Tourism Northern Ireland Sales Platforms
Tourism Northern Ireland organise a number of platforms to provide NI industry with the opportunity to engage and connect with international buyers.
Attendance at these platforms can be very beneficial, particularly if you are just starting to look to market your product/experience internationally.
Meet the Buyer Workshop 2024
Meet the Buyer is Tourism NI’s flagship travel trade event. It takes place annually and has grown substantially in recent years.
Following the success of the 2023 Meet the Buyer Workshop, the 2024 event will take place at ICC Belfast on 9th and 10th April. As a result of a significant number of requests from international operators who have attended the event in recent years, the workshop has been extended to 1.5 days for 2024 to facilitate further opportunities for them to meet and do business with more of the Northern Ireland industry.
The event attracts a wide range of pre-qualified international buyers from NI’s core markets. Local industry representatives have the opportunity to meet with the buyers in a series of 1:1 appointments at a workshop. A further valuable informal networking opportunity will also be available for a limited number of NI industry to join the international operators for a Northern Ireland Showcase Networking dinner on the evening of 9th April. We would encourage industry who are attending the event in 2024 to maximise their investment and attend both days of sales appointments and also to join the networking dinner.
A series of pre workshop fam trips will also be offered to the buyers, maximising the opportunity to showcase the destination to them during their stay. A half day mentoring session is also held a few weeks before the event for industry planning to attend for the first time, or returning after time away to ensure they are adequately prepared and equipped to get the most from their attendance at the workshop.
Here is how the 2023 event went:
ITOA Workshop – 2024 Date TBC
ITOA are Ireland’s Incoming Tour Operators Association, who represent 33 of the most prolific tour operators on the island of Ireland. Last year their members delivered 743,500 overseas visitors to Ireland including group tours, independent travelers, incentives and conferences with a spend of €595 million. 2023 was the third year the event has returned to Northern Ireland, providing industry with an opportunity to meet with some of Ireland’s largest and longest established Tour Operators, Handling Agents and DMC’s. The format of the event involves a networking lunch, afternoon workshop and networking dinner.
Here is how the 2023 event went.