A bleisure break is (you guessed it) a break combining business and leisure. The reason we thought we’d bring it up is that we think Ireland might just be the best place you could possibly go for a business and leisure break.

Firstly, the Irish approach to business has always been geared towards incorporating leisure. We know how important it is that your meeting or conference runs smoothly and professionally, but we also know how important it is that everyone winds down afterwards – whether that be with a round of golf, a spa treatment or a pint or two of Guinness.

There’s also the proximity of everything in Ireland. On the recent Northern Ireland Business Tourism Expo delegates didn’t just experience a conference and a gala dinner, they got out to see the world famous Giant’s Causeway. How many places can you hold a conference where delegates can see one of the world’s most fascinating natural wonders in an afternoon trip?

Our current Dublin’s Doorstep Initiative is another variation on this – the whole idea being that conference planners can find the perfect incentive venue right on the doorstep of the city. Venues like Glasson Hotel and Golf Club and Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa are perfect for both business and leisure, and within easy reach of the business hub of Dublin and Dublin Airport. With other cities, finding venues like that within such easy reach of the city centre just doesn’t happen!

So what do you reckon? Is ‘bleisure’ going to stick? Do you agree that there could be a better destination than Ireland for a bleisure break?

To be frank, we’re not sure why they’re all that surprised. Dublin’s hoteliers have been offering great rates for quite a while now. This news focuses on consumer city breaks, but for business travel it’s clear that Dublin and Ireland offer fantastic value for money, isn’t it?

Maybe that’s just us, and if you’re reading this then no doubt you’ve checked out our offers site -  www.irelandmeansbusiness.com -  so will know the kind of great rates that Ireland’s hotels have been offering for meeting planners.

What do you think, is Ireland good value for money for business?

Our role is to help you discover Ireland’s impressive and eclectic business tourism product. Call us for a chat about your plans and we’ll give you a glimpse of the possibilities that exist for you. If you’ve got a little more time, give us a brief of your exact requirements and we’ll suggest entire event itineraries, from arrival in the country, to the most appropriate conference venues, entertainment and activities, dining out and clubbing. If you’re a regular reader of this blog and like to keep up with the pace of change in what destinations offer, you will know that Ireland is one of Europe’s most developed business tourism markets, offering modern convention centres, advanced facilities and high levels of service enhanced by the natural warmth of Irish hospitality. We’re here to make all that Ireland has to offer available to you, with access not only to the well known venues, but also to those unique hidden gems that will amaze and inspire.

To enable us to present the best of Ireland to you, simply contact us with your brief and we’ll discuss your ideas and requirements before setting to work and creating some breathtaking solutions. This is about ensuring you and your delegates have a meaningful and valuable visit to our country. No matter what budget your event has we want to exceed your expectations and assist you in achieving your objectives. When we’ve shown you what can be achieved in Ireland, we know you’ll want to go back, which is great for us, great for Ireland and great for you.

It’s the Ireland of world-class meetings, events and convention hotels and venues with advanced communication facilities and experienced teams delivering fantastically executed, well-organised business events and exclusive hospitality during international games at world-class sports stadiums.

It’s the Ireland of buzzing modern cities, diverse destinations, exclusive attractions and stunning landscapes. Besides its friendly pubs and bars, for those in the know, a day in Dublin can be a morning of designer label shopping, an afternoon at an informative and engaging conference, before relaxing in a spa and then enjoying an evening of fine dining at any of the city’s wide choice of stylish restaurants.

The UK market is one of Ireland’s most important for business tourism and our role is to ensure that event organisers here understand the Ireland that we know so well. We’re using every resource possible, stake holder partnerships, exhibitions, events, promotions, familiarisation trips, videos, presentations, meetings, public relations, the internet and social media to bring the Ireland we know, to those that need to know there is an inspiring option for the UK that’s closer to home in so many ways than many other European destinations. It’s all about raising awareness of Ireland as a place to do business and to do business events well. We’re sharing our experiences, and by commenting on this blog, you can share your experiences of business tourism in Ireland with us; go on, tell us about the Ireland you’ve discovered. Over to you…

Lunch Reception at The Lanesborough
For the St. Patrick’s Day Lunch Reception at The Lanesborough, we’ve again teamed up with Convention Centre Dublin (just like we did at Confex in February!) to transform The Belgravia room at the hotel into a hub of Irish celebration. The lunch will evoke the best of Ireland, with live Irish music and dancers, fine wines and refreshments, followed by a presentation on the Convention Centre Dublin.

