The head of the Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau has been awarded for her contribution to Mid-West economy at Network Ireland’s annual Businesswoman of the Year Awards for 2024.
The awards ceremony, which took place at the Lyrath Estate in County Kilkenny, celebrated the success of women in business across eight categories.
Karen Ronan, General Manager of the Bureau received the ‘Judges’ Highly Commended’ award in the ‘Networker of the Year’ category for her work to attract business and sports tourism to the Shannon Region over the past two decades.
Having previously worked with Bord Fáilte (Fáilte Ireland) and in various sales and marketing roles within the hospitality sector, Ms. Ronan was appointed to her current role with the Bureau in 2003.
The public-private partnership has since provided a free service to hundreds of organisations, event organisers and local ambassadors to help increase the Shannon Region’s share of the lucrative international business and sports tourism market. These efforts have resulted in an economic impact of over €150 million for the wider Shannon region, including Limerick, Clare, Tipperary and Offaly.
“Winning this accolade is a huge honour for me and I dedicate it to the massive team effort involved delivering events in the conference, corporate and sports sector for the region,” commented Ms. Ronan, who was nominated for the award by the Limerick Branch of Network Ireland.
She continued, “The Bureau works collaboratively with Fáilte Ireland, the local authorities in Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Offaly, Shannon Airport and all tourism stakeholders in the region to attract events of substantial scale and impact that boost the local economy and showcase the region’s capability to host events of international standard.”
“Hundreds of ambassadors have been actively working with the Bureau in recent years to help attract thousands of people to the region through a range of business and sports events, including The World Tag Rugby Championship, European School Chess Championships, The Outing, European Ultimate Frisbee Championships, World Wallball Championships, World Rural Health Conference and the Oceans Conference,” stated Ms. Ronan.
“Network Ireland is a fantastic organisation which supports the professional and personal development of women,” added Ms. Ronan. “As former President of the Limerick Branch of Network Ireland, I can speak to the opportunities that it presents to everyone to connect, learn and share ideas.”
Commenting on Network Ireland’s annual Businesswoman of the Year Awards, National President of Network Ireland Linda Codoul said, “We had an overwhelming response to this year’s call-out for entries and I’d like to thank all our members who took the time to apply. The theme of my presidency has been ‘a step ahead’ and all 90 finalists across the categories are just that. I’d like to congratulate them, and our eight winners, who have really excelled in their fields – they are worthy role models for businesswomen throughout Ireland.”
