international conference in Ireland. The programme provides assistance and financial support at every stage of the event, from the initial bidding, through to the marketing and promotion of the event. Ambassadors are sector leaders or influencers in their field and since the programme was established in 2009, Fáilte Ireland has supported almost 3,000 ambassadors in their bids to host conferences and events worth more than €2 billion.
Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland Paul Kelly said: “The Conference Ambassador Recognition Awards showcase the wide range of talent and commitment of our network of conference ambassadors. Their expertise, industry knowledge and unwavering commitment to successfully hosting international conferences in Ireland is nothing short of exceptional. They have created value that extends way beyond the realm of tourism and have exemplified what it truly means to be a conference ambassador. At Fáilte Ireland, we are always looking to recruit new conference ambassadors to help bring future business to Ireland. I hope that those at different stages of their ambassador journey are inspired and motivated by the talented ambassadors recognised at the awards and by hearing their stories of success.”
