Exploring the theme of RESPONSIBLE AMBITION you can expect stimulating and insightful discussions, thought provoking conversations, challenging perspectives, and inspiring new ideas in the not to be missed Tourism Conference.
There will be stellar line up of guest speakers including Jon Sopel – British journalist, television presenter, and podcaster and Oliver Callen – Irish satirist and creator of Callan’s Kicks to name but a few. Award-winning Irish journalist and broadcaster, Dearbhail McDonald will again be host.
CONFERENCE AGENDA*
10:00
Welcome by MC Dearbhail McDonald
Award-winning broadcaster Dearbhail McDonald welcomes delegates and outlines the exciting agenda ahead.
10:05
Opening video: “State of the Nation – how is Irish tourism faring”
10:10
Opening address by ITIC Chair Niall MacCarthy
Niall MacCarthy, MD of Cork Airport and Chair of ITIC, outlines how Irish tourism can be responsibly ambition as he outlines industry opportunities and challenges.
10:20
Fireside chat with Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin
Weeks before the Budget and with an impending General Election Minister Martin discusses her tourism policies and priorities.
10:45
Jon Sopel – Trump, Putin and an uncertain world
Renowned international journalist and podcaster Jon Sopel discusses a volatile geopolitical landscape.
11:30
Coffee break
12:00
John Concannon – Soft power: Ireland’s influence on the world
Former Director of Global Ireland and current Irish Ambassador in Canada discusses how a small country punches above its weight and how this can benefit tourism.
12:45
IQ, EQ & MQ in Irish tourism – Conor Kavanagh, Genesis
This bespoke research for ITIC explores the relationship between emotional intelligence, leadership and job performance of those working in Irish tourism.
13:00
Lunch
14:00
Oliver Callan – humour and insight
Firmly established as a leading voice in Irish comedy, impressionist Oliver Callen will deliver sharp parodies and incisive commentary.
14:30
Panel discussion: Can tourism grow and carbon reduce?
Paul Kelly (Fáilte Ireland), Alice Mansergh (Tourism Ireland), Anne O’Donoghue (Association of Visitor Experiences & Attractions) and Jim Power (economist) are in discussion with Dearbhail about whether tourism growth and carbon reduction can co-exist.
15:15
Jess Kelly – Technology and Tourism
How will AI and technology impact on the Irish tourism experience? Expert Jess Kelly shares insights.
15:45
Wrap up chat with ITIC CEO Eoghan O’Mara Walsh
Dearbhail concludes the conference with a discussion with ITIC’s CEO.
16:00
Conference concludes.
*Subject to change
SPEAKERS
Catherine Martin TD
Tourism Minister
About Dearbhail
Dearbhail McDonald, award winning journalist, author and broadcaster, is no stranger to the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) conference having expertly hosted the event for the last number of years.
A global Eisenhower Fellow, Dearbhail has won a series of awards for her contribution to public affairs journalism including the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Smurfit Business School, the Mary Cummins Award for Women of Outstanding Achievement in Media, an inaugural Dublin City University Special Alumni Achievement award, as well as Irish Tatler’s Media Woman of the Year.
Dearbhail hails from Newry and holds an LL.B (Law) from Trinity College Dublin as well as a Masters Degree in Journalism from Dublin City University.
About Jon
Journalist and broadcaster
From the steps of Downing Street to the inside of the White House press briefing room, Jon Sopel has spent four decades reporting on global events and interviewing the people who tried to shape them. Described by President Trump as ‘another beauty’ his face has graced just about every news programme on the BBC and his familiar voice has carried across the airwaves of BBC Radio from Paris, Kuwait City, Washington DC and Blackpool.
In February 2022 Jon announced he was leaving the BBC to launch a new podcast for media group Global and present a show on LBC alongside former BBC colleague Emily Maitless.
As the BBC’s North America Editor Jon reported on the rise and fall of President Trump. He was Paris correspondent when Concorde crashed and was based in Kuwait City during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Jon’s presentational skills have been extensively used across the BBC as an in-studio host for BBC News Channel, The Politics Show, BBC News at One, BBC Two’s party conference coverage, Newsnight and on BBC World News.
Outside the studio Jon has reported live into every major BBC news bulletin on location from around the country and across the globe, including coverage of Nelson Mandela’s funeral, the inauguration of a new Pope, countless elections, and wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East. He has interviewed numerous Presidents, Prime Ministers and the occasional Emir.
Jon’s stint in North America resulted in a trilogy of books about the Trump Presidency. The first, ‘If Only They Didn’t Speak English, notes from Trump’s America’ was an acclaimed best-seller. The second, A Year at the Circus, came out in September 2019 while the third, UnPresidented: Politics, pandemics and the race that Trumped all others, a personal diary of the 2020 presidential election came out in September 2021.
