The Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO) is a non-profit organisation founded in 1999 and is the premier professional association for conference organisers in Ireland. AIPCO works closely with Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the Regional Convention Bureaux in developing Ireland into an International Conference hub.
Its annual AIPCO Business Tourism Conference took place on 22-23 March 2018 in the Great Southern Hotel, Killarney. The event is a must-attend event for anyone involved in Business Tourism in Ireland and with the destination appeal of a trip to Kerry as a bonus, there was record attendance for this year’s event with over 200 delegates attending.
The association is committed to raising standards of service among its members and other sectors of the meetings industry by means of continuing education and interaction with other professionals. The conference serves as a business exchange for all Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) related businesses and enterprises in Ireland. With Professional Conference Organisers (PCOs), Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and Specialist Event Companies all in attendance, it is the ideal place for hotels, transport companies, restaurants, AV companies, EventTech suppliers, exhibition specialists, team building companies, special venues and hosts to create new relationships and make connections.
Kerry Convention Bureau exhibited at the event, showcasing the fantastic hotel properties, venues, activity providers and services our Kerry membership has to offer and encouraging PCO’s and DMC’s to come to Kerry and use their services and products for future events. The stand featured interactive demonstrations from Muckross Traditional Farms and Killarney Brewing Company and KCB used the event as the official launch for its new Corporate Social Responsibility partnership with Kerry Parents and Friends Association.
Meet In Ireland also used the event as a platform to launch their ten year business tourism strategy.
Encourage delegates to stay in close proximity to the event venue
Use our Green Suppliers search to choose accommodation and/or event venue providers that have a third-party environmental certification
Ensure that accommodation options are within walking distance to the event or have good public transportation links
Food & Drink
Vegetarian and vegan options are more environmentally friendly and often tend to be cheaper, so make sure to incorporate some meat free options into your menu
Tap water is a sustainable choice with no transportation or waste packaging. Use glasses and water jugs over single use plastic bottles
Provide attendees with information on where re-usable bottles can be refilled – click here for map of locations in Kerry’s where this can be done
Encourage attendees to visit cafes and restaurants that are part of the Conscious Cup Campaign – these outlets will use customers’ own cups. See a full list of outlets here
Opt for local, seasonal and organic produce
Choose ethical, eco and fair-trade options
Select local catering companies that have environmental credentials
Support Local Community
Leftover Food
Kerry Food Share is Kerry’s largest foodbank, an initiative of North, East, West Kerry Development and St Vincent De Paul, which operates to prevent both food waste and food poverty in the County. FSK takes both FEAD (Food from the European Union Fund for the Most Deprived) and surplus food from local hotels, businesses and suppliers, delivering it to charity partners who redistribute it to families in need.
Food Cloud will take donations of excess food from events, who will collect the food on site at no extra cost and arrange for distribution to appropriate charities.
Surplus Stock
Have something that could potentially be used by a charity for another purpose such as cardboard boxes, wooden pallets etc? Left over materials can be recycled and provided to DEIS schools, such as Lyreacrompane in North Kerry to use as Arts and Craft materials.
Alternatively, liaise with the venue for assistance to connect with other local organisations who could reuse materials, helping to reduce landfill waste and further a circular economy.
Purchasing & Waste
Think Reduce-Reuse-Recycle for event materials and communications
Keep it digital where you can; electronic invitations, registration, follow ups etc
Encourage attendees to adopt the “Leave No Trace” ethos
Ensure recycling bins are readily available throughout meeting venues and accommodation, with multi language signage to enable attendees to easily sort and recycle their rubbish
Why Kerry for Green Events
As a county, Kerry is committed to ‘Keeping it Green’, putting the focus on protecting the environment and developing a green economy.
Home to both Siamsa Tíre, Ireland’s first accredited Green Theatre and Events Centre and world leading hotels such as The Europe Hotel & Resort and The Killarney Park who operate on 100% green renewable energy, and The Rose Hotel, whose Head Chef has just become the first person in the world to complete a newly established Environmental Sustainability Management in Hospitality qualification.
We are extremely proud of how our industry have embraced a sustainability ethos, and the steps that many of our hotels, venues, activity providers etc are undertaking to put in place Green Teams, implement measures to reduce environmental impact and for some, undertake third party sustainability accreditation.
Within Kerry Convention Bureau, all our familiarisation programmes and events are paper & single use plastic free.
Think Reduce-Reuse-Recycle for event materials and communications
Keep it digital where you can; electronic invitations, registration, follow ups etc
Encourage attendees to adopt the “Leave No Trace” ethos
Ensure recycling bins are readily available throughout meeting venues and accommodation, with multi language signage to enable attendees to easily sort and recycle their rubbish
Transport
Due to the close proximity of our Convention Centre, hotels and venues to each other within each of our destinations, delegates are able to easily walk between locations, without the need for dedicated transport
If attendees do choose to drive, provide details of where electric vehicles can be charged – find out where Kerry’s car charging points here
Many hotel properties offer complimentary bike hire and our destinations are extremely easy to navigate by bicycle
Encourage attendees to utilise soft mobility options by sharing details of Kerry’s network of bicycle paths and walking trails
Carbon Offsetting
Carbon Offsetting For Event Planners and the Irish Tourism Industry
Reducing your carbon footprint is a highly recommended step for event planners and tourism businesses that care about our climate and their emission levels. We strongly encourage visiting event planners, KCB Members and our industry partners to consider offsetting any emissions they produce.
Kerry Convention Bureau works with two organisations who offer Carbon Offsetting initiatives; Sustainable Travel Ireland and Flogas.
Both organisations have partnered with South Pole, a gold standard provider of emissions-reduction projects worldwide.
Sustainable Travel Ireland
Sustainable Travel Ireland have created a group carbon-offset scheme for the Irish tourism industry, which can also be utilised by event planners when holding events in Kerry.
The scheme offers a wide array of internationally accredited offsetting projects, including hydropower, clean drinking water and forest protection schemes.
Visit Sustainable Travel Ireland for more information and handy tools to calculate and offset through one of its chosen high-impact projects. and note, members of Sustainable Travel Ireland can avail of discounted rates.
Member Hotels of Kerry Convention Bureau, who are or become customers of Flogas, can avail of the carbon offsetting scheme currently offered by Flogas to all its business customers throughout Ireland.
For a minimal fee, Flogas will purchase carbon credits on behalf of commercial customers, investing in sustainable global projects that either reduce or capture an equivalent amount of carbon emissions.
Examples of the supported projects include forest protection, providing access to clean and efficient LPG cookstoves, supporting renewable energy projects and wastewater treatment and biogas utilisation projects. For more information on how to get involved, contact Flogas.
Kerry Convention Bureau offers a free and impartial service, providing expert local advice, venue sourcing and facilitating connections to passionate, local suppliers who are committed to working together to make your event a success
Let us help you bring your meeting, conference, incentive or event to the beautiful Kingdom of Kerry by completing the form below and a member of our dedicated team will be in touch.