A pivotal figure in shaping and developing the Irish events industry for the last 25 years, Paul Davis was presented with the Outstanding Contribution Award at Friday’s Event Impact Awards in Dublin.
CEO of Davis Events Agency, Paul Davis started his career as Ents Officer in University College Dublin’s Students Union. “It was just a hobby in school – running events and gigs – and I can’t believe I’m still getting away with it,” he said in his acceptance speech.
Davis Events Agency was founded in 2013. It’s already ranked as a Top 100 Event Agency in the World by Eventex and continues to expand globally with operations now extending to bases in the USA and the UK. Over the last 12 years, Paul Davis has led the agency to international recognition, delivering standout events for major global clients including Google, Dropbox, UEFA and Indeed, as well as major international causes, government and cultural projects.
Paul was unknowingly nominated by his team for the Outstanding Contribution Award thanks to his, “unique ability to blend creative vision with precise execution has consistently raised the bar for what can be achieved in the events sector, not just in Ireland but globally.”
His team also noted, “His contribution goes way beyond our agency. During the pandemic, Paul founded Event Industry Ireland (EII). Through EII, he united event professionals across Ireland and was a leading advocate for the sector’s survival and recovery. Under his leadership, EII became a vital voice, securing funding and recognition for the industry from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, The Department of Tourism and Culture, Enterprise Ireland and The EU ensuring its concerns were addressed at the highest levels of government.
“His leadership in EII resulted in the retention of thousands of jobs, particularly through wage subsidy schemes, which safeguarded many of the 33,500 full-time equivalent employees in the Irish events industry. Through EII’s surveys and advocacy, Paul provided the government with crucial insights that shaped policy decisions, ensuring that freelancers and contract workers, who are the backbone of the industry, received essential financial support. Thanks to his efforts, the Irish events sector not only survived but is now on a path to growth and recovery.”
On accepting the award, Paul Davis – who worked with Shane McGowan on several occasions – told guests, “The Pogues’ legendary manager Frank Murray used to describe the craziness of trying to herd cats while letting their creativity still blossom – he’d tell me, “Don’t kill the chaos”- and that’s the challenge for all of us working in events: having our systems and processes in place while keeping the magic and creativity alive.
“A huge thanks to the Event Impact Awards organisers, to our amazing clients whose trust allows us to work on exciting and inspiring projects every single day, and to my team, who are endlessly creative, inspiring and enthusiastic. Every day they come up with incredible solutions and their energy makes our clients love working with us. Here’s to the events industry continuing to inspire each other and creating even more extraordinary experiences in the years to come.”
The Event Impact Awards, launched in 2024, recognise excellence and innovation in the Irish events industry. Davis Events Agency was also shortlisted in a further four categories and won Best Event Design for the Pride Campaign & Activations they created for Indeed, the world’s biggest jobs network.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
