Ireland - Host City

Dublin wins bid to host ICIS 2016

Convention Centre Dublin (CCD) was designed by the American-Irish architect Kevin Roche opened in September 2010 and won silver in 'Best Overseas Conference Centre' at the M&IT Industry Awards 2011

Dublin has been selected ahead of a number of European cities to host a major international technology conference next year. 

The 37th International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) will take place at the Convention Centre Dublin in December 2016, bringing up to 1,500 delegates to the city.

Dublin was announced as the host city at a meeting in Florida, beating rival bids from Istanbul, Munich and Vienna.  

Hosting the conference will add millions of Euros to Dublin’s economy.

According to Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre, the Dublin bid team has been awarded a grant of EUR 50,000 from Science Foundation Ireland to the host the Conference.

Other organisations backing the conference include destination marketing agency Fáilte Ireland as well as Google, Intel, Microsoft, Realex Payments and SOS Ventures.

The theme of the 2016 conference is “digital innovation at the crossroads”.

ICIS, the international conference of the Association for Information Systems (AIS) was founded in 1980 at UCLA. The first conference was held at the University of Pennsylvania as the "Conference on Information Systems". 

The conference became known as “International” in 1986, through Canadian and European attendance and participation. ICIS was first held outside North America in 1990 when Copenhagen hosted the event.

IRB delighted by interest in 2023 Rugby World Cup

Key public figures in Ireland are highlighting the benefits of hosting the Rugby World Cup

The bidding process for the 2023 Rugby World Cup has yet to be announced but several countries have already expressed an interest, with key figures in Ireland and Argentina speaking out on the subject over the course of the week. 

Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said in an interview with Newstalk that hosting the World Cup would be an achievable target for Ireland, with “at least 50/50” chance of winning a bid.

“It’s probably the biggest thing that Ireland can do, as a small country. You could never really have the Olympics in Dublin; we wouldn’t be able to do the Euros, but we could do the Rugby World Cup.

“New Zealand, which has inferior infrastructure, fewer people and is further away from the big rugby markets did really well.”

Varadkar also stressed that an Irish Rugby World Cup would be a profitable one. “There is a cost of upgrading some of the stadiums… and you do have to pay the IRB a big fee to host it – somewhere in the region of EUR 120m. If we can get more people than came to New Zealand then we can bring in the region of EUR 200m in tax revenues.”

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has not yet set its fees and the bid process is not expected to be launched until later in the year. Nonetheless, countries are positioning themselves early to bid for the event. 

Argentina’s IRB Council Representative Agustin Pichot confirmed in December 2013 that his country would bid for the 2023 event. England player Paul Tait is another longstanding proponent of an Argentinian Rugby World Cup as a way of internationalising the sport.

“With growth comes progress and for international rugby this has seen an increased awareness outside of the traditional strongholds,” Tait wrote on his blog this week. “The landscape will continue to evolve and having Argentina host Rugby World Cup 2023 would contribute to this by directly rewarding excellence and encouraging progress.”

Recent editions of the Rugby World Cup have loosely alternated between Southern and Northern hemispheres. The 2023 edition will follow two northern editions: England 2015 and Japan 2019. 

Whether the IRB will consider a FIFA-style continental rotation policy remains to be seen. The Rugby World Cup is the IRB’s main breadwinner, accounting for more than 90 per cent of revenues. 

And with the IRB investing more than £330m worldwide between 2009 and 2016, a solid financial return from the World Cup will be seen as a major priority to enable the development of the sport internationally – wherever the event is hosted.

Other nations interested in hosting the 2023 World Cup include South Africa, France, Australia and Italy. 

 

"Enormous prestige"

Speaking to HOST CITY from the IRB’s Dublin headquarters, head of communications Dominic Rumbles said “We are delighted that there is such a strong level of initial interest in hosting Rugby World Cup 2023.”

“To see such interest before the tender process has been launched further underscores the enormous prestige of the Rugby World Cup brand in the global marketplace.”

Explaining why there is such interest, he said: “Increasingly, governments and local agencies are seeing the event as a strong economic, trade, tourism, profile and feel-good platform and a means to inspire young people to get active, which is great.”

This view is backed up by Varadkar. “The most important thing from a government point of view is participation,” he said.

“More people are participating in sport than in the past – it’s around 47 per cent now, which is a big improvement. There are health benefits, psychological benefits and there are social benefits, and that’s why governments get involved in sports.”

Speaking to delegates at a Bandon Rugby Football Club event on Thursday, MEP Sean Kelly said a Rugby World Cup bid is “an opportunity for Ireland and we should do all we can to seize it.

“It could be a hugely historical all-island event, with massive economic and tourism benefits.”

