The Chairperson of Dublin City Council’s Enterprise and Economic Development Committee, Cllr Paul McAuliffe, has said the lack of hotel beds in Dublin was a key factor in the decision to relocate the Web Summit.
Cllr McAuliffe has said it is extremely disappointing that the premier technology networking event, which was started in Dublin, will for the first time be moving abroad next year.
“Paddy Cosgrave and the Web Summit team are an amazing example of how a small Dublin start-up really can compete on the global stage. I believe this decision is a warning about the capacity Dublin City has to host such large scale conferences and events,” the Fianna Fáil Councillor said.
“There is no doubt that the shortage of hotel beds and the increasing cost of accommodation along with transport concerns are real challenges conference organisers. At next week’s Enterprise Committee we have planned to establish a working group of industry experts to report on the key bottlenecks in the Dublin tourism sector and in particular to look at the issue of hotel bed capacity. The decision of the Web Summit to move locations will no doubt inform their deliberation. I look forward to the recommendations of that working group and to incorporating those recommendations into the city’s economic plan for 2016 and beyond.
“We need to pull together the key stakeholders in Dublin’s tourism sector and examine how we can remain competitive and continue to attract large scale events. It is imperative that a huge effort is made to ensure we can retain as many of these high value international events as possible.”