The Irish capital’s brand-new convention centre is providing a timely boost to its conference and event industry. Sara Turner takes a look
Dublin has a new venue that is set to revitalise its meeting and event industry – the long-awaited Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), which opened on the banks of the River Liffey last month.
The development has been excitedly received, and not just because of the extra business it will bring to the city. The curving, glass-fronted structure has even got the country’s literary figures waxing lyrical – Irish poet Micheal O’Siadhail’s description of its “tilted drum and sun-filled honeycomb” conveys accurately the sense of light and space inside.
As Irish tourism minister Mary Hanafin points out, the CCD’s location is also a major plus. “It has the advantage of being slap-bang in the centre of the city, on the Liffey and surrounded by hotels,” she says. “We’ve all gone to cities when you don’t see outside the conference centre because it’s in some huge place a couple of miles out of town. What’s been offered in Dublin is a wrap-around experience. There’s a lot of glass and natural light, meaning you have a magnificent aspect on the city.”
The CCD was designed by Pritzker prize-winning and Irish-born architect Kevin Roche, who was part of the team behind the United Nations headquarters in New York – he also designed the Pyramids, a set of three distinctive office buildings in Indianapolis. This is Roche’s first Irish project, however, at the age of 88.
At the launch, Roche explained how a previous project for a scientific laboratory provided inspiration. “When the scientists are in their labs, they work, but when they get out in the corridors they really start talking to each other,” he said. Similarly, at conferences, networking time is often as important as the period spent in the auditorium. So he created light-filled alcoves and wide corridors with floor-to-ceiling windows.
When working on the design, Roche spent hours at other convention centres, studying the movement of people – how everyone from an exhibitor to a chef entered the building and navigated it. This movement is what inspired one of the main focal points of the CCD – the crisscrossing escalators that transport people up and down the building, which immediately catch your eye when you enter. Step on and you’ll enjoy stunning views of Dublin’s skyline as you ascend.
Roche said the idea for using escalators as a design feature came from a lack of space: “The central problem was that we had a very large, ambitious programme on a relatively small site.” The CCD is stacked vertically rather than being laid out horizontally like many convention centres – the 2,000-seat auditorium takes up the top floors, and below it are the banqueting and exhibition venues.
As well as being something of an architectural coup for Dublin, the new venue forms a major part of the government’s recovery plan for Ireland, which was hit hard by the global recession. Under the same management (NEC Group) as the National Exhibition Centre and International Convention Centre in Birmingham, the extra capacity it has given the city’s convention portfolio should help it to attract more heavyweight gatherings.
To date, the centre has secured 150 events, which will bring in more than EUR110 million – the value of an international association conference delegate over the period of their stay is estimated to be EUR1,507. The country’s aim is to double its business tourism revenue to EUR1 billion by 2013.
To attract customers, the CCD has invested heavily in technology. Nick Waight, its chief executive, says: “It’s been really important for us to differentiate ourselves from other venues in terms of technology. That’s partly because we’re brand new and that’s expected of us.” The new venue has wifi throughout – in the auditorium the system will support 2,000 concurrent users at any one time. It also has a state-of-the-art digital sign system – the 150 screens are individually controlled and can display logos, videos, conference programmes and live feeds, or be used for directing people to where they need to go.
There are also large multi-touch information tables – “like big iPads”, Waight says – that delegates can use to find their way around, check timetables or surf the web. In addition, the CCD has just launched a smartphone application, and in the future, face recognition for entry into meetings should be possible.
With new event venues such the Aviva Stadium and Grand Canal Theatre also opening earlier this year (see previous page), and the airport’s Terminal 2 set to open next month, Dublin is certainly positioning itself as a major player in the international meetings market.
Visit theccd.ie, meetinireland.com
Incentive idea: hurling
Fancy trying your hand at the fastest field team game in the world? If so, try hurling, one of Ireland’s most popular sports, with a history dating back to 1,200BC. It is played with a stick made of ash, called a “hurley” – it looks like a short, fat hockey stick – and a hard leather ball called a sliotar (pronounced “slither”).
A little like lacrosse or hockey, the game is played at breakneck speed – the sliotar can travel at up to 180 kmph. Master the art of flicking the ball off the ground, balancing it on the end of the stick as you run, and whacking the ball to the far end of the pitch – all vital skills of the game.
Experience Gaelic Games offers everything from a full day at a Gaelic Athletics Association club, including lunch and a tournament, to a four-hour intensive training session at a location of your choice. You can also try your hand at Gaelic football or handball. Groups of any size can be catered for, although as hurling is a team game, at least ten would be best. Visit experiencegaelicgames.com or call +353 1830 0730 for more information.
The CCD: fast facts
- The CCD claims to be the only carbon-neutral convention centre in the world. Reduced carbon concrete was used to build it, as well as beech from sustainable forests, and any C02 produced during construction has been offset.
