So, we’re all safely home from A Place in the Sun LIVE, Dublin. We enjoyed sunshine, showers and gales during our three days, and in that respect, the Emerald Isle didn’t disappoint!
First up, a big thank you to Andy, Mark, Gerry, Jules and all the APITS team for arranging a highly successful show at the RDS venue in the city. The doors opened promptly at 10:00am on Saturday morning and it was a slow-ish start. At the Manchester, London and Birmingham shows earlier in the year visitors had been queueing around the corner. Should we be worried? Not at all! This was Ireland after all and people are a bit more chilled. By 11:00am there was a buzz in the room and the conversations were in full swing. As Ireland is part of the EU, we were spared the technical questions about visa applications as people ‘cut to the chase’ on how to buy their dream Spanish property.
Our Saturday team (with apologies to Steve who was there too!) L-R: Aimee Stokes, Jose Maria Lomax, Angie McMillan and Nick Shrimpton
A Place in the Sun presenter Jasmine Harman was ‘on Saturday duty’ and the seminar room was packed for her ‘behind the camera’ stories from the show. It was the same for the Spanish Property Q&A hosted by Richard Way where our own Jose Maria Lomax was part of the expert panel.
The afternoon saw no let-up in visitors, and it was interesting to note the distances people had travelled to get to Dublin. Plenty had driven from the north and Belfast and others by car and train from Cork, Limerick, Waterfield in Galway. By 4:00pm things started winding down and exhibitors’ minds wandered to something dark and refreshing that ‘gives you strength’.
Food is an important part of these trips. We are not an offshoot of TripAdvisor, but we must put in a word for the fabulous Toscana Restaurant Dun Laoghaire. Nine different Italian main courses were brought out, all at the same time and to unanimous approval. Magnifico!
Sunday started quietly like Saturday which suited some exhibitors who perhaps lost track of time from the night before! Swapping notes with Spanish agents and others it was clear that both the quality and quantity of enquiries was encouraging. Budgets were realistic for what people wanted to buy, and to a man and a woman, everyone who spoke to us was a pleasure to talk to. I think it’s the softly spoken Irish accent. Presenter Jonnie Irwin had replaced Jasmine on Sunday and he was on good form. We noted appreciatively how he worked the room, chatting to both exhibitors and visitors alike.
No event is complete without a bit of celeb spotting, and we scored highly this time when Irish rugby legend, and British and Irish Lion, Shane Byrne passed through.
Sunday is usually the quieter of the two weekend days, but with only slightly fewer enquiries on Day two, we were well pleased with our lead count. Sunday afternoon football included Real Madrid against Barcelona and Liverpool versus Manchester City. Visitors dispersed quickly, and the exhibitors took their cue from them. With a Madrid and Liverpool double, our CEO Jose Maria Lomax headed into the final evening a happy man.
One concern we had was matching the quality of food from the night before. Well, if you’re in Dublin and you’re after a gastropub, then Purty Kitchen is a must. The only problem is choosing between the main courses. As the last drop of wine was finished off, we headed back from the restaurant to the Royal Marine Hotel, our comfortable base for the past three days. Hardy’s bar was the place to catch-up and be seen and we had just one, two or perhaps three more shandies to sign off on a successful and enjoyable weekend.
If you are considering buying an overseas property and you live in Ireland or have an Irish passport do contact us, we’d be delighted to talk to you. Simply email admin@sun-lawyers.com
