A major aim of the founders of the IAAT when they sat down to form the association was to create an annual conference to bring all of the industry stakeholders together to share ideas, network and gain insight from industry experts.
On the 5th December 2018, only 8 months after the association was launched, a group of IAAT members along with industry stakeholders assembled in Mullingar, Westmeath for the inaugural Adventure Tourism Conference which was supported by Westmeath County Council. The first day gave delegates a chance to explore the soft adventure offering in Mullingar, cycling the Royal Canal Greenway/Blueway and visiting Belvedere House and Gardens.
The following day the delegates assembled in the Mullingar Park Hotel to hear from a wide range of speakers and panels. The Keynote speech was delivered by Entrepreneur, Broadcaster and former Dragon Bobby Kerr who gave fantastic tips on how to achieve success in business and life. The topics were varied and included updates from Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly and Tourism Ireland’s Mark Henry on upcoming global marketing plans. Panels also discussed guiding standards, trail development and marketing. Maura Lyons, manager of Leave no trace Ireland provided insight in plans to work with the sector to develop new training standards and this was followed by a presentation from Noel Doyle, PhD researcher from IT Tralee.
Below you can download a selection of the presentations from the day.
Paul Kelly, CEO Fáilte Ireland
Fiona Monaghan, Head of Activities, Fáilte Ireland
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, CEO, ITIC
Maura Lyons, Manager, Leave no Trace Ireland
Noel Doyle, PhD candidate, IT Tralee
Martin Devaney, Regis Mutual Management
Dates and details for the 2019 conference will be announced next Spring so watch this space…
