Call for county towns to join in ocean race bonanza

By TONY GALVIN TUAM and all other towns in Co Galway have been invited to share in the knock-on benefits from the Volvo Ocean Race festival which is to be the biggest event staged in the country this year. At a presentation to Galway Co Council on Friday, John Killeen, chairman of Let's Do It Galway which brought the first Ocean Race to Galway in 2009 and who is now heading the Let's Do it Global initiative organising this summer's event, encouraged communities such as Tuam, Headford, Ballinasloe, Athenry and Loughrea to contact the organisers with their proposals on how they can join in and help ensure the €80 million bonanza for the county is spread outside the city area. He has suggested that towns could either sponsor one of the visiting countries or a visiting teams, similar to the successful programme which was operated during the Special Olympics in 2003  and told members of the council that the organisers were open to suggestions and hoped various chambers of commerce in the county's towns would recognise the opportunities presented and act quickly to make sure they were part of it. Hotels booked out Already accommodation is at a premium with almost all hotel beds booked up for the festival period which runs from June 30 to July 8. With hotels catering for those involved with the race, Volvo alone are bringing 4,000 people to Galway, John Killeen said there were obvious opportunities for accommodation providers to do well during this period. [private] The organisers are also planning to extend the benefits out from the actual festival ten-day period by encouraging visitors to extend their stay in the region. The emphasis is to be on promoting the local and the best the region and Ireland has to offer. From the sourcing of food to the hiring of entertainment, the focus will be on the best in the county and country. The event is expected to be much large than the hugely successful 2009 visit as Galway has been selected as the finishing point of the race. A bridge is to be constructed between Long Walk and the Claddagh to facilitate the crowds moving between the docks and South Park. International exposure Great emphasis is being put on the international media presence in Galway for the event and the opportunities such global coverage could present for the local tourism industry. Over 80 destinations competed to host the race finale and the organisers are determined that every advantage for the region be gained from the event. Athenry-based C&F will be powering the Global Village to be established in South Park with their wind turbines while Tuam company JFC have won a contract to provide water tanks to the village. John Kileen emphasised that this is a unique opportunity for local firms to get a global showcase for their wares 'This time we have the race's grand finale. Over three billion people will follow the event around the world and the corporate world is coming to Galway. 'If the towns want to benefit, they will have to get involved. We'd like to see voluntary groups from the different towns get in touch with us  and we'll provide the know-how. This is an opportunity but sometimes you have to go and grab it,' he told the meeting.   County Manager Martina Maloney said the Co Council was anxious to support the initiative in every way it could because it represented a great opportunity to showcase what the county had to offer. The County Enterprise Board would be supporting industries such as food and crafts to get involved and the Co Council would encourage communities around the county get involved with aspects such as adopting a team. In this way they could all work towards ensuring the event had a lasting impact on the local economy. Council members from around the county responded very positively to the invitation for towns such as Tuam to get involved. It was suggested that the Town Councils in Tuam, Ballinasloe and Loughrea should spearhead initiatives, in conjunction with local Chambers of Commerce and other bodies active in the communities. Members also gave their support to council management in faciliting the project wherever possible. The event will cost in the region of €6 million to fund and no Government funding is available so the organisers are very dependant on sponsorship and support from bodies such as Galway Co Council and the City Council. Galway Chamber and Let's Do It Global have invited all Galway businesses to attend an information evening on the Volvo Ocean Race Finale in Hotel Meyrick, Eyre Square on Monday, March 6 at 6pm. The meeting is called â€ËœWhat's in it for you'. [/private]