Jon has also written a biography of Tony Blair, ‘Tony Blair; The Moderniser’ published in 1995, two years before Mr Blair became Prime Minister.
Jon has received many awards for his work including being voted Political Journalist of the year in 2007 and shortlisted for the National Presenter of the Year at the Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards in 2011/12. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Southampton in 2011.
Jon currently lives in London with his wife, Linda. He is also an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, as well as enjoying golf, travel and watching football.
About Niall
Niall is an experienced Senior Executive within the daa Group with over 23 years of experience in airport operations management across the three primary airports in Ireland and the largest airport in Saudi Arabia. A qualified Chartered accountant, Niall is the Managing Director of Cork Airport and a member of the daa Group leadership having directly led teams of up to 3000 staff in Saudi and 1000+ staff in Ireland.
Niall was appointed Vice Chair in May 2017 and then Chair of the Airport Council International Europe Regional Airports Forum in May 2019. This body represents the voice of over 400 of Europe’s regional airports through the ACI Europe permanent offices in Brussels Niall served in this role until March 2022.
Acknowledging that aviation and tourism go “hand in hand”, Niall is pro bono Chairperson of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation Board since June 2024 and a Board member of the Cork Tourism Initiative, Pure Cork since August 2016.
Niall is married with 5 children & lives in Belgooly, County Cork. Unsurprisingly, given the business he works in, he loves to travel in his spare time and explore new countries, foods and experiences.
About John
John has recently been appointed as Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Lucia, and will take up duty this August. He is currently the Director General of the Global Ireland and Economic Division in Department of Foreign Affairs.
John has had numerous leadership roles across both public and private sectors, including with Unilever PLC, Dubarry, Fáilte Ireland, the Taoiseach’s Office, the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and has served as Vice President of the University of Galway.
No stranger to Tourism, John led the merger of the Regional Tourism Authorities in 2006 in the role of Director of Regional Development for Fáilte Ireland, and following this, he took up the role of Director of Market Development with the National Tourism Development Authority. In 2014 he was appointed Director of the “Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme”, the largest cultural initiative undertaken in the history of the State, and subsequently led the development of the “Creative Ireland” programme, to mainstream culture and creativity across public life. Following this, John was appointed as Director of Strategic Communications in the Department of An Taoiseach.
He was selected as Irish “Marketer of the Year” in 2011 for his work marketing Ireland, and was nominated again in 2013 as the creator of “The Gathering”. He has been centrally involved in three Civil Service Excellence Award winning programmes, namely Ireland 2016, Irelands Covid-19 communications response, and Ireland’s successful campaign to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
About Alice
Alice is Chief Executive at Tourism Ireland, with leadership responsibility for marketing the island of Ireland to overseas visitors. Collaborating with industry and government partners, Alice and the Tourism Ireland team are proud to support and grow the contribution overseas tourism makes to economies and communities across the island of Ireland.
Previously, Alice spent 19 years leading large scale commercial organisations at Google. As Managing Director, UK & Ireland Customer Solutions, she helped hundreds of thousands of businesses to digitise and succeed online. During a period based in London, Alice led Google’s own consumer marketing, growing iconic brands like Google Chrome, Maps and Gmail to market leading positions.
Alice is passionate about tourism and has not let a year of her life go by without holidaying around the island of Ireland. From 2018 to 2023, she served on the Board of Fáilte Ireland – the National Tourism Development Authority – with oversight of investments to strengthen tourism offerings and support industry through the Covid period. She is honoured to serve as Chief Executive with Tourism Ireland since September 2023.
About Oliver
Oliver Callan needs no introduction. His rise to fame is marked by an impressive repertoire of voices, capturing figures from Joe Biden to Simon Harris, Mary Lou McDonald and Donald Trump. As the creative force behind “Callan’s Kicks,” a celebrated weekly radio satire with TV specials, comedy albums, and live shows, Oliver has firmly established himself as a leading voice in Irish comedy.
He presents “Oliver Callan” on RTÉ Radio One, in the flagship Monday to Friday 9am slot, which has already become a central part of the national conversation. His morning show is a sharp hour of entertainment, discussing trending topics, the latest in sport, the arts, and everything that’s hopping in Irish life.
Oliver’s sharp parodies and incisive commentary on political, social, and entertainment figures have earned him a place as a respected columnist. “Callan’s Kicks” has garnered a large and dedicated audience, including those keenly interested in Irish politics worldwide.
