Discovering Northern Ireland

If you are someone who is inclined to count the pennies before spending your money, there are good reasons for choosing to hold your forthcoming conference or business event north of the border. The sterling/euro exchange rate is very favourable to those of us who use the common European currency and is likely to become even more so as Britain stumbles towards its departure from the EU. As a result, conference venues, hotel accommodation and catering across Northern Ireland are much more affordable than their equivalents south of the border.

And if you are as interested in quality as cost, then Northern Ireland can more than match the Republic or Great Britain when it comes to venues. The SSE Arena in Belfast, for example, has a maximum seating capacity of 10,800, but the building’s inbuilt flexibility allows for a more ‘intimate’ theatre-style configuration for groups of about 2,500 people. Nearby, the Waterfront is a state-of-the-art conference facility that can accommodate up to 5,000 delegates, with plenty of additional exhibition space for trade exhibits, etc.

Then, dotted across Northern Ireland, you will find a host of smaller conference and meeting facilities in venues ranging from five-star hotels to historic banqueting halls and family-run boutique establishments.

Practicalities aside, there are loads of attractions and activities in Belfast and surrounding districts to inspire the imagination, broaden your horizons and, if travelling in a group, bring you and your colleagues closer together.

For many, the main event is Titanic Belfast, which last year was voted the world’s leading tourist destination. For corporate visitors, there are private suites available, with special access to the replica of the ship’s iconic Grand Staircase. If your travelling party comprises those of a scientific or engineering bent, or if you are travelling with kids, big or small, then the W5 Centre, almost next-door to Titanic Belfast, is strongly recommended.

If you or your delegates are more interested in the world of the imagination, whisk them over to Castle Ward, overlooking Strangford Lough, where the 1,000 acre estate has been used to stage more than 30 locations in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones

"We get people from all over the world visiting Castle Ward because of Game of Thrones," says Stephen Porter, founder of the PD Group, which manages visitor attractions on the National Trust-owned property. "Today, we had people from Kenya and Korea, yesterday we had people from Anchorage and Honolulu who had travelled to Northern Ireland specifically to see Game of Thrones locations. We do quite a bit of business-related travel, with a whole range of activities. If you have a client visiting who is interested in Game of Thrones, we can organise a helicopter tour over the estate and a meeting with one of the actors from the show."

For more traditional corporate entertaining activity, Northern Ireland is a golf-lover’s paradise. Portstewart Golf Club hit the headlines at the start of July as hosts of the Irish Open, but Royal Portrush, Royal County Down, and Galgorm Castle are deservedly internationally famous for their facilities and the golfing challenge they provide.

In the 1770s, English lexicologist Samuel Johnson visited the Giant’s Causeway on the north Antrim coast and later declared it to be “worth seeing, but not worth going to see”, but to be fair, the man of letters had travelled by coach and horses and sailing boat from London. Air, sea and land connections are now much better than they were 250 years ago.

"What surprises visitors to the Causeway Coast is how close everything is," says Matt Wright of Causeway Coasteering. "It is only a 10-minute drive from Dun Luce Castle to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, but there is so much in between.

“We take groups out on a raw adrenaline adventure, using the north Antrim coastline as a playground and people love it. We show them sea caves and waterfalls that are only yards from the road, but that you can’t see at ground level. It’s a total sensory experience – they hear the crash of the waves, they touch the sea anemones and they taste the edible seaweed.”

Something for everyone, and good value too. Northern Ireland is certainly worth considering for both business and pleasure travel.