GALWAY has gone big in London’s West End — with the city’s shiny new Dexcom Stadium and Galway Convention Bureau among the Irish names pitching for lucrative conference and corporate event business from some of Britain’s top event planners.
The West was flying the flag at Tourism Ireland’s ‘Ireland Meets the West End’ event in London, where 36 British business event buyers sat down with 36 Irish tourism businesses for a packed day of face-to-face meetings.
Around 720 one-to-one appointments were held on the day, with Tourism Ireland saying the aim is to land business events for Ireland in 2027 and beyond.
Galway at Ireland Meets the West End: who was there
Pictured at the London event were Max Reid of Dexcom Stadium and Una Murphy of Galway Convention Bureau, alongside Linda Duncan of Tourism Ireland and Zach Povey of Principal Global Events, one of the British event organisers in the room.
The buyers are the people who decide where companies hold their conferences, incentive trips, product launches and big corporate gatherings — and every one of them who picks Galway brings hotel bookings, restaurant tables and taxi fares with them.
It is the latest push by the West to win overseas business. Just days ago, Kylemore Abbey, Killary Fjord and a Galway tour firm flew the flag at World Travel Market in London.
Why business tourism matters so much to Galway
Business visitors are big spenders. Galway Convention Bureau, the city’s official conference body, says a business tourist is worth roughly three times as much as a leisure tourist to the local economy.
That matters in a region where many tourism businesses depend on a short summer season. As we reported recently, a host of Clifden businesses shut up shop for the winter — and conferences, meetings and corporate events are one of the few types of tourism that can fill rooms from October to March.
Business events are promoted abroad under the Meet in Ireland brand, which Tourism Ireland runs to sell the country to meeting, incentive, conference and event (MICE) organisers.
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Dexcom Stadium: from rugby ground to conference venue
Dexcom Stadium, the home of Connacht Rugby on College Road, was officially opened after its redevelopment on 24 January 2026 by President Catherine Connolly. According to the Government announcement of the official opening, the project was backed by €20 million from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund and the ground now holds more than 12,000 people.
But it is not just about match days. The stadium is marketing itself as a venue for meetings and events, with space for conferences of up to 800 delegates and gala dinners for more than 500 guests, and around 4,600 hotel rooms in the surrounding area.
It has already shown what it can do off the pitch: the European Big Data Value Forum 2026 was held at the venue on 30 September and 1 October.
On the pitch, it has been a mixed few weeks — Connacht were hammered 50-5 by Leinster at Dexcom Stadium last month. Off it, the venue team is clearly playing a longer game.
Tourism Ireland targets 7,500 commercial meetings
Tourism Ireland says it is aiming for 7,500 commercial meetings between overseas buyers and Irish tourism businesses this year, with events like Ireland Meets the West End a key part of that drive.
Overseas tourism delivered more than €6.4 billion for the Irish economy in 2025, according to Tourism Ireland.
The London event has become a regular fixture. At last year’s Ireland Meets the West End, 37 British buyers took part.
What it means for Galway and Connemara
If the London meetings turn into bookings, the knock-on effect would be felt well beyond the venue itself — in city hotels, restaurants, pubs, transport firms and tour operators bringing delegates out to Connemara for a day away from the conference hall.
Galway is also getting better connected: the long-awaited Galway City Ring Road has finally got the green light, and visitor attractions across the county continue to grow, with Irish whiskey distilleries, including Ahascragh in Co Galway, drawing over a million visitors.
What happens next
Business events are booked a long way out, so the real payoff from London will not be seen for a year or more. The deals being discussed now are for conferences and corporate trips in 2027 and beyond.
For Galway, the message to British event planners is simple: there is a brand-new stadium, a dedicated convention bureau and a city that knows how to throw a party. Now it is up to the buyers to sign on the dotted line.
Sources: Tourism Ireland press release, 9 November 2026; gov.ie; Meet in Ireland.
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