Cork Convention Bureau honours UCC conferences

4 Dec 2015

Cork Convention Bureau (CCB) last night honoured UCC in two categories at its annual #CorkNeedsYou Cork Conference Ambassadors Awards.

The George Boole team at UCC received the Academic Award and Geraldine Boylan, Professor of Neonatal Physiology at UCC, won the Association Award.

The Academic Award recognised the extensive series of conferences in Maths and ICT held in Cork during the bicentennial year of George Boole’s birth.

This year’s series of conferences and seminars organised and hosted by UCC to commemorate George Boole brought more than 700 international delegates to Cork, with an economic benefit of more than €1 million accruing to the city.

In October, Professor Boylan brought the 9^th International Conference of Brain Monitoring and Neuroprotection in the Newborn to Cork. Over 280 delegates attended the three-day event, 36% more than originally expected. In fact, it was only the third time the conference was held outside the USA and it was the most successful one yet. Organisers hope to bring the event back to Cork in 2017.

Thanks to all at the Cork Convention Bureau for honouring #BMN2015 @UCC @Cork_Business #CorkNeedsYou #womeninSTEM https://t.co/UwjIMi0IX1

— INFANT Centre (@infantcentre) December 4, 2015

During the awards ceremony, honourees were awarded for bringing international conferences and events to the region.

The prestigious ceremony paid special tribute to winning ambassadors across six categories who have helped secure in excess of €10 million forthe local economy over the past 12 months and who were instrumental in bringing more than 13,000 delegates to Cork in the past year, 7,000 of whom were international delegates.

Looking forward to making @UCC contribution to @CorkNeedsYou awards this evening in #Cork. https://t.co/2urYCyhQio

— Mary Murphy (@MaryCMurphy) December 3, 2015

Among the key guests who attended this year’s black tie awards dinner, hosted by television and radio personality George Hook, were Ard Mhéara Chorcaí, Chris O’Leary; Deputy Mayor of Cork County, Cllr. Michael Hegarty; Minister of State, Kathleen Lynch TD; the Chief Executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty; the President of Cork Chamber, Barrie O’Connell, and Miriam Kennedy, Head of Business Tourism & Events, Fáilte Ireland.

Seamus Heaney, Chairman of Cork Convention Bureau said: “I’m delighted to be here this evening, paying a well deserved tribute to all of our Cork Ambassadors who work tirelessly to deliver valuable business tourism for Cork. To give you a sense of the value of business tourism to the local economy, more than €50 million has been generated in the past eight years here in Cork.

“As we celebrate our award winners here tonight, I would also like to pay tribute to both Cork City Council and Cork County Council for their overall support and for their vision in recognising the value of business tourism to the economy here in Cork.”

Attending Cork Convention Bureau dinner. @ghook is MC for evening. @CorkNeedsYou is wonderful initiative of @corkcitycouncil & @Corkcoco

— Theresa Reidy (@theresareidy) December 3, 2015

A special Ultimate Ambassador Award was presented to the Jameson Experience, Midleton, Co. Cork. The award recognised the unparalleled economic and tourism benefit the Midleton Distillery team delivered for Cork over the past 12 months.

The Special Interest Award this year went to Declan Tyner, District Governor at Rotary Ireland, who this year secured an international Rotary conference for Cork, bringing more than 400 delegates to the city from throughout Ireland, the UK, Portugal and other far flung locations. PepsiCo received the Corporate Ambassador Award this year for bringing its Global EHS Summit Conference to Cork. More than 150 national and international delegates attended the event, which was held over a five day period.

This year’s Special Recognition Award went to Gerardine Lynch, Chairperson of the Marymount International Conference Organising Committee, which hosted its first international conference on Palliative Care and Care of the Older Person in Cork. Gerardine and her dedicated committee were responsible for hosting an extremely successful conference, bringing more than 200 delegates to Cork from 13 different countries. 

Cork convention bureau - Our Ambassadors "we salute you!" Well said Seamus Heaney #CorkNeedsYou @CorkChamber

— boconnell (@barrieoco) December 3, 2015