Lough Erne Resort to Host Irish Adventure Travel Conference in Late 2026

Ireland's adventure travel association has named 20 speakers for a two-day conference running 25–26 November 2026 at Lough Erne Resort in County Fermanagh. The event's programme covers adventure tourism, with sessions spread across both days.

The speaker line-up mixes industry leaders and operators, and the scale of the roster — twenty named names — signals an event positioning itself as a serious working conference rather than a showcase. Whether that translates into distribution deals or booking partnerships for sellers of adventure travel is the question buyers will bring with them.

Who is on the programme?

The confirmed speakers are:

• Barra Best
• Caroline Bocquel
• Chantel Carr
• Ciaran Connolly
• Shelley Cowan
• Debbie Coyle
• Shane Finn
• Barry Flanagan
• Eimear Flanagan
• Paul Kelleagher
• Brendan Kenny
• Sharon Lavin
• Tadng Macintyre
• Laura McCorry
• Siobhan McManamy
• Martin McMullan
• Grainne O'Connor
• Philip Stallard
• Joanne Stuart
• Jean Yves Lapeyrere

Two names carry particular weight for trade attendees. Siobhan McManamy and Caroline Bocquel headline the announcement, and both sit in roles that shape how travel products reach the market. Their presence suggests the conference wants decision-makers in the room, not just motivational speakers.

What does the event actually cover?

The programme focuses on adventure tourism across its two days of sessions. The association has not yet published a detailed agenda, session titles or registration pricing — so operators budgeting for the trip are working from a speaker list alone.

That gap matters. Trade events live or die on whether the content moves revenue: new product knowledge, distribution contacts, commission-relevant intelligence. A roster of twenty speakers is a start, but the programme structure is what sellers will scrutinise before committing travel spend to Fermanagh in late November.

Why the venue and timing matter

Lough Erne Resort in County Fermanagh gives the conference a destination-adventure setting consistent with its theme — attendees will be immersed in the kind of landscape adventure tourism sells. The late-November dates place the event in the shoulder-season planning window, when operators typically finalise their 2027 programmes.

For Irish adventure operators, DMOs and activity providers, that timing is useful: insights and connections gathered here can feed directly into next-year itineraries and sales strategies. Two days is a compact format, which keeps accommodation and attendance costs contained.

In plain terms: a November 2026 date at Lough Erne means the conference lands exactly when adventure sellers are building what they'll sell the following year.

What we don't know yet

The announcement leaves several questions open. There's no word on session topics, delegate fees, capacity limits or which trade bodies and operators will exhibit. The association hasn't said whether international buyers will attend or whether the focus stays domestic.

Expect a fuller agenda in the months ahead — and judge the event's real trade value then, when the programme shows whether it's built for selling travel or simply celebrating it.