The European Communities Trade Mark Association 27th Annual Conference – 700 Delegates
Francesco Fabio, Kemia Trademark & Patent Attorneys, Switzerland
“I came back to Switzerland last week from Killarney where the annual conference was held. Such excellent organisation, the best I have ever experienced at the ECTA conference, congratulations!”
Jeremy Pennant, DYoung, United Kingdom
“Thank you and congratulations to you for organising an excellent conference in Killarney- I thoroughly enjoyed it and there was lots of positive feedback. I particularly enjoyed my meal on the Thursday with a table made up with people from Paraguay, the Czech Republic, Canada, France, Israel, Hong Kong and the UK”
Sylvie Harding, Chanel, France
“Congratulations to the organisers of the ECTA conference in Killarney. It is a real success and everything was perfectly organised. We had wonderful evenings and meals. I enjoyed it very much and today feel relief that’s its all over. Munich now has a challenge for next years conference after such a pleasant experience in Killarney.”
GlaxoSmithKline Primary Care and SBU Sales Conference (UK) -1800 Delegates
Suzanna Lawrence, Director Commercial Excellence, GlaxoSmithKline Primary Care and SBU
“I can honestly say that Ireland’s National Event & Conference Centre is one of the, if not the best venue I have ever had the pleasure to deal with. The event has been very demanding from start until finish with numerous changes to the brief and very detailed and specific information required. The Killarney Convention Centre team were always on hand and able to give information almost immediately on most occasions. There was never a time when I was chasing for information which meant that my client was satisfied as her questions were always answered quickly. Where there were issues, suitable solutions were always offered. A great venue to deal with, with a can do attitude!!!”
Google Annual EMEA Sales Conference -2,500 Delegates
John Herlihy, the head of Google in Ireland, saluted the people of Killarney during the Conference for the welcome extended by the town to the company.
“I explained to my colleagues in Europe and the US the meaning of ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ and they certainly appreciated the 100,000 welcomes which met us wherever we went in Killarney. I cannot praise the staff at the Killarney Convention Centre, and staff in the hotels, restaurants and pubs throughout the town highly enough. Their professionalism and service levels were second to none and showcased Killarney, Kerry and Ireland to the very highest standards. The logistics of bringing 2,500 people together from all over Europe is not easy but everything worked very smoothly and we definitely showed that Ireland is among the best locations in Europe for international conferences. I would like to thank all the people of Killarney for the hospitality shown to all of us in Google. My hope is that we can bring the conference back to Killarney again in the future.”
The entertainment element of the conference on the first night – dubbed Gfest – consisted of an outdoor street party on Scott’s Street complete with live music and food stalls, as well as ceilís, karaoke, trad music sessions, storytelling and other events at locations dotted around the town centre. Delegates were free to roam the visitor friendly town at their ease visiting some of the 26 local pubs, as well as coffee shops and restaurants mingling with the locals who are famed the world over for their hospitality. The 2,500 delegates also attended a gala Banquet in the Killarney Convention Centre on the second night, this was the largest banquet ever held in the Killarney Convention Centre.