Obama's Visit Shines Spotlight on the Pride and Warmth of Ireland

Byline by Jean Evans, European Director of MCI Group

It was the moment when the Presidents’ car got stuck and the crowd started to cheer that the whole of Ireland knew it was going to be a memorable day. ‘The Beast’, as it is named, was leaving the American Embassy and crowds had gathered outside in the hope of catching a glimpse of Barack and Michelle Obama when its undercarriage got stuck on the ramp; only in Ireland. The delighted crowd cheered and waved while the conference organiser in me looked at the now slightly panicked security detail and thought ‘details, gentleman, it’s all about the details.’

It’s the looking after these small details that has brought Ireland’s business tourism industry to the place it is today. Until relatively recently, Ireland was almost solely designated a tourist spot for travellers wishing to see a country romanticised by Hollywood movies, outdated clichés and our own propensity to travel to every corner of the globe and gleefully play up to these clichés. Now we had combined these unique experiences with an infrastructure to match the best in Europe.

The little details had led to the big plans, reinventing the Dublin landscape with a new state-of-the-art convention centre, more world-class hotels and improved transport links that has made our capital city the 2nd most accessible city in Europe. As a result of these changes and after a significant reduction in the cost of doing business in Ireland, the World Bank has named the country in the top ten places in the world to do business.

In the days leading up to this monumental week in Irish life much of the focus had been on the security operation that would have to be put in place. The real secret us Irish people knew was that it wouldn’t be an issue, although the police and the security forces did do a wonderful job. Ireland has long been known as the land of welcomes and it’s one of those clichés that remain true. We wanted to put on a show without any hitches and welcome our illustrious guests in the only way Ireland knows how to: with pride and genuine warmth.

The main aim for industries across Ireland though was our wish to show the world that we had moved on from the recession, which had hit this country harder than most. It was the massive losses in the banking sector that meant the country needed financial help, but other industries around the country were still competing with the world at the highest levels, including the tourism industry.

Now with a new government, a gradually improving economy and a young, highly-educated workforce, Ireland is well placed to work itself out of the economic recession, and one of the primary factors in this recovery is the new found ability to compete on price, not just on quality.

Boasting the cheapest hotel rates in Western Europe, a new integrated public transport system, easy accessibility from all over the world and a world class convention centre capable of hosting major international events, the Irish tourism industry is now on the cusp of another economic revival. The visits of both President Obama and Queen Elizabeth illustrated this perfectly; although we do need a new ramp.
 

Jean Evans is the European Director - Association Relations for MCI Group.  MCI is an independant association, communications and event management company.