Winning strategies

Hosting One Young World last October was a feather in Belfast’s cap and just one of the big international events choosing the Northern Ireland capital these days.

The region, well known for its resilience, has seen economic development and tourism flourishing in the past 20 years. A billion pounds invested in Belfast in the past decade has helped create a multi-award-winning business events destination which hosted a record 92 conferences last year worth over £42.5 million in economic impact, 22 per cent ahead of 2019 levels.

The city has grasped the concept of sustainability with both hands and now ranks 11^th for sustainability out of 100 destinations in the Global Destination Sustainability Index. Visit Belfast is the joint second highest performing DMMO (destination marketing management organisation) in the world for sustainability.

Rachael McGuickin, director business development, sustainability and transformation, says, “Not only do we have a strong network of venues and hotels sustainably certified, we have a dedicated manager to help organisers deliver more sustainable events, a legacy and impact guide, a sustainable events framework and a range of pioneering projects including Changing the Menu for Good, focusing on reducing food waste at events and tackling food poverty. We are also embarking on an ambitious decarbonisation project as part of the city’s net zero roadmap.”

The convention centre, ICC Belfast, is a major contributor to the city’s success. It launched its sustainability policy in 2021, aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “We are incredibly proud to be the first purpose-built convention centre on the island of Ireland to receive the Green Meetings Gold Award, accredited by Green Tourism,” says chief executive Julia Corkey. “We try to operate in an ethical and responsible way and our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion has earned a bronze accreditation from Diversity Mark.”

The centre was only named ICC Belfast in 2018, in recognition that the new £29.5 million extension to the Waterfront Hall had the facilities and team to compete with the best in the international meetings market. It has a 2,000-seat auditorium, two large interconnecting halls, a 380-seat studio, 20 meeting rooms, a gallery and bar area, two terraces overlooking the River Lagan and a 660 sqm reception area. The Waterfront Hall, opened in 1997, still hosts some of the biggest names in live entertainment.

Among many sustainable measures, the ICC is introducing innovative strategies such as utilisation of 3D CAD designs enabling clients to visualise event setups and production elements in immersive 3D and augmented reality during on-site tours. And in-house production managers are able collaborate with clients to actualise their vision, supported by an extensive inventory of equipment.

For the One Young World Summit, a digital platform was developed ensuring all live content was broadcast in real time and accessible for online viewing. AI integration through Wordly, the translation platform for simultaneous interpretation and captioning of all sessions, proved highly effective and was used by 400 delegates across eight different languages.

The Summit was attended by 2,000 young leaders from 194 countries. It was a significant week for the whole city and events were held not only in the ICC but in venues across Belfast such as the SSE Arena, historic Cathedral Quarter and Titanic Quarter.

“The people of Northern Ireland are the biggest reason why we felt we had to bring One Young World 2023 to Belfast. Everywhere we went everyone was so welcoming, so warm and so funny, we felt had to give the world an opportunity to get to know NI.” Ella Robertson McKay, managing director, One Young World.

Once famous for linen production and shipbuilding, Belfast is today gaining traction in advanced manufacturing, fintech, medtech, life and health sciences, digital and creative industries. It’s home to a dynamic eco-system of SMEs and researchers, global corporations and start-ups committed to working with Visit Belfast to bring business events to the city. In addition, the Ambassador Circle, with over 1,400 members, is key to bidding for and delivering international events.

Belfast is a leading global cyber security hub and in April last year welcomed 2,400 participants to Cyber UK. In November, UK Space in the ICC brought together the international space community from across government, industry and academia.

Queen’s University and Titanic Belfast are alternative options for larger conferences and Belfast boasts over 80 other event venues, some classic, some quirky. There are currently 37 hotels and over 4,800 bedrooms; 500 more bedrooms will be available by 2025.

The city has two airports, George Best Belfast City Airport, 10 minutes from the city centre, and Belfast International Airport, 30 minutes away. Hourly coach services from Dublin Airport take 90 minutes.