Albert Einstein famously said, ‘The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library’
Fáilte Ireland is pleased to announce that for over 4,000 international librarians Dublin is the one location that they’ll ‘absolutely know’ next year when the World Library and Information Congress meet in the capital.
With support from Fáilte Ireland, the Library Association of Ireland has been successful in its bid to bring the global professional and trade event for the library and information services sector to Ireland for the first time.
This is a major win for Ireland as the World Library and Information Congress 2020 (WLIC) will bring more than 4,000 librarians from over 100 countries to Dublin, generating more than €6.4 million for the Irish economy.
Fáilte Ireland, as the National Tourism Development Authority, supported the Library Association of Ireland’s bid to host next year’s conference in Dublin as part of its work to attract international business events.
In the first six months of this year, Fáilte Ireland has already secured 307 business events and conferences worth €120 million to the economy.
The business tourism sector is now worth at least €760 million to the Irish economy and supports 22,000 jobs. Fáilte Ireland has identified the sector as a priority area as it helps businesses prepare for Brexit. Fáilte Ireland is working on growing business tourism during the next six years to bring its value to the Irish economy over the €1 billion mark.
Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Commercial Development Paul Mockler said:
“Fáilte Ireland is focused on leveraging the strong potential of business tourism to generate greater tax revenue and employment for Ireland over the coming years. This sector has huge potential for growth. Securing major international conferences like this is testament to Ireland’s reputation as a top business tourism destination as well as the diversity and calibre of events that we attract. International business conferences are not only lucrative in terms of generating significant revenue for regions across the country, they also leave a lasting legacy that ensures Ireland is recognised as a centre of innovation and excellence in a range of fields.”
Fáilte Ireland’s Conference Ambassador Programme has been one of the key drivers of success for Ireland as a meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) destination.
Through the programme, Fáilte Ireland’s Meet in Ireland team identifies decision makers and influencers across various disciplines and encourages them to bring an international conference here.
Dr Philip Cohen, a Past President of the Library Association of Ireland, is a key member of the successful bid team for WLIC 2020.
“This conference promises to be a week-long celebration of all that libraries and librarians do to support their users. It’s great news that it’s coming to Dublin”, said Dr. Cohen.
Recognising the importance of industry expertise in attracting association conferences, Fáilte Ireland’s Sam Johnston, Convention Bureaux of Ireland Manager, added:
“Fáilte Ireland was delighted to support our Conference Ambassador Dr Philip Cohen and the Library Association of Ireland to secure the World Library and Information Congress following a highly competitive bidding process. Over 75% of all international association conferences which come to Ireland do so at the direct invitation of a local Irish member or host. At Fáilte Ireland, we are always looking to recruit expert Conference Ambassadors to help bring future business like this to Ireland.”
Marian Higgins, President of the Library Association, said:
“We are really looking forward to welcoming such a large number of librarians to Dublin and to Ireland. It is a great opportunity for us to attract world-class leaders to the country and to show our international colleagues what Irish libraries do best”.
Gerald Leitner, Secretary General of IFLA, the main conference organisers, commented “All signs point to an excellent congress in an exciting location”.
The World Library and Information Congress will run from 15th to 21st August 2020 in the Convention Centre Dublin. Tours of libraries, cultural activities and other events will take place throughout the week. In addition, various ‘satellite’ meetings will be held in Dublin and regionally before and after Congress.
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