6.10.2 HIGH LEVEL CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT Since its establishment, the BE Team has held a large number of meetings and briefings with all of the key business representative groups in order to promote and encourage engagement with the Galway 2020 project. These groups include the Chamber of Commerce and other Business Associations, the Irish Hotels Federation, the IT Association of Galway, and the Medical Technology group. In addition, the team has already had over 30 meetings with individual companies across all sectors, and significant, advanced discussions are in train with firms in Banking/ Finance, ICT, Internet Service Provision, Medical Technology, Hotel/Hospitality, Transport/Airports, and Media. The response to this interaction has been very positive and it is estimated that support in the order of €3–4m is accessible through engagement with the larger-scale partners. 6.10.3 2020 CLUB In parallel with the creation of partnerships with large scale corporations, the team has also launched the ‘2020 for Galway 2020 Club’. This is designed to provide an accessible and affordable entry point for smaller businesses and individuals to become involved and provide financial support for Galway 2020, while being part of a branded initiative which will, in return, provide business networking opportunities and access to certain Galway 2020 events, and other opportunities. An online portal has been set up to provide easy registration, and based on feedback from the business community, we believe this will be a substantial source of private sector income in the lead-up to 2020. There are two main options under the scheme, the first is to contribute a total of €2020 on a phased basis over four years (i.e. €505 p.a), while the second is to contribute a total of €8080 over the same four-year period (i.e. €2020 p.a). The target is to get 2,020 businesses/individuals to contribute; however, taking a prudent approach and allowing for a lower rate of subscription, we are fully confident that the scheme will generate in the region of €3m in the lead-in to 2020. 6.10.4 LEGACY VISION As well as the more traditional forms of corporate involvement and support, which, by their nature often relate to the short-term, there have also been discussions around large scale and longer term projects and initiatives which have been inspired by the Galway 2020 bid. A proposal for a ‘Medical Technology Museum’ has been initiated by the National Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CURAM), NUI Galway, and Medtronic, with support from the broader Medical Technology sector, Local Authority, and other interested parties in consultation with the Galway 2020 team.
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Programming at the MedTech museum will be developed to target all sectors of the general public, across all generations, age groups and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as patient groups through a variety of MedTech scientific and art science programmes and exhibits. The museum would engage with Galway’s vibrant artistic and scientific community through residency programmes, open calls for engagement initiatives and targeted schools activities. The proposal has ignited significant excitement and interest across the various organisations and sectors involved, and we believe that as the project progresses, it will act as an example and inspiration to the corporate sector, leading to further initiatives and increasing the long-term legacy value to Galway as European Capital of Culture. 6.10.5 OTHER INITIATIVES Bed Night Cultural Top Up This initiative, which involves the inclusion of a oneeuro charge per room per night, will deliver a strong income stream over the lifetime of the project. The scheme is currently under negotiation with the hotel sector, and based on the hotel capacity and occupancy rates across the City and County, as a conservative estimate, a 50% sign-up rate from the sector would yield a fund of €550,000 per year. Merchandising and Licensing The approach will include one-off fee charging for the application of bespoke branding etc to a percentage of licensed products sold across the year. Philanthropic/Diaspora Galway 2020 has made contact with Irish Diaspora organisations internationally, and particularly in North America, as well as engaging expert advice in philanthropic fundraising. Given the initial strong support shown from the Irish community abroad for the Galway bid, we are confident that there is scope for substantial funds to be raised from philanthropic sources. We are aware that all of the above work-streams require a significant investment of time and resources, and this work will come under the remit of a dedicated Business Engagement team, which will be formed if the Galway 2020 bid is successful. We see the management of corporate engagement at all levels and effective servicing of sponsorship contracts as critical in optimising the ongoing private sector support. The BE team will work closely with the Marketing & Communications team to ensure that national and international coverage for Galway 2020 is used strategically to support the private sector funding efforts. Substantial progress has been made by the team to date and a full update will be available for the Jury Panel presentation.