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Getting together

Published: 01/06/2007 - Filed under: Archive » 2007 » July/August 2007 » Special Reports » Features » Meetings »

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THE GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

St James's Gate; tel +353 1 408 4800; guinness-storehouse.com

Originally built in 1904 in the Chicago-style of massive steel beams, the interior of this warehouse-like building is now modelled on a giant pint glass, stretching up from reception to the Gravity Bar on the sixth floor. The exhibition, tour and comprehensive gift shop attract hundreds of thousands each year, while the conference and events operation can cater for up to 1,300 people.

There are several banqueting options, ranging from the Arrol Suite, which stretches the length of the building and can be used for large corporate events, award ceremonies, fashion shows or product launches, to the Rainsford Room with its high windows offering views both of the brewery and the roofs of Dublin.

The website sets out in detail the room sizes of each area, but worthy of note is the Learning Centre, a conference centre accommodating two to 250 people on the third and fourth floor for seminars, team-building and meetings. The rooms are deliberately calm, with the dramatic interior of the building serving as a backdrop.

For evening events, the Source Bar on the fifth floor is good for pre-dinner drinks, corporate entertaining or a buffet. It has stone floors, natural light, an unusual ceiling sculpture and metalwork features, and is connected to the Brewery Bar by a walkway, a gallery and a concourse. Finally the Gravity Bar, with its panoramic, 360-degree views of Dublin and helpful plans pointing out the places of interest in the city, is a venue guaranteed to make a permanent impression.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF IRELAND

6 Kildare Street; tel +353 1 669 8800; numbersix.ie

Founded in 1654, the RCPI has been in its present home at No 6 Kildare Street in the centre of Dublin since 1864. After a Eur 11 million restoration, the building has reopened for corporate business, although it is still the home of the RCPI and is used for conference events for physicians. The millions have been well spent, both on above the line improvements (antique furniture, cleaned stained and etched glass, Chesterfield leather armchairs, marble fireplaces) as well as behind the scenes with air conditioning, wifi access, and both a main and satellite kitchen.

All the rooms at No 6 are now named after famous former presidents of the college, and all are adorned with portraits and sculptures of notable figures in the college's history.

The largest room is the Corrigan Hall, added to the original building in 1874, and converted from an old rackets court with a beautiful wooden ceiling. It can seat up to 200 and has a hydraulic stage, windows which black out from the outside and a full audio-visual system.

Graves Hall is another flexible space, with a quirky display of Napoleonic memorabilia collected by Dr Barry O'Meara, an Irish naval surgeon appointed personal physician to Napoleon when the French emperor was exiled to St Helena following his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

On the basement level, along the Lower Corridor (originally the building's cellars), there are displays of antique medical instruments including an ancient stethoscope. As you'd expect from a building still used by the RCPI, there is a lecture room seating 60, and also an audio-visual room for worldwide meetings.

The venue is popular for launches, especially since, being next to Leinster House, home to both Houses of Parliament, there is the possibility of getting a minister along. Car parking is available on the other side of Kildare Street, and the venue works closely with the nearby Merrion Hotel, which has a shortage of meetings space. Gala evenings are a strength for the building and, with such fine furnishings, event organisers don't have to dress the venue and so can save their money for the catering and entertainment.

The venue can also be used as a base, with hotels such as the new Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt considering it as a base for shopping expeditions by guests. (This new hotel, 30 minutes' drive from Dublin, will open in the autumn, and promises to have its own 600 sqm ballroom, 465 sqm of indoor pre-function space and meeting facilities.)

No 6 Kildare Street could also serve as a venue for a "dine around", where a large party gathers for pre-dinner drinks before going to a selection of restaurants around the city. On the first floor, the stunning Dun's Library has a selection of the RCPI's 30,000 publications. Catering is offered through Unique Dining (uniquedining.ie).

DUBLIN CASTLE

Dame Street; tel +353 1 645 8803; dublincastle.ie

Established in 1204 and once the home of British power in Ireland, Dublin Castle is on every tourist's itinerary to view the State Apartments, formerly the private and public rooms of the Viceroys and the Viceregal Court. As a corporate venue it has two distinct attractions: these State Apartments and the purpose-built conference hall, dating from Ireland's presidency of the European Union in 1990, hidden behind the facade of the north-east corner of the Upper Castle Yard.