- There are 22 meeting spaces that can cater for three to 3,000 delegates. In total it holds 8,000.
- The largest event hall is the Forum. At 2,721 sqm, it can accommodate 3,000 people theatre-style.
- The second-largest is the Liffey suite – at 1,650 sqm, it divides into two and seats more than 1,800 delegates theatre-style.
Other event venues
Aviva Stadium
Another of Dublin’s newest venues is the 50,000-seat Aviva Stadium, which opened in May and is the home of Irish rugby. While there has been a stadium on this site since 1872, the new structure offers improved seating and more possibilities for events. It has more than 50 spaces on five levels, for between two and 1,100 people. These include 36 boxes that have unrivalled views of the pitch and can be hired out for match-day corporate hospitality and meetings. The Media room, for up to 190 people, offers fully integrated audio-visual equipment and three translation booths, as well as a reception, photographer, hot-desk area, journalists’ suite and VIP entrance.
- Lansdowne Road; tel +353 1238 2300; avivastadium.ie
Grand Canal Theatre
Part of the Docklands redevelopment programme that also includes the CCD, the Grand Canal Theatre opened in March. The 2,111-seat venue was built to host touring productions, and the design was inspired by the ships that would once have floated past the site on the Liffey. The front entrance is built to resemble stage curtains as they open. The Circle Club holds 200 people theatre-style, with canal views – to create a sense of occasion, delegates can arrive by boat, as there is a landing point right in front.
- Grand Canal Square, Docklands; tel +353 1674 2407; grandcanaltheatre.ie
Royal Dublin Society (RDS)
Formed in 1731 to promote the development of arts, agriculture, industry and science, the RDS premises have been based at its current site since 1879 – architect James Hoban, who designed the White House in Washington DC, studied here. Today, it remains one of Ireland’s largest exhibition venues, with 20,000 sqm of space. There are ten multi-purpose conference and exhibition halls that can be hired out – the largest is Hall Eight, part of the Simmonscourt Complex, which can host up to 6,500 theatre-style. There are also three smaller meeting rooms decorated in grand neo-Georgian style, for between 70 and 150 people.
- Merrion Road, Ballsbridge; tel +353 1240 7229; rds.ie
Number Ten
Overlooking the Liffey, this private venue offers an opportunity to get inside one of Dublin’s Georgian townhouses. The four-storey building was originally a city abode for the first Earl of Belvedere, Robert Rochfort. It was later occupied by David La Touche, who started the first private bank in Ireland using the house as a base – the vault is still in the basement. Today, it is owned by Irish antique and art enthusiast John Lynch, who runs it as an upscale meeting and event space, and uses the rooms to showcase his collection. The venue can only be hired exclusively, so offers a high degree of confidentiality.
- 10 Lower Ormond Quay; tel +353 1878 7416; no10dublin.com
Mansion House
The Round room in the Mansion House – home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin – dates back to 1821, when it was built to welcome King George IV. Just under a century later, however, it was here that Ireland’s Declaration of Independence from Britain was ratified. The curved room, with a semi-circular balcony above, makes an unusual space for banquets or meetings. It measures 30 metres in diameter and can host 700 people theatre-style.
- Dawson Street; tel +353 1676 7200; mansionhouse.ie
Ireland’s oldest university was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. Today, it remains one of the most prestigious places to study, but can also be used for events. The Long room in the Old Library, which opened in 1732, is one of the most interesting – it can be used for receptions of up to 250 delegates. It was once thought that a copy of every book ever printed could be stored under the library’s vaulted ceiling. Also housed in the building is the Book of Kells, which dates back to the ninth century and contains the four gospels in Latin with intricate illuminations around the text. The lecture theatres can also be used for conferences and, for banquets, the 18th-century dining hall can host 252 people.
- College Green; tel +353 1896 1177; tcd.ie
Hilton Dublin Kilmainham
This Hilton, built on the site of an old chocolate factory, is ten minutes’ drive from the city centre so offers a light reprieve from the busy capital. It opened in 2007, and has nine meeting rooms on the ground and lower-ground floors, holding from ten people classroom-style to 150 for a reception. Hilton has another two properties in the city – the Hilton Dublin overlooks the Grand Canal and has four meeting rooms for up to 400 people, and the Hilton Dublin Airport has nine venues for up to 350 delegates.
- Visit hilton.co.uk
Radisson Blu
Rezidor has three hotels under this brand in Dublin – the Radisson Blu St Helen’s, built in 1750, the new-build Radisson Blu Royal, which opened in the centre in 2007, and the Radisson Blu, Dublin Airport. All have event spaces – St Helen’s offers stately-home grandeur, with 11 rooms for up to 350 people; the more contemporary Royal has 15 rooms (including a video-conferencing suite) holding up to 400; and the airport property has 27 venues for up to 300.
- Visit radissonblu.com
