Our destination features are always popular, but we don’t pretend to always know absolutely everything about every city. There will always be hidden nuggets that others will know. With that in mind, we reached out to the team at ICC Belfast for their insight into one of Ireland’s most exciting cities.
With historical significance on every corner, unique dining experiences, bustling tourist hotspots and iconic hotels, Belfast provides a truly unique backdrop for event planners to create a world-class experience. Head of Sales and Marketing for ICC Belfast, Marie-Claire McGreevy reveals all…
Following the 2021 launch of Belfast’s first resilience strategy and climate plan, an ambitious goal ‘to transition to an inclusive, zero emissions economy in a generation.’ has been set comprising 30 transformational programmes to future-proof the city. In partnership with Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council, ICC Belfast has committed to the development of a sustainable tourism plan as one of the resilience strategy transformational programmes.
Visit Belfast have a dedicated sustainability and impact manager to support and collaborate with event profs on bespoke initiatives to deliver on specific SDGs. In addition to being ranked 8th worldwide in the Global Destinations Sustainability Index, Visit Belfast is tackling food poverty and homelessness in Northern Ireland through its social impact project, Changing the Menu. For Good., which received the 2022 GDS-Movement’s Innovation Award.
69% of all hotel bedrooms in Belfast City Centre are Green tourism accredited. ICC Belfast, the city’s convention centre has achieved a Silver Green Meetings Award and was the first venue on the island of Ireland to be awarded this accreditation.
The city rivals competitors with aplomb. Further investment through the Belfast City Region Deal in tourism-led projects such as Belfast Stories illustrates the growing confidence in NI following the 2016 unveiling of the convention centre’s £29.5M extended facilities.
Securing the top spot for ‘Best Conference Destination’ for 2022 at the highly influential Conference & Incentive Travel (C&IT) Awards in London for a second year in a row, Belfast sidestepped the global competition yet again as an ambitious destination that continues to exceed industry expectations.
Northern Ireland’s premier conference venue, ICC Belfast, was also shortlisted as the UK’s ‘Best Venue’ for events for 2022 for a fifth consecutive year, confirming a leading industry reputation for high calibre staff, cutting-edge innovation and a driving focus on sustainability. ICC Belfast has also held prestigious titles such as the Conference and Event Awards Best Large-Scale Event Venue and Event Technology Awards’ Most Innovative and Tech-Friendly Venue.
Accreditations and affiliations
Belfast is a compact city meaning it is often possible to walk between hotels and venues or key attractions. However, for guests who travel slightly further, there are over 70 hydrogen buses and gliders servicing public transport routes across Belfast and the national transport provider has set an ambitious target to reach Net Zero in 2030.
The city has also introduced various accessibility enhancements across to support increased participation, and deliver on its promise of being a destination that celebrates diversity and champions inclusivity.
In partnership with The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement and the Department for Communities as lead sponsor, Belfast welcomed delegates to positively reframe the narrative on approaching, supporting and enabling persons with disabilities to achieve their career goals when it hosted the Harkin Summit in June 2022.
To ensure a successful set up and event, Belfast underwent leading transformational change before, during and post Summit to be an accessible diverse and inclusive host destination. This included over 80% of ICC Belfast staff and 100% of Visit Belfast visitor servicing staff completing JAM Card training which allows customers to communicate their accessibility needs discreetly, highlighting that they may need a little extra time and patience during their visit.
To allow maximum space and comfort for delegates, a permanent Changing Place was also installed by SYNC Living in the Riverside Foyer area of ICC Belfast, which includes a peninsular toilet, grab rails and a changing bench for visitors requiring additional support.
Over 260 hospitality and tourism professionals in Belfast are now trained in inclusion. The training video, curated by Visit Belfast and NOW Group, was developed specifically for the Harkin Summit and will be rolled out across the city’s tourism and hospitality sector to improve inclusion across the wider industry.
A further legacy initiative of Harkin Belfast was the development of a Social Narrative Access Video to support delegates in navigating their surroundings at ICC Belfast. The video, which covers arrival and complete access to the venue was produced by disabled-led arts charity, University of Atypical.
Under the Northern Ireland Communities Minister, Deirdre Hargey’s direction, the Harkin Belfast legacy initiatives also include 300 ring-fenced employment opportunities for young disabled people, 100 mentoring sessions delivered during the Summit, an eight-week Entrepreneurship Course for young people with disabilities in collaboration with the British Council and a Dragons’ Den for disability led enterprises sponsored by Ulster Bank.
Belfast City Council, as part of the new Belfast tourism strategy, will also be rolling out an accessible tourism programme to build capacity and skills within the tourism sector.
The City of Belfast will continue to utilise the Harkin Summit to learn from global best practice, as a catalyst for further progress and to inform future policy work and initiatives in this area.
Northern Ireland is a powerhouse of innovation and talent. World-leading in cyber security, advanced manufacturing, fintech, life and health sciences and creative industries; Belfast is now ranked in the top 100 international meeting destinations globally. (International Congress and Conventions Association 2023).
The region’s compact size is its strength – home to a dynamic eco-system of SMEs, start-ups and 1,200 global corporations who all come together to welcome business events and meetings to Northern Ireland.
Belfast is fast becoming a global cyber security hub making ICC Belfast the obvious host venue choice for the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) flagship conference, CYBERUK.
In April 2023, Northern Ireland celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. Events marking this historic event across the region highlighted how the foundations of the Peace Process accelerated the prosperous Northern Ireland economy and opened up opportunities for hosting global events like CYBERUK. Belfast’s remarkable business transformation is a testament to the promises made by British, Irish and International Leaders when they signed the agreement in 1998. The city is now considered a centre of excellence for cyber security with prime investment from US firms alongside world-class research at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University.
David Crozier, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen’s University Belfast spoke recently about how Belfast is playing a pivotal part in the UK’s cyber journey:
“In 2009 when Belfast set out to incubate and grow a world-leading cyber security ecosystem, few people took it seriously. In that time, CSIT led the foundation of a research-led cyber security community that has brought on partners from government, industry, entrepreneurship, and the venture capital community to create a vibrant ecosystem that is driving societal and economic impact regionally, nationally, and internationally.”
David Crozier thought leadership
With large-scale hybrid conferences now the norm, ICC Belfast is well established as a market leader with a reputation for innovation thanks to Tourism Northern Ireland’s Experience Development Programme.
Following a successful application, ICC Belfast’s technical infrastructure has expanded significantly, and the convention centre is now fully hybrid by design. Technological enhancements made include 4K PTZ BirdDog P400 cameras in every meeting space as well as a suite of encoders and decoders to allow connectivity between video sources and NDI installation across the venue controlled by a central ‘gallery control’ allowing full vision mixing and streaming of spaces.
The interactivity of conferences has increased exponentially too, with remote and in-person delegates using a hybrid delegate platform to influence discussions and content themes through live Q & A sessions, polls and gamification.
From sea to sky Northern Ireland offers something special. Exceptional giant coastlines meet sublime mountains with eight Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty on its doorstep.
Belfast City Centre offers plenty to see and do from the iconic Titanic Belfast to lush Botanical Gardens and history on every corner.
From Michelin Star restaurants to St. George’s Market and artisan cafes, Belfast’s food scene has something to delight even the most discerning palate.
Beyond the city visitors can embrace Northern Ireland’s Giant Spirit too by taking a drive along the Causeway Coastal Route. Or, if you’re a fan of the hit TV show why not become an honorary Derry Girl and visit all the main filming locations?
For more on Belfast and other venues available for meetings and events, check out our Belfast profile.
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