Although the 350-seat theatre-style conference hall is purpose-built, it sits on the excavated base of the former castle moat, and there is a selection of the unearthed artefacts (pottery and glass, roof and floor tiles, tools and ornaments of iron and bronze, animal and human bones and weapons) displayed in the conference lobby. In addition, paintings from the Castle Collection and modern works of art by Irish artists are on view throughout the centre, adding to a sense of place.

The break-out area leads into an arcade through which delegates can proceed on to Castle Hall, where there is a two-storey dining facility, the antique granite facing of which was rescued from the former La Touche Bank that stood close to this site in the 19th century.

There is "in house" audio-visual and technical equipment in many rooms included in the hire charges, with a rental charge for ASDL and ISDN internet access. The staff have experience in providing webcasting, digital voting, simultaneous interpretation (booths are in place around the hall), video-conferencing, microwave/ satelite links, beta SP camera record and DIGI beta camera record.

Separate to the conference hall, the Bedford Hall Suite is a self-contained set of rooms for smaller meetings of up to 80 delegates, with module or workshop operational requirements on the first floor of Castle Hall incorporating the 18th-century Bedford Tower. Bedford Hall can accomodate 40 people in boardroom layout or 80 theatre-style. Dining for this is in the Erin Room, on the other side of the yard; this latter also includes a break-out area with the outdoor option of balconies overlooking the gardens to the south of the castle.

The State Apartments dominate the southern range of the Upper Castle Yard and are available for hire in the evening. St Patrick's Hall is one of the most significant and prestigious public rooms in Ireland, where the inaugurations of the presidents of the Republic take place, as do other important state functions such as banquets for visiting heads of state. Capacity is up to 202 guests for dining or up to 400 for receptions, although note that no branding is permitted for these functions. There is a choice of caterers from a list of a dozen.

THE ROYAL HOSPITAL KILMAINHAM

Military Road, Kilmainham; tel +353 1 612 9900; rhk.ie

The 17th-century Royal Hospital, designed by Sir William Robinson and once a nursing home for retired soldiers, has been the Irish Museum of Modern Art since 1991, but also welcomes corporate events.

It is a huge venue, set in 48 acres with views across the valley of the Liffey to Phoenix Park, increasing the sense of being well away from the city. The buildings were based on Les Invalides in Paris, with formal landscaped gardens and tree-lined avenues, and can cater for groups of up to a maximum of 1,500 guests eating buffet-style (free parking facilities for over 700 cars).

As well as the huge courtyard and the formal gardens, there are two main function rooms. The 17th-century Great Hall was once the soldiers' dining and recreational area, and there is direct access to the building's enclosed courtyard, which is well appointed for product launches (the whole of the North Range, which houses the hall, is well equipped with lifts and disabled bathroom facilities).

The Baroque Chapel is a beautiful, deconsecrated space with oak carvings and a flamboyant Baroque ceiling, as well as Irish-made stained-glass windows dating from the 19th century, depicting the coats of arms of the various masters. This can make an adaptable pre-dinner reception area for up to 330 persons. Alternatively, it can be used in conjunction with the Johnston Suite as a dining area accommodating up to 144 guests.

The stained-glass windows serve as a natural blackout for audio-visual purposes, thus providing an unusual yet practical setting for conferences up to a maximum of 300 delegates, although at night they can also be backlit for effect. The sharp acoustics also make it a popular location for concerts and after-dinner entertainment. Like the Great Hall, the Chapel has its own built-in sound system and ample power supply to service your individual requirements.

NUMBER 10

10 Lower Ormonde Quay; tel +353 1 878 7416; no10dublin.com

Dating from 1745, this early Georgian house was commissioned by Robert Rochfort, later 1st Earl of Belvedere, from the German architect Richard Cassels (1690-1751), who was also responsible for some of the largest houses in Ireland including Carton House (see this month's "Great Escape"). The website has a thorough history of the house, which last changed hands in 1998 when John Lynch bought it and began restoration.

Although a townhouse, this is a large and flexible space, with each floor running to some 130 sqm. Perfect for both corporate entertainment and for private parties and promotions, the interior is furnished with priceless Irish antiques mixed with modern Irish art in an idiosyncratic, but wholly sympathetic way, evidence of Lynch's wide-ranging taste.

