Ireland is growing in popularity with meeting planners for international conferences, meetings, and incentive programs—including the hip metropolis of Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital. This former industrial stronghold once held worldwide fame for its linen mills and shipbuilding yards, and it was here that the great ocean liner Titanic was built. Belfast exploded in population and production in the Victorian era, from the mid-1800s until the early part of the 20th century, a period during which some of its most striking buildings were erected, including the city’s reigning crown architectural jewel, the Belfast City Hall, in 1906.Today, more than a quarter-million people call Belfast—with its vibrant arts scene, world-class shopping, and delicious gastropub cuisine— home. For more on the city, visit the Belfast Visitor & Convention Bureau at www.gotobelfast.com.To learn more about Ireland as a business destination, visitwww.meetinireland.com/us.
ROMANCING THE STONE: The grand Belfast City Hall—designed by Alfred Brumwell Thomas, built in Portland stone, and opened in 1906—was erected to mark city status being granted to Belfast by Queen Victoria, in 1888.
DOWN BY THE
WATERSIDE
Belfast’s main meeting facility is TheWaterfront Hall, a multipur- pose conference center with an auditorium that can seat 380 to 2,223 delegates, a studio that can accommo- date 100 to 380 people, nearly
27,000 square feet
of exhibition space, and 14 meeting rooms. Since open- ing in 1997, The
Waterfront Hall has hosted more than 3,000 entertain- ment events, from rock concerts to Broadway musicals, and more than