Programme
Day(s)
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Hour(s)
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Minute(s)
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Second(s)
Registration Times – Thursday: 9.15am to 10:00am & Friday: 8.45am to 9.30am
A New Era For Irish Tourism
Welcome
Lar Power, Vice Chair
County & City Management Association (CCMA)
Chief Executive, Kilkenny County Council
10:10am
Official Conference Opening
Peter Burke
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE)
10:30am
Tourism A New Era
Elaine Harold, Principal Officer, Tourism Policy
Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE)
10:50am
Tourism That Works: Building Stronger Destinations with Local Government
Caroline Bocquel, Chief Executive Officer
Fáilte Ireland
11:10am
Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive
Tourism Ireland
11:30am
Tea/Coffee
Product & Experience Development
11:45am
Destination Development / Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands / Innovation for Underdeveloped Regions
Paul Keeley
Director of Regional Development
Fáilte Ireland
12:05pm
King House – A Cultural Tourism Attraction
Nature, Heritage and Recreation: The Tourism Product of Lough Key Forest & Activity Park
Úna Ní Chúinn
Senior Executive Officer
Economic Development
Lisa Joy
Tourism Officer
Roscommon County Council
12:25pm
Gráinne Cornally
Head of EU Just Transition Fund programme
Fáilte Ireland
12:45pm
The Shed Distillery Experience
Roisin Rigney
Visitor Experience Commercial Manager
“The Shed Distillery” of PJ Rigney, Drumshanbo.
1:05pm
Lunch
Tourism Economy
2:10pm
Danny McCoy
Chief Executive
IBEC
2:30pm
Simon Wright Lakin
Vice President Public Sector UK & Ireland
Thomas Green
Director Business Development
Mastercard
Brendan Troy
Head of Economic and Tourism Development
Limerick City and County Council
2:50pm
‘Fireside Chat’ on Climate Tourism Economy
Jenny De Saulles, Director of Sector Development, Fáilte Ireland
Kieran Comerford, Chair of the National Network of Local Enterprise Offices
Valerie Stenson, Manager, Arigna Mining Experience
3:10pm
Tourism AI
Signe Jungersted
CEO & Founding Partner
NAO Group
Panel Discussion Q&A
3:50pm
Tea/Coffee
Culinary Tourism
4:00pm
The Highbank Orchard Culinary Tourism Journey
Julie Calder-Potts
Highbank Orchards
4:20pm
Joint Solace NI CCMA Panels – Combining Insights Across Sessions 3 & 4
SOLACE NI / CCMA Learnings from Slovenia:
Beyond Borders, what can Slovenia teach us?
Insights and lessons from the All-Island Local Authority Forum’s Study Visit to Slovenia. A panel presentation with Chief Executives from the CCMA and SOLACE NI, facilitated by Professor Terry Stevens.
Panel Members:
- Lar Power, Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council & Co-Chair All-Island Local Authority Forum
- Marie Ward, Chief Executive, Newry, Mourne & Down District Council & Chair of SOLACE NI
- Martin Lydon, Chief Executive, Sligo County Council & Member of All-Island Local Authority Forum
- Alison McCullagh, Chief Executive, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council & Member of All-Island Local Authority Forum
5:05pm
Close
Sports, Culture and Heritage Attractions
09:30am
Ryder Cup 2027
Tom Enright
Project Director
Ryder Cup
09:50am
Maximising Business, Leisure, Sports Tourism
Paul Mockler
Head of Commercial Development Division
Fáilte Ireland
10:10am
Strokestown Park: The National Famine Museum
The National Famine Way Collaborative Project
Edel McWeeney Moran
Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Manager
Irish Heritage Trust
John O’Driscoll
General Manager
Strokestown Park: The National Famine Museum
10:30am
Caitríona O’Connor
Royal Sites of Ireland Project Coordinator
Tipperary County Council
11:00am
Tea/Coffee
Destination Animation – Festivals & The Night Time Economy
11:15am
Winter in Dublin Festival
Liz Halpin
Head of Division
Fáilte Ireland
11:35am
Susan Cooney
Head of Tourism
Dublin City Council
11:55am
Ruairi Lehmann, Tourism Officer
Kate Howard, Night-Time Economy Advisor
Galway City Council
12:15pm
The Tourism Perspective of Night-Time Economy Pilots ‘Fireside Chat’
Mark Davies
Night-Time Economy Adviser
Louth County Council
Edel Doran
Night-Time Economy Adviser
Sligo County Council
Fiona Collins
Night Time Economy Adviser
Cork City Council
12:35pm
Panel Discussion
12:55pm
Conference Close
Shane Tiernan
Chair CCMA Economic Development Committee
Chief Executive Roscommon County Council
1:15pm