Lynch is available for functions to answer questions about the house, and is a mine of information. What looked like a simple piece of furniture might not only have a whole story behind it, but that story may be indicative of the recent history of Ireland. So, for instance, in the library a Victorian yew wood dumb waiter in three tiers was hand-carved by Arthur Jones for the Dublin Industrial Exhibition of 1865. The top is surmounted at each corner by finials in the form of ruined turrets, a passing reference to the poor state of the country at the time it was carved. It is further detailed with shamrocks, a small act of rebellion when such pride and nationalism might be frowned upon by the authorities.

Although ideal for an evening dinner, it is possible to base a function in one of the other rooms, with the largest being the picture room (50 theatre-style, 20 boardroom, 30 classroom) and the dining room. Catering is by Audrey McDonald and John Carty.

TRINITY COLLEGE

College Green; tel +353 1 896 1177; tcd.ie/conferences

The most famous single visitor attraction in Dublin, Trinity College is a beautiful 40-acre campus with historic buildings, cobbled squares and green areas right in the centre of the city. Conferences are hosted in both the Arts Building (Trinity Conference Centre) and Hamilton Building (Hamilton Conference Centre). In the Arts Building there are six tiered theatres with capacities from 100 to 406. In addition there are a number of flat classrooms which seat 10 to 150 delegates, and two concourses which provide extensive exhibition/poster space.

In the Hamilton Conference Centre there are eight tiered theatres ranging from 66 to 300 seats. The theatres are fully equipped with audio-visual equipment which has been recently upgraded and is included in room hire rates. Wireless internet is available in the theatres and concourses (fee payable). Catering can be arranged with lunch served in the wood-panelled Dining Hall, which is also the venue of choice for gala dinners.

Overnight accommodation is available, much of it recently renovated, and is bookable by delegates through the website. There is also the possibility of arranging gala eveings at Trinity, including private tours and a private view of the Book of Kells.

CROKE PARK

Jones's Road; tel +353 1 819 2303; crokepark.ie

Located on Dublin's north side (the airport side), Croke Park is the home of Gaelic Football in a 82,500-capacity stadium. As you'd expect, the venue is huge, with conference suites for up to 800 and meeting rooms for 10 to 75 people. There are over 5,000 sqm of conference and exhibition space, along with 87 meeting rooms, eight suites, a large foyer and reception areas overlooking the ground.

The venue can be used for conferences, private dining, product launches, exhibitions, training courses and press conferences. All rooms have natural daylight with full automatic blackout and feature remote-controlled lighting, audio-visual technology, ISDN and wireless broadband. The stadium has full disabled access. Function suites feature spacious foyer areas and all meeting rooms overlook the hallowed ground. Event organisers also have the option of allocating time for a guided tour through the stadium to capture the essence of what makes Croke Park a truly inimitable venue.

Accomodation is available at the four-star Jurys Doyle Hotel. Working in partnership with the stadium, Jurys Croke Park Hotel has recently opened directly opposite the Hogan Stand on Jones's Road. The hotel offers 232 luxury bedrooms, an executive floor and lounge, a gym, and a lively bar and bistro.

JAMESON

Old Jameson Distillery, Bow Street, Smithfield; tel +353 1 807 2355; jamesonwhiskey.com/visitorcentres

The Jameson distillery tour has been open some 10 years, but recently underwent a 12-week Eur 5 million complete renovation to increase capacity in certain areas, add technology and increase the enjoyment of those taking the tour. The renovations also opened up the entrance area, adding a mezzanine level for the restaurant and a new bar – JJ's has superceded the previous Coopers Bar, with the addition of a glass floor to show some of the original wash vats of the distillery, and lighting from chandeliers of Tipperary crystal. The 80-seater auditorium now has a larger screen, there is a new grain store, and all tours which last one hour end with a tutored tasting.

The venue is used to dealing with an international clientele: 92 per cent of its 230,000 visitors are from overseas. A popular location for events (it hosts approximately three functions per week), Jameson can take up to 300 for dinner in all areas, while the expanded banqueting room – now the "Sine Metu" suite – seats 200 for dinner, or 400 for a stand-up buffet. Typically group size is between 100 and 250, with private dining available for up to 50.

There are a number of packages available, including "The Shindig" with welcome cocktails, five-course meal and evening entertainment; new for this year are plans for shared or combined nights for smaller groups wanting to experience a larger entertainment. Popular gifts include a personalised bottle of Jameson Distillery Reserve (12-year-old) whiskey or a hip flask with a 12-year-old Jameson.

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