DESTINATION
DESTINATION
This year’s #AVEAconf25 took place in the historic city of Waterford on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th October.
At the convergence of the ‘Three Sisters’ rivers, Waterford City is characterised by narrow streets, lively public areas, and a cluster of cultural and heritage attractions. The conference theme was ‘Ireland’s tourism mosaic of amazing places’, and the programme included speakers on AI, leadership, and business resilience.
Journalist Sarah Carey once again acted as MC for proceedings.
For early arrivals, a special Sunday evening supper was an ideal way to meet other delegates and break the ice over some great local food.
Monday morning saw our annual ‘Learning Journey’ elements, incorporating visits to some fantastic AVEA members in the locality.
Welcome lunch on Monday 13th preceded the start of our plenary sessions, which took place at the Tower Hotel on The Mall.
A Gala Dinner on Monday night was a very special occasion, taking place in the newest jewel of the Waterford attractions crown – Mount Congreve Estate, with a drinks reception at the House of Waterford Crystal before departing by coach.
Our plenary session resumed at 9.00am on Tuesday 14th, wrapping up with a farewell lunch.
PROGRAMME
PROGRAMME
Sunday 12th October
Early Arrivers’ Programme
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19:30
Welcome Supper and Networking Event
The Undercroft, Waterford Treasures, The Mall
Monday 13th October
From 09:00
Registration and badge collection
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9.30 to 12.30
Learning Journeys in partnership with Waterford City & County Council
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12:15
AVEA Annual General Meeting (members only)
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12.30
Welcome Delegate Lunch
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14:00
Proceedings Open: Sarah Carey
Chair Anne O’Donoghue
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14:20
Donna Speed, CEO, ‘We The Curious’
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14:50
Mark Kelly, Founder, AI Ireland
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15:50
Sean McKeown, CEO, Waterford City & County Council
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16:10
Geraldine O’Rourke, Cliffs of Moher, with Prof Jim Deegan and Ernesto Batista Sanchez, National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies
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16:40
Jill De Azevedo, Head of Consumer Planning and Insights, Failte Ireland
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17:10
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh (ITIC), Alice Mansergh (Tourism Ireland), Paul Keeley (Failte Ireland), Eimear Callaghan (Tourisn NI)
Tuesday Oct 14th
09:00
Monica MacLaverty, Strategy Implementation Manager, Tourism Ireland
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09:45
Kat Brogan, MD, Mercat Tours
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10:15
Catherine Toolan (Guinness Storehouse), Brendan Kavanagh (Glasnevin Cemetery), Aileesh Carew (EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum)
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11:15
Carmel Scott, Head of Marketing, Tourism Northern Ireland
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11:45
Dawn Woollam, Timberplay
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12:15
Delegate Session, Followed by Farewell Lunch
SPEAKERS
SPEAKERS
Sarah Carey
MC
Paul Keeley
Director of Regional Development
Fáilte Ireland
Eimear Callaghan
Head of Experience & Industry Development
Tourism Northern Ireland
Aileesh Carew
CEO and Museum Director
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Dawn Woollam, Timberplay
Following a 15-year career in the leisure and hospitality world, working with both public and private sector clients to develop new, and enhance existing leisure, recreation and hospitality businesses. Dawn has joined Timberplay to bring her client-side knowledge to Timberplay projects, enhancing the service that we offer customers, both in the UK and Ireland, as well as further afield internationally when designing play attractions and experiences.
Dawn is a specialist in psychology-led visitor experience design, ensuring that emotionally engaging design goes hand-in-hand with economic performance.
Carmel Scott, Tourism Northern Ireland
Carmel is Head of Marketing at Tourism Northern Ireland, where she leads strategic campaigns to promote Northern Ireland as an attractive visitor destination. Carmel played a key role in Tourism NI’s marketing activation plan for the 153rd Open, delivering a campaign that highlighted Northern Ireland’s world-class golf and broader destination appeal, and maximised potential for the local tourism industry.
At this year’s conference, Carmel will explore the positive impact of the 153rd Open on the tourism economy. Her session will highlight the collaborative opportunities the 153rd Open created for visitor attractions and experiences, local tourism businesses, and the wider destination.
Donna Speed, We The Curious
Donna is the Chief Executive of We The Curious, an educational charity based in Bristol with a hands-on science centre which aims to remove boundaries around science – connecting art, people and ideas in a united culture of curiosity.