About Paul
Paul Kelly has been the Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland since 2017. Paul has led Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, through the deepest crisis ever for our country’s tourism industry. His work now is focused on driving the sustained and sustainable recovery of the industry to ensure tourism contributes even more to the economic, social, cultural and environmental future of Ireland. This future will build on Fáilte Ireland’s previous successes including the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, the Dublin brand refresh and The Gathering.
Paul’s leadership has led Fáilte Ireland to be listed in the top 20 best large organisations to work in for three consecutive years and listed in the top 5 most trusted organisations in the country. In 2020 Paul was named as Ireland’s Most Trusted Leader by Great Places to Work. Paul was also awarded the 2024 Global Tourism Ambassador Award from Destinations International which celebrates those who transformed their destinations and have made a profound impact the broader travel and tourism industry.
Before his appointment as CEO of Fáilte Ireland, Paul held several management and marketing leadership roles. Raised in a small retail family business, he began his career with Procter & Gamble UK. Paul then went on to senior executive positions with Diageo Ireland, Aviva and the UCD Smurfit Business School.
About Conor
With a background in brand, strategy and research, Conor spent his early years with an energy utility in Japan before returning to Ireland to join a multinational fast-moving consumer goods company.
In 2005 he left industry to join Genesis.
Over the last 20 years Conor has worked extensively in the tourism sector on both a domestic and international basis. He has supported the development of numerous tourism strategies and delivered large-scale research projects on both
a qualitative and quantitative basis.
About Jim
Jim Power has worked as an economist in the private sector for over 35 years. He is owner manager of Jim Power Economics, an economic and financial consultancy, which he set up in 2009.
He was previously Treasury Economist at AIB (1987-1991), Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland Group (1992-2000) and Chief Economist Friends First Group (2000 to 2018). He is a board director of Love Irish Food. He is a member of the
Institute of Directors in Ireland. He successfully completed the Institute of Directors Diploma examinations in Company Direction in 2022 and is now busily looking for board positions!!!!.
In February 2021, Jim and Chris Johns launched their own Podcast ‘The Other Hand’, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcasts hosts.
He lives in Dublin and is a native of Waterford. He comes from a farming background.
About Jess
Jess Kelly is Newstalk’s Technology Correspondent and hosts Ireland’s only national radio show dedicated to technology, Tech Talk.
Having worked at Newstalk for over a decade, Jess’ role has seen her travel across the globe reporting from some of the biggest conferences in the world including CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and Samsung Unpacked in New York City. Jess has weekly segments on The Pat Kenny Show, The Hard Shoulder and Newstalk Breakfast and is also a columnist with the Sunday Business Post.
In 2019, Jess Kelly was awarded the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year Media Award. Jess was recognised for this award as even the most complex of technology topics are made insightful and jargon-free thanks to her skilled expertise. In 2024 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Engineers Ireland.
About Eoghan
Eoghan is the CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), the representative body for Irish tourism and hospitality interests. Eoghan previously owned and managed O’Mara Travel Ltd, a leading tour operator; Heritage Island Ltd, a marketing company for visitor attractions; and O’Mara Consultancy Ltd, a tourism consultancy business. He is also a Board Director of the St Patrick’s Festival.
In his earlier career he was Procurement Executive with Diageo in London and Dublin.
Eoghan has been CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) since September 2015.
About Anne
Anne was appointed CEO of the Irish Heritage Trust in 2018 and leads a team of over 100 colleagues and 300 volunteers across properties in the Trust’s care at Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens, Cork; The National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, Roscommon; Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens, Wexford; and 11 Parnell Square, Dublin. She is Deputy Chair of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) and Deputy Chair of AVEA, the Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions, where she will take over as Chair in October 2024.
Prior to her current role, Anne held many executive and non-executive directorship roles, spanning both the public sector and commercial enterprises, across financial services, media, and renewable energy sectors, as well as in non-profits and cultural institutions.
VENUE
Dublin Royal Convention Centre
Unveiled in 2022, Dublin’s newest meeting and events venue, the Dublin Royal Convention Centre delivers world-class gatherings and events.
Set on the preserved site of the 7th century St. Michael Le Pole Church, the Dublin Royal Convention Centre at Le Pole Square connects the bustling Dame Street, George’s Street, and the historic Dublin Castle with St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral.
ACCOMMODATION
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin
You can reserve accommodation at the conference hotel, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin at preferential rates by calling +353 1 898 2900 and quoting ‘ITIC2024‘.
These rates include breakfast and WiFi, and are available for the nights of Tues 24 Sept and Wed 25 Sept.
Please note: These rates are not bookable online. Reservations must be made directly with the hotel by phone.