We’ve created this celebration to bring together our partners and stakeholders and help them convey the special qualities Ireland offers as a business tourism destination to leading events folk, including many from the UK trade media. It’s a chance to capture the St. Patrick’s Day spirit and leave guests feeling enchanted by Irish charm. And to ensure they don’t forget it, as they leave, guests will each receive a ‘goodie bag’ filled with items that further promote the inspiration of Ireland.

Horse Racing Breaks Promotion at Cheltenham
Ireland is well-known for its spectacular international horse racing events held in stunning locations such as The National Hunt in Punchestown, Blarney Horse Trials at Blarney Castle and The Irish Derby at Curragh. Eager to seize the opportunity, Tourism Ireland is joining forces with Horse Racing Ireland and goracing.ie to spread the word about the very special experiences available at Irish horse racing events. These breaks work incredibly well when included in incentive trips and used for after meeting get togethers, so the Horse Racing Breaks in Ireland promotion on St Patrick’s Day at Cheltenham Racecourse will raise awareness and offer the chance to ‘Go Racing in Ireland for Free’.

Leaflets will be distributed to all race goers at Cheltenham offering free tickets to race meetings on a number of key dates on the Irish racing calendar.

Giving a new meaning to the phrase ‘Go Green’ Irish entertainment will feature throughout the day with Irish music, dance and street theatre all combining to create an Irish festival feeling. And just in case that is not enough Irishness, all race goers will be given a St Patrick’s Day rosette so that they can show just how much they love Ireland.

Cailin presents the iconic Aviva Stadium and explains how it will become known worldwide as one of Ireland’s new world class venues, capable of hosting not only fantastic sporting events, but will also have advanced facitilites for business tourism events.

You can view all the videos in the series on the YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/IrelandMeansBusiness) and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@Ireland_MICE) join the LinkedIn group and become a fan on Facebook.

At Confex, along with having a big green stand that no one could miss (and why would they want to, we were serving traditional Irish coffee!) we also teamed up with Convention Centre Dublin to create an Irish themed lunch reception in Earls Court’s Westminster Room.  The room was filled with industry big wigs, from event organisers, to trade journalists to prolific event using clients.  All came together to celebrate the much anticipated launch of Dublin’s brand new venue and enjoy the spirit of Ireland with a thumping live Irish music band, tasty Irish food and a few glasses of wine; it was quite a bash!

The folks from Convention Centre Dublin gave everyone an update on the new venue’s advanced facilities (a blossoming characteristic of business tourism in Ireland) and just in case they didn’t get the message, all left with a goody bag that was packed to thrill with chocolates, an Irish candle and a visually impressive DVD presentation on what to expect from the new convention centre.

So as you can see, we had a great show, with a steady flow of activity. On the stand we had plenty of promising conversations with buyers and clients interested in learning more about business tourism in Ireland, and even better, these were complemented by a healthy number of genuine business leads.

David Boyce, Head of Business Tourism at Tourism Ireland comments, “We were delighted with Confex this year. Our creative and welcoming stand represented the best of Irish innovation and hospitality, with visitors happily sampling a little piece of Ireland in London. The success of the show for us was evident in the good number of enquiries and leads we generated for Irish business tourism, and confirms that trade shows are an effective way to change perceptions and get our business tourism message to those that are looking for inspiration.”

We spoke to Miriam in the spectacular Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, she told us that Dublin is the youngest city in Europe (impressive, huh?) and exactly why a business visitor would want to come to Dublin, now.

You can view all the videos in the series on the YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/IrelandMeansBusiness) and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@Ireland_MICE) join the LinkedIn group and become a fan on Facebook.

Next Tuesday we’ll post our interview with Cailin Keaney, Sales and Marketing Manager at the exciting new Aviva Stadium.