Sir, - It is a great shame we do not have a dedicated conference centre in Dublin.
Recently we lost out to Gothenburg as the venue for the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthetists (ESA) two years hence. Many of the delegates in attendance had already been here at smaller meetings or in a private capacity and found Dublin a most attractive potential conference location. However, commercial considerations now dictate events, and even though Sweden in late April is still "winterish" the fact is it has an array of excellent purpose built centres, any of which could comfortably host the expected 3,500-4,000 participants and the accompanying trade exhibition. At the moment we cannot compete with these structures and facilities which are taken for granted by most countries.
Might I suggest that Dublin Corporation extend its millennium project for the City Hall? If it were made into a working conference centre which would be municipally controlled and central to all services, many of my colleagues would be proud to hold meetings of their disciplines in Ireland instead of apologising for the procrastination of our decision makers. With such a healthy Exchequer such a plan is eminently feasible. Most of us have some affiliation with either European or American associations and feel disadvantaged and disappointed when trying to promote Ireland as a conference venue. A Minister for Finance with vision must surely seize the opportunity to put Ireland on the international conference map. - Yours, etc., James Gardiner, FRCA, FFARCSI, Council Member, ESA,
Neville Road, Dublin 6.