Well, if you’ve travelled through a record-breaking extratropical cyclone to get to the BestCities global craic in Dublin, hosted by Convention Bureau chief Sam Johnston, why wouldn’t you?!
The 2025 edition of the BestCities Global Forum in the Irish capital did indeed feature both pubs and the greatest of craics, amid which the Director at DELARO Pty Ltd and IGU World Gas Conference veteran, Rodney Cox, raised the subject of what motivates, if at all, a national association to bid for the sector’s international association conference. The international events and association specialist argues that these organisations are often neither equipped nor competent bidders, compounded by being naturally risk averse.
Yet without a national association being prepared to raise their hands – and however great the BestCities may be, says Cox, “there ain’t no event in that city!”
“I’ll go to my grave wondering why some of them [national associations] put their hand up.”
The pathway to successful bids on the part of the national associations may well be closer to home, argues Nicola McGrane, CEO of Dublin-based Conference Partners International (CPI). The Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO) chair has long been at the forefront of securing bids for international associations in partnership with Ireland’s leaders drawn from the ranks of its intellectual capital.
McGrane is an ardent change agent, determined to advance government and social policies using business and professional events. For 27 years, she and her organisation have actively sought charismatic entrepreneurs, academics, and consultant doctors from national organisations and supported them in securing bids that align to strategic policy goals of local or federal government. The Iceberg’s first ever report from CityDNA Summer School in 2017, featured McGrane in video #2 – Business Events: Change Agents or Travel Agents? – and last year’s report featuring Fáilte Ireland’s Paul Mockler illustrated that McGrane was already on message when the national DMO unveiled its Business Events Strategy – Ireland Adopts Business Events Strategy – For Tourism & Beyond.