The former president of the Gaelic Athletic Association emphasised the strength of the country’s infrastructure – a key consideration in evaluating bids for major sports events. 

“Ireland has excellent sporting facilities and proven ability to successfully host major sporting events, such as the Special Olympics,” said Kelly. 

“Ireland could easily accommodate the 377,000 or more visitors that the Rugby World Cup would bring to the country.”

Ireland submits "historic" bid for 2023 Rugby World Cup

The bid highlights Ireland's large international fan base as an asset (Photo: Ireland 2023)

Ireland has submitted its formal bid document to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup, promising a “tournament like no other, full of Irish spirit, that will capture the imagination of the world and help to drive Rugby’s global momentum.”

Ireland, which has never hosted the tournament before, are joined by former hosts South Africa and France in the race to stage the major international event.

Ireland’s 990-page file set out the candidate’s attributes as a host for the Rugby World Cup in 2023 (RWC 2023), including all the key Government commitments required by World Rugby, promises of “unprecedented commercial success” and the ability to “unlock and engage new audiences for Rugby, including through the infrastructure of the worldwide Irish Diaspora.”

The bid includes a full commitment from the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive to support RWC 2023 as required by Rugby World Cup Limited, including paying the GB£120m tournament fee.

The tournament is said to a priority for the island of Ireland, which comprises the Republic of Ireland and the UK nation of Northern Ireland, who compete as a united team in the sport internationally.

Projecting an overall positive economic impact on the island of Ireland of more than €1.5 billion, the bid highlights the event as Ireland’s “sole focus in terms of a major international sporting event” from the turn of the decade.

In contrast, the French capital of Paris is currently bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Expo. South Africa earlier this year withdrew from hosting 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Ireland’s candidature file was submitted to World Rugby headquarters in Dublin by a delegation led 11 year old “bid kid” Alex Place from Co. Antrim – one of 120 children carrying flags to represent every rugby playing nation of the world. He said “It is a great honour to present this bid document to World Rugby on behalf of all the people of Ireland.”

Dick Spring, Chairman, RWC 2023 Bid Oversight Board, said: “This bid represents the hopes and aspirations of the entire Island and is focussed very firmly on the future, as symbolised by the children who were front and centre of the bid submission today.

“It presents World Rugby with a compelling proposition that combines all the advantages of a traditional Rugby market with the many opportunities of a new one.

“Rugby is hugely popular in Ireland and growing, from this platform Irish sports fans will light up the tournament in the manner they have lit up so many international events around the world over the years, making it memorable for all.

“This bid is grounded in certainty through: unparalleled Government support; the availability and suitability of sold out, iconic stadiums set in the heart of cities and towns; and, of course Ireland’s unrivalled access, through our diaspora, to the North American market. When one adds to that our massive tourism infrastructure one is guaranteed  a tournament like no other for world rugby, visitors and home supporters alike.

The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, said: “This Bid has the total support of the Irish Government. We can guarantee that Ireland has the capacity to deliver a wonderful Rugby World Cup in 2023 which will have the backing of people throughout the island. We will welcome the world to our shores and encourage interest in the game of rugby like never before.”

Sir Malcolm McKibbin, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service said: “This is a historic day. The Rugby World Cup is one of the largest sporting events on the planet. North and south we are passionate about this magnificent sport that brings people together. We are united across the island behind this bid to host the event in 2023 which would give us an unprecedented opportunity to showcase our sporting talent and world class tourism on a global stage.

“In Northern Ireland we have been punching well above our weight for many years when it comes to hosting events with a worldwide audience and I genuinely believe that this bid has what it takes to deliver a spectacular event. I want to pay tribute to everyone involved in putting together the bid which exemplifies the strength of partnership working throughout the island.”

 Shane Ross TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport said: “Today is the culmination of almost five years of work since the IRFU first explored the idea in the aftermath of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, work by the IRFU, the Government, our counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive, and many unsung people working very hard behind the scenes.  I am fully confident we have put in a bid that best reflects Ireland’s strengths, attributes, and our capacity to host a tournament that would do Ireland and World Rugby proud.”

Stephen Hilditch, President, Irish Rugby Football Union: “Ireland has never hosted a Rugby World Cup and we believe choosing Ireland as a first-time host would be a forward-looking step for World Rugby and a signal that Rugby is a truly global game for all. We were inspired to mount this bid by New Zealand’s wonderful hosting of the 2011 tournament and believe that our ‘Global Stadium’ concept will bring a unique cultural dimension to the tournament, acting as a powerful catalyst to Rugby’s worldwide growth.”

“Our bid combines the operational benefits of a small, but dynamic and influential island with the exciting possibilities of an unprecedented international reach for World Rugby. It is a thrilling prospect for all.”

World Rugby will elect the host of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on 15 November 2017.