Limerick wedding planner Michelle McDermott, the sole Irish invitee to a highly-acclaimed wedding extravaganza, The Wedding Salon, held in New York in early November, has secured influential wedding connections in the US which will generate significant business to Ireland in 2010.
McDermott, through her brand, Dream Irish Wedding Dream Irish Wedding, a strategic alliance between McDermott’s company, McEvents, Adare Manor Hotel, the Lodge at Doonbeg Golf Club and Knappogue Castle, set out to entice a share of the 2.7 million annual US weddings to Ireland. Having attracted almost €2million worth of business to the Shannon region in the past year, she is confident that, post her US visit, she can attract a percentage of the 15% destination wedding business that is already making its way from the US to Europe, to Ireland’s Mid-West region.
Deals concluded during her New York trip include: securing a link with Arlinda Global Travel to sell Ireland as a destination through Dream Irish Wedding; convincing Sceptre Tours, who have already brought a large volume of business to many five-star properties in Ireland, to include Dream Irish Wedding locations in their 2010 itineraries; a commitment from editors of leading US wedding magazines – Town & Country Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings and For the Bride – to feature Ireland in their 2010 features’ calendars; and securing a number of high-worth wedding bookings for the Shannon region. Mc Dermott is also finalising a partnership deal with a prominent New York-based events company whose clients can expend upwards on a million dollars on a wedding.
“This linkage, when finalised, will not only generate revenue in 2010 for the wedding venues but will spin-off into the general tourism sector. Incoming wedding groups of this calibre are high spenders, with an emphasis on the overall experience in terms of culinary, service and resort activities. Making an impression on the US wedding market is not easy; competition is worldwide but, we are making inroads,” said McDermott.
Michelle McDermott is organising ‘The Wedding Experience’ at Adare Manor Hotel on Sunday, 29 November at which Tatiana Byron, chief executive of The Wedding Salon, will be the special guest. An event planner to celebrities such as Sean ‘P. Diddy’, Tommy Hilfiger, Demi Moore and MTV, her arrival in Ireland is a coup for the Shannon region.
For further information please contact:
Dympna O’Callaghan, molly d marketing
T: 061 369898; Mbl: 086 2371508
OR
Michelle Mc Dermott
Mc Events
Phone: 061 633636
Skype:michelle.mc.dermott
www.mcevents.com
www.dreamirishwedding.com
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=100000267605368&ref=profile
http://www.youtube.com/dreamirishwedding