The Event Industry Association of Ireland provides independent industry comment, analysis and background briefing on issues affecting the planning, management and delivery of events in Ireland.

EIAI engages with Government, public bodies and industry stakeholders on matters including event policy and regulation, safety and professional standards, licensing and permitting, workforce and skills, sustainability, ticketing, the Night-Time Economy and the wider operating environment for Ireland’s event industry.

Recent Government, Regulatory & Public Engagement

• Joint Oireachtas Committee on Developing Ireland’s Live Music Industry, February 2026  EIAI gave evidence to the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport on event-delivery capacity, national coordination, local-authority consistency, Codes of Practice, grassroots development and the wider infrastructure supporting live music. View the official Oireachtas record
• Department of Culture, Communications and Sport: Event Governance and Codes of Practice, 2026  EIAI has maintained formal engagement with the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport on national responsibility for event safety governance and the continued reliance on the 1996 Code of Practice. Following differing positions expressed by Government Departments regarding responsibility for the Code and the wider event industry, EIAI continues to seek formal clarification on departmental ownership, national coordination and the pathway for updating event-safety guidance. The matter remains under consideration, with the Minister’s Office acknowledging EIAI’s latest correspondence in September 2026.
• Department of Culture, Communications and Sport: Night-Time Economy, 2026  Following EIAI’s engagement on national event safety governance, the Department invited EIAI to engage directly with its Night-Time Economy Unit. A subsequent meeting considered event guidance, local-authority consistency, sub-threshold and unlicensed events, and the wider need for clearer national approaches to event planning and safety.  Following the meeting, the Night-Time Economy team confirmed that the material provided by EIAI would be considered by the relevant subgroup, with a view to progressing wider stakeholder engagement on the issues discussed.
• CCMA / LGMA Engagement on National Event Guidance, 2026  EIAI has engaged with the Local Government Management Agency and the County and City Management Association on national consistency in event guidance, local-authority processes and the treatment of events below statutory licensing thresholds.  Following EIAI’s correspondence, the issues were referred for consideration within CCMA structures, including the Rural, Community, Culture & Heritage Committee and subsequently the CCMA Economic Development Committee. LGMA confirmed in August 2026 that the matters raised by EIAI would be considered at the Economic Development Committee’s September meeting, with a formal response to follow.
• Department of Enterprise: Event Regulation and Governance, 2026  EIAI has engaged with the Department of Enterprise on regulatory and governance issues affecting the event industry, including departmental responsibility for the industry, national event-safety standards and legislation governing casual and occasional trading at events.  In September 2026, the Department confirmed that EIAI’s detailed query concerning the interaction between the Casual Trading Act 1995 and the Occasional Trading Act 1979 had reached the appropriate unit for consideration. Separate correspondence with the Minister for Enterprise has raised the wider question of national responsibility and coordination for the event industry.
• Health and Safety Authority: Major Outdoor Events Inspection Campaign, September 2026  EIAI contacted the Health and Safety Authority following its 2026 nationwide inspection campaign at major outdoor events, seeking information on emerging safety findings, recurring areas of non-compliance, enforcement activity, contractor coordination during event build and breakdown, and whether the HSA intends to publish national findings or lessons from the campaign.  The HSA has formally registered the enquiry and a substantive response is awaited.
• IMRO / PPI Music Licensing Engagement, August 2026  EIAI submitted detailed proposals on improving the clarity and administration of event music licensing, including clearer tariff guidance, standardised event and box-office returns, digital assessment tools and improved national signposting. Following the submission, IMRO invited EIAI to meet to discuss the issues raised and explore further engagement. EIAI has also offered to assist with practical industry testing of future event-specific guidance, calculators, digital assessment tools or standardised return processes.
• Grow the Show: Skills Needs of the Festivals & Events Sector in the West of Ireland, 2026  EIAI contributed directly to Regional Skills West research undertaken in partnership with Galway City Council. The resulting report considers skills development, competency, permits and statutory processes, career pathways and stronger coordination between event organisers, local authorities and other stakeholders.  Galway City Council: Launch of Grow the Show Report
• Ireland’s Independent COVID-19 Evaluation Stakeholder Roundtable, 2026  EIAI participated in the national stakeholder roundtable examining the economic and labour-market impacts of the pandemic, Government supports, stakeholder engagement and lessons for future crisis response.  View the official COVID-19 Evaluation stakeholder record

Recent Media & External Commentary

• Irish Independent / Sunday Independent, 2026 EIAI contributed expert commentary on major-event ticket availability and affordability, dynamic pricing, transparency in the Irish ticketing market, competition between ticketing providers, and the wider event-planning implications of public screenings and fan zones around major sporting occasions, including Katie Taylor at Croke Park and the FIFA World Cup. Read the Irish Independent coverage

Media enquiries

Journalists, researchers and public bodies seeking comment, background information or an event-industry perspective can contact:

Elaine O’Connor
Co-Founder, Event Industry Association of Ireland
Email: elaine@eiai.ie
Phone: 085 719 8994