This week's announcement by Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave that his annual tech industry event would be departing Dublin for Lisbon has elicited reactions ranging from dismay to anger to indifference.
“ If we are to deliver to our attendees the experience they demand and they pay good money for, we have to move,” Mr Cosgrave said. This has been interpreted as a not-so-veiled criticism of the quality of infrastructure available here to support an event which has grown quickly from humble beginnings to attracting 30,000 attendees per annum. Reports last year of disastrously substandard wifi at the RDS and of exorbitant hotel rates add to the impression that Dublin has lost out to a competitor due to inferior facilities and price gouging
The truth may be a little more nuanced. While the Web Summit received some financial support from state agencies here, the overall sum fell well short of the €1.3 million euro per year which Portugese media reports suggest will be paid by local authorities in Lisbon for the privilege of acting as host city.
There is no doubt the Web Summit made a significant contribution to Dublin. It has been estimated the move will lead to a loss of €7.5 million for the restaurant industry alone, although Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has suggested that there is plenty of other business available to make up any shortfall. What impact, if any, there might be on the indigenous tech sector is much harder to quantify.
But in a week when the Government announced the further deferral of an underground rail line for Dublin, it is worth noting that Victorian facilities will no longer suffice when it comes to competing internationally. Craic and much that is compelling in the city frequently adds to the Dublin experience for conference goers. But obvious shortcomings cannot be left un-addressed.
Mr Cosgrave is to be congratulated on the success of his creation, and it is to be hoped that he and his Irish-based company continue to thrive. It will also be interesting to observe how well the Web Summit, which has traded heavily on its Irish location and identity, develops in its new location.