Donna first joined the charity in the year 2000 and worked in a variety of roles before becoming Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Executive in 2019. Donna joined the Bath Preservation Trust Board in January 2023. She is also on the board of The Association for Science & Discovery Centres (Deputy Chair), and a member of the Guild of Guardians.
Mark Kelly, AI Entrepreneur & Thought Leader
Mark Kelly is the Founder of AI Ireland and the AI Awards, and Entrepreneur. He has interviewed over 750 global AI leaders, authored the “AI Unleashed” series, and delivered keynotes and workshops for executives across sectors. As a catalyst for change, Mark is driving a mission to help one million people in Ireland gain AI literacy, ensuring businesses and communities are ready for the future of work.
Seán McKeown, Waterford City & County Council
Seán was appointed Chief Executive of Waterford City & County Council following a recruitment process conducted by the Public Appointments Service.
Originally from Armagh, McKeown has a distinguished career in local government. Among his many roles he served as Interim Chief Executive, Director of Planning, Economic and Environmental Services and Director of the South East Action Plan for Jobs at Kilkenny County Council.
Jill de Azevedo, Fáilte Ireland
Jill was born and raised in South Africa and moved to Ireland 8 years ago. She qualified as a research psychologist and has put that expertise to use in various research roles during her career.
She has worked in large multinational companies at a senior level, including regional and global Director roles, across markets in Africa, Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia Pac. And is now very proud to play a leadership role in Fáilte Ireland and to contribute to national category growth (and at the same time utilise her passion for travel!).
Anne O’Donoghue, Irish Heritage Trust
Anne was appointed CEO of the Irish Heritage Trust in 2018 and leads a team of over 100 colleagues and 300 volunteers across properties in the Trust’s care at Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens, Cork; The National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, Roscommon; Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens, Wexford; and 11 Parnell Square, Dublin.
She is currently Chair of AVEA, the Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions, and Deputy Chair of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC).
Prior to her current role, Anne held many executive and non-executive directorship roles, spanning both the public sector and commercial enterprises, across financial services, media, and renewable energy sectors, as well as in non-profits and cultural institutions.
Geraldine O’Rourke, Clare Tourism Development
Geraldine has been a Director of AVEA since 2020, and served as Chair from 2022 to 2024. A native of Co Clare, she has held a number of positions the Cliffs of Moher, including Director of the Cliffs of Moher Experience from 2017.
She has recently been appointed Chief Operating Officer (Acting) for Clare Tourism Development.
Jim Deegan, The University of Limerick
Jim Deegan is the Director of the National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies (NCTPS), University of Limerick (UL), a member of the Economics Department (Head of department, 2011-2016) ) and Professor of Tourism Policy. He is an economist by training and his research interests and publications are in all facets of public policy for tourism. Jim is a highly cited author in tourism economics/policy papers and he acts as a referee for all the top-rated international journals in tourism and has served on editorial boards of numerous journals that have included the Cornell Quarterly and Tourism Economics. As director of the NCTPS at UL he has raised more than €6 million through project research and philanthropic donations that has funded research scholarships for more than 25 students to study tourism at postgraduate level. Jim has undertaken project research on behalf of the World Bank, The European Commission, Eurostat, the Irish Government, Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, the Marine Institute, the Law Society and many other public and private sector organisations across the world. He was the project lead for the team that delivered Ireland’s first Tourism Satellite Account in 2004.
Jim has served on numerous public and private sector committees/boards on tourism issues over the last 25 years and was a founding member of the Business Tourism Forum of Fáilte Ireland from 2004 and was appointed to the Board of The National Tourism Development Authority (Fáilte Ireland) by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in 2013. He is currently a board member of the Birr Scientific and Heritage Foundation. Jim was the founding chairman and a shareholder in Treaty Radio Ltd that was sold to UTV PLC for €15.7million in 2002.
Ernesto Batista Sánchez, The University of Limerick
Ernesto Batista Sánchez is a PhD researcher at the National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies (NCTPS), Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Ireland. Prior to this, he worked as an Assistant Professor in Tourism programmes at the University of Holguín, Cuba. He graduated with a first-class honours MA in International Tourism from the University of Limerick in 2020 and holds a PhD from the University of Holguín (2024). His research explores the application of technology and data analysis in tourism.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, Irish Tourism Industry Confederation
Eoghan is the CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), the representative body for Irish tourism and hospitality interests. Eoghan is passionate about Irish tourism and its potential and has worked in the sector for 20 years, previously with O’Mara Travel and Heritage Island. Eoghan is a Board Director of the St Patrick’s Festival, Dublinia and was Chairman of the charity War Child Ireland.
