Event Photography: Western Development Commission REWARD Conference, Sligo & Leitrim

16 Jun

Two delegates chatting over coffee during the Western Development Commission REWARD conference in Sligo

In early June I spent two days photographing the Western Development Commission's REWARD Interregional Learning Event, held across Sligo and Leitrim. It's part of the EU's Interreg Europe programme, and it brought regional development partners from Finland, Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic together around a question that matters a great deal out here: how do regions like the West of Ireland hold on to skilled people — and attract more of them?

Exterior of the AIM Centre in Sligo, host venue for the Western Development Commission REWARD conference

The programme ran across two venues — the AIM Centre in Sligo on day one and FutureCast in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim on day two — and moved between keynote sessions, partner presentations and a panel discussion, with showcase visits to sites including the National Surf Centre at Strandhill and SocoLab. Minister of State Frank Feighan delivered the welcome address. There was also room for the less formal side of things — coffee, conversation, an ice cream stop on the coast — which, in my experience, often does as much for a project as the sessions themselves.

Minister of State Frank Feighan delivering the welcome address at the Western Development Commission REWARD conference in Sligo — Minister of State Frank Feighan

Delegates applauding at round tables during a session at the Western Development Commission REWARD conference in Sligo

Speaker presenting to delegates at the National Surf Centre, Strandhill, during the Western Development Commission REWARD conference

My job across both days was to document all of it: the speakers and panels, the group portraits and branding the team needs for press and reporting, and the quieter moments where people were genuinely connecting.

On each of the two days I also turned around a selection of edited images that evening, so the team had photos ready to post the same day while the event was still live.

A guide explaining lab equipment to delegates during a facility tour at the Western Development Commission REWARD conference

Delegates seated at round tables during a working session at FutureCast in Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, for the Western Development Commission REWARD conference

Capturing the energy of a busy room while still coming away with clean, usable frames is the part of this work I enjoy most — and conference and event photography is something I'd genuinely love to do more of.

A full room of delegates applauding a speaker at the Western Development Commission REWARD conference

So if you're planning a conference, summit or multi-day event anywhere in the West and you're looking for a photographer who'll deliver for press, social and your own archive, I'd love to hear from you. Get in touch and let's talk.