Web Summit: Minister defends Irish government over tech event criticism

It was announced last month that the summit will move to Lisbon for three years from 2016

An Irish government minister has defended attempts to keep one of Europe's largest technology conferences in the Republic of Ireland.

Tourism minister Paschal Donohoe said engagement did take place between the government and the organisers of Web Summit.

Web Summit has been held in Dublin since 2010.

It was announced last month that it will move to Lisbon for three years from 2016.

On Thursday, emails released by Web Summit showed what it said was correspondence with the Irish government in the weeks leading up to the relocation decision.

In the emails, chief executive Paddy Cosgrave highlighted traffic management, hotel accommodation and wi-fi as key concerns, but said that the organisation "don't want a penny" from the government.

He also wrote: "We want to stay in in Dublin, but without a plan for the city we cannot stay in Dublin."

'Very supportive'

In a blog, Mr Cosgrave said Web Summit released the emails "not to point the finger but to help everyone focus on the future".

The government has since been accused of not doing enough to retain the event.

Enda Kenny said that the Irish government had offered Web Summit 'whatever assistance it can'

On Thursday, Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny said that the government had offered Mr Cosgrave "whatever assistance we can, in terms of what the government can do".

"It wasn't the government writing a cheque here, but being very supportive along the line," he said.

Mr Donohoe told RTÉ on Friday that a number of documents will be released under freedom of information that will show the breadth of engagement between the government, Web Summit and other agencies.

Responding to the concerns raised by Mr Cosgrave, he said: "These are things that would have been resolved in the context of the event happening here in Dublin in 2016.

"Week after week in Dublin, in the RDS and the National Convention Centre, we have events that are far bigger than Web Summit happening.

"We're successfully able to deliver traffic management plans, we're successfully able to get these people around safely and in a convenient way throughout our city and the same would have happened if Web Summit happened in Dublin in 2016."

Web Summit this year is expected to attract over 30,000 attendees on 3-5 November.

Tourism organisation Fáilte Ireland estimated that Web Summit brought in 35m euros to the local economy in 2014.