Eye on Venues

Business Eye had the opportunity to catch up with Steve Daniels, the newly appointed Chairman of the Board and Julia Corkey, Chief Executive of ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall, to talk about the vision and direction for the organisation in 2023.

“First of all, I’m incredibly honoured to be given this opportunity.” explains Steve, who took over from Ellvena Graham as Chairman in November 2022. He continues: “Having been a Non-Executive Director on the Board since 2018, I am excited to continue my commitment to the company and support the team as they continue to deliver world-class events for the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland. The buzz I get when I walk around these fantastic venues is exhilarating – I love meeting the team and genuinely thrive on their energy and passion.

“In fact, the team are the reason this organisation has so much potential, and why people who visit these venues leave with incredible memories from their shared experiences. From the moment you walk into any of these venues you get what we call the ‘Belfast welcome’. And this is not just any hello, it’s a genuinely enthusiastic greeting, often accompanied by banter and recommendations on where best to enjoy the city like a local. Conference delegates visiting for the first time are immediately excited to make the most of their time here.”

Steve, a native South Londoner (he is keen to emphasise South) and unapologetic Millwall F.C. fanatic, has lived in Northern Ireland for over 25 years – and it is very much his home now. His career saw him take on a number of global senior leadership roles in the financial sector and these experiences earned him his reputation for exceptional commercial and business acumen. He also has extensive board experience making him the perfect fit for the role of these venues’ Chairman.

Speaking on his love for Northern Ireland he said: “This place is unique. It’s obviously jaw-droppingly beautiful, but the people make it stand out. In the last quarter of 2022, we hosted over 20 business events and over 80 entertainment events – that’s tens of thousands of delegates and patrons walking our corridors and exploring Belfast for the first time with our research consistently showing that they love the experience. The feedback from delegates is almost always “welcoming”, “enthusiastic” and “engaging”. And it’s our people who help us achieve this.”

Julia adds, dovetailing perfectly with Steve: “During our closure due to the pandemic we took the time to reframe our vision and recalibrate our ambition and now that we’ve been back up and running conferences for almost a year, the trajectory continues to be upwards. The team here work incredibly hard to provide meaningful opportunities for people to come together.

“We’re really proud of the business events we deliver. It’s showcasing important work and facilitating knowledge transfer on behalf of major organisations that make significant societal contributions such as the British Association of Spinal Surgeons, the Harkin Institute, and the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language. We work hand in glove with Visit Belfast, Tourism Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council to attract these organisations and subsequently deliver economic impact that directly benefits Belfast and Northern Ireland.

“Like all conference centres, we provide a ‘blank canvas’ space, and the necessary equipment and expertise to deliver world-class events. However, at ICC Belfast it means so much more. We are showcasing Belfast internationally and when we win a business event, we know it benefits Northern Ireland. Delegates that come to our venues also visit our cafes, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions. They order our taxis, frequent our shops and walk the city. Research shows that a third of these delegates are highly likely to come back again too – bringing friends and family as leisure visitors.”

Business tourism is high on the agenda for all of ICC Belfast’s partners, and Julia and Steve have recently appointed a Head of International Sales to build on the successes to date.

Steve concludes: “We have world-class facilities, a city that is genuinely walkable, a vibrant hospitality scene and our connectivity is improving. We are investing in our team and working with our partners to ensure that our venues get in front of industry decision-makers and that Belfast is promoted for the brilliant city it is. And as we do this, we are enhancing our reputation within the events industry for both professionalism and personality, because as always, our pitch comes with passion, expertise, and the all-important bit of craic.”