In his earlier career he was Procurement Executive with Diageo in London and Dublin.
Eoghan is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the Irish Management Institute and has been CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) since September 2015.
Alice Mansergh, Tourism Ireland
Alice Mansergh is Chief Executive at Tourism Ireland, the organisation with leadership responsibility for marketing the island of Ireland to overseas visitors. Collaborating with industry and government, Alice and the Tourism Ireland team are proud to grow the contribution overseas tourism makes to economies and communities across the island.
Previously, Alice spent 19 years leading large-scale commercial organisations at Google. As Managing Director, UK & Ireland Customer Solutions, she helped hundreds of thousands of businesses to digitise and succeed online. During a period in London, Alice led Google’s own consumer marketing, growing iconic brands like Google Chrome to market leading positions.
Alice is passionate about tourism and has not let a year of her life go by without holidaying around the island of Ireland. From 2018 to 2023, she served on the board of Fáilte Ireland.
Monica MacLaverty, Tourism Ireland
Monica is Manager of Strategy Implementation for Mainland Europe at Tourism Ireland. She has held several positions at Tourism Ireland including managing Southern and Northern Europe, Australia and New Zealand and in 2013 Monica managed the overseas marketing of The Gathering.
Monica is a native of Roscommon and passionate about all things tourism.
Kat Brogan, Mercat Tours
Kat leads award-winning family business and BCorp Mercat Tours which delivers expert storytelling in Edinburgh and on WWI & WWII battlefields in Europe. A passionate advocate for Fair Work, community impact, and youth careers in tourism, she holds leadership roles nationally while still guiding tours herself to combine strategic influence with a love of history and people.
Borne from a desire to lead real, long-lasting change to benefit the local community, the ground-breaking new project ‘Our Stories, Your City’, was launched in 2022. This reconnects the disconnected vulnerable communities of Edinburgh with their city through storytelling, paid for by visitors’ donations and supporting Living Wage jobs, demonstrating tourism as a force for good.
Her work resulted in Kat receiving the prestigious VisitScotland Silver Thistle Award 2024 recognising she ‘not only excels but inspires as a selfless and passionate advocate for Scottish tourism’.
- TWO Scottish Excellence Awards for Team Engagement & Retention and Team Wellbeing 2025
- Certified B Corporation™ – FIRST UK exclusive visitor attraction 2024
- Living Hours Employer – FIRST Scottish tourism business 2024
- Fair Tax Accreditation 2024
- Silver Thistle Award Recipient 2024
Catherine Toolan, Diageo Irish Brand Homes
Catherine Toolan is Managing Director for Diageo Irish Brand Homes which includes Guinness Storehouse, Guinness Open Gate Brewery, Roe & Co Distillery and Smithwicks Experience Kilkenny.
The award-winning Guinness Storehouse is Ireland’s leading visitor attraction, welcoming 1.6 million visitors in 2024 and is a key asset in Dublin city’s tourism product.
Prior to joining Diageo, Catherine had a very successful career in brand experiences, events, business tourism, live music, food and hospitality spanning three continents including eight years in China. Career highlights include overseeing the build, design, food, hospitality and retail for elite athletes at the Summer Olympic and Asian Games in Beijing, Guangzhou, London and Rio De Janeiro, leading some of the largest food and hospitality projects in the world.
Catherine is from Sligo on the beautiful Wild Atlantic Way and is a graduate of Galway Institute of Technology, University College Dublin and Tsinghua University, Beijing.
Brendan Kavanagh, Experience Glasnevin
Brendan joined Experience Glasnevin in 2018 with a remit to strengthen customer service, grow visitor numbers and manage costs in a heritage site that faces the dual challenge of being outdoors and outside Dublin’s city centre. Leading a team of 15, initiatives such as new multilingual audio-visual guides and the enhancement of the O’Connell Tower have enriched the visitor offer.
Brendan’s greatest emphasis is on building a knowledgeable and passionate team, training staff to recognise “moments of truth” and to consistently deliver memorable experiences in a collaborative way, ensuring each visitor leaves with a sense of genuine welcome and connection.
Experience Glasnevin is now ranked among the top ten attractions in Dublin on TripAdvisor (awarded the Best of the Best in 2022 and 2023) and has received multiple CIE Awards of Excellence.
Paul Marden, Skip the Queue podcast
Skip the Queue, the leading podcast for the visitor attractions industry, is coming to the AVEA Annual Conference!
With over 18,000 unique listeners and a global reach, Skip The Queue is a leading weekly podcast for visitor attraction owners, directors and suppliers who want to improve their organisations, and deliver a better experience for their guests. In every episode, we speak with inspiring industry experts who share their knowledge of what really makes an attraction successful, from operational insights to creative breakthroughs. Expect fast-paced conversations, fresh perspectives and a behind-the-scenes look at what’s shaping the future of our sector.
Paul Marden will host a dedicated ‘Retail and E-commerce’ track on Monday morning at 10.00am, and you’re invited to be part of the conversation! Limited to 15 places. Paul will also be be on the floor chatting with operators and suppliers about the latest ideas, innovations and opportunities. Got something to say? Find us at the conference and add your voice, then catch it all in two special post-event episodes packed with highlights and insights you won’t want to miss.
Phil Kingston, Abbey Theatre
Phil Kingston has been the Community and Education Manager at the Abbey Theatre since 2011.
Phil studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama and went on to work on stage, screen, and radio as well as writing for theatre and film. His work has appeared on English and Irish television as well as the London Fringe and the Dublin Fringe Festival.
He spent ten years as a storyteller in schools in Northern England, as well as delivering INSET training on the use of drama in teaching. He trained fundraisers in how to work with the public.
Phil joined the Abbey as Community and Education Manager in 2011 and has since helped design a variety of practical education projects for communities and schools nationwide. This includes co-designing and delivering an applied drama project for the Royal College of Physicians that is now a mandatory part of training of doctors in Ireland.
Phil has extended his skills to the corporate world where he specialises in storytelling, teambuilding and networking for many clients including Smurfit Business School of Business, Ulster Bank, Fáilte Ireland, Heineken, AIB, IKEA, Accenture, Deloitte, ESB and DAA.
Mayor of Waterford City & County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan
Cllr. Seamus Ryan was elected Mayor of Waterford City and County Council in June 2025. A dedicated member of the Labour Party since 1987, Cllr. Ryan has a long and distinguished career in local politics, first serving as a Councillor with Waterford City Council in 1999.
Representing the Waterford City South Electoral Area, Cllr. Ryan previously served as Metropolitan Mayor in 2021 and is a member of Waterford City and County Council’s Planning, Culture and Gaeltacht and Gaeilge Strategic Policy Committee.
Catherine Flanagan, AVEA
Catherine was appointed CEO of AVEA, the Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions, in 2022. Having spent the early part of her career in operations, sales, and marketing in the hotel sector, including Great Southern Hotels and Gresham Hotel Group plc, latterly Catherine’s interests lie in research, advocacy and representation for the wider tourism sector.
Catherine is a Director of ITIC, and Chair of the Five Lamps Arts Festival. She has a BA in European Studies from Trinity, an MSc in Hospitality Management from TU Dublin, and postgraduate diplomas from the UCD Smurfit Business School and Trinity’s Tangent School.
Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland
TBA
SPONSORS
SPONSORS
ACCOMMODATION
ACCOMMODATION
Main conference hotel
Tower Hotel, The Mall, The Viking Triangle, Waterford X91 VXE0
€140 B&B – email reservations@thw.ie quoting reference #147629
Mount Congreve Gardens and Country Estate, Kilmeaden, X91 PX05
New onsite accommodation in a unique setting from €179 – email reservations@mountcongreve.com and reference the AVEA conference.
Dooley’s Hotel, The Quay, Waterford. X91 P86C
€159 B&B – email hotel@dooleys-hotel.ie and reference the AVEA conference
Waterford Marina, Canada Street, X91 PK2W
€125 B&B – email reservations@waterfordmarinahotel.com and reference the AVEA conference
Fitzwilton Hotel, Bridge Street, Waterford X91 RC9A
€120 Sunday night; €130 Monday night B&B – email lhilliard@fitzwiltonhotel.ie
