Eamon Howley, Director
Eamon has 16 years experience in the Manufacturing Industry and a further 15 years in Corporate Tourism and Event Management. He has experience in many roles in the computer industry such as Production Planning, Materials Management, Production Management and Customer Service Management. Throughout this period Eamon achieved third level qualifications in the following:
- Industrial Engineering (GMIT)
- Production Materials Management (IPICS)
- Business Management & Marketing (Open University)
- Quality Teamwork and Organisation Development (Digital / Shepard Moscow Consultants)
Eamon commenced his career in Corporate / Business Tourism with Digital as Customer Service Manager for the Scandinavian market. With Digital he learned the skills and qualities required to handle the highest level of Corporate Client Visits and Entertainment Programmes. Eamon subsequently set up his own company offering organisation services to multinational companies and SME’s. As a fully trained facilitator, Eamon has represented the Galway Chamber of Commerce on the International Sports Tourism Advisory Group (ISTAG). BEM Ireland was formed in 1997 and has since managed over a hundred major events for both International and National clients. Eamon has a wealth of experience managing International Conferences, most notably:
- Young Enterprise Ireland
- Nortel Networks Product Forum
- APC Power Conversion European New Product Forum
- ADC Software European Annual Business Forum
All of these conferences required a strong project management team to deliver seamless conference delivery, transportation logistics and VIP management throughout the event. In conjunction with International Conference experience, Eamon has also worked on several company launches including:
- SAP Galway
- Galway Technology Park
- Liberty Asset Management
- Ireland Assist
- Fortis Fund Ireland
- Oyster Homes
- CDM
Events of this nature require the sourcing of guest speakers, a liaison with Government Departments and management of VIP guests. Each of these events contained a strong media presence including local and national press, radio and TV coverage. BEM Ireland managed all of the pre and post event public relations for these events. Eamon currently oversees and directs the Galway Customer Visit Programmes for Thermo King Ingersoll Rand.
Averil Burke, Director
Averil has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Political Science with a Post Graduate diploma in Marketing and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from NUI Galway.
Averil has over 20 years Marketing and Management Experience in Retail, Manufacturing and the Service Industry. For the past 15 years Averil has worked on research projects for the private and public sector, managed International Conferences and Events, and worked on a number of tourist related projects. She has been Public Relations Officer for Network, the Organisation for Women in Business, the Professions and the Arts. As PRO for Network, Averil helped manage monthly small business networking events and conferences, along with handling all of the public relations for the group. She is a member of SITE, the Society of Incentive Travel Executives. In association with Brian Bourke of Glenlo Abbey, Averil organised a special SITE member’s familiarisation visit to Galway.
As a director of BEM Ireland, Averil has managed many complex events and projects since the company’s foundation. Averil has worked on International Conferences including Allergan International European Regulatory Affairs Training Conference, and Eurocean - an International Conference of Marine Sciences organised by the European Commission in association with the Marine Institute as part of Irelands Presidency of the EU. More recently Averil has handled some top level high budget incentives for prestigious clients, including publishers Condé Nast. Averil has represented the company internationally at MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) Trade Events and conducted many site inspections for prospective clients, handling press as part of the overall marketing mix.
April Dabrowski
April has a Master in Arts of Public Relations (MIAPR) from the Irish Academy of Public Relations and a Bachelor’s Degree in PR & Journalism from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She has 4 years experience in PR, Event Management, Marketing and Tourism.
Working for the Westchester County Office of Tourism, New York, April was responsible for the management of website and promotional material. April has detailed knowledge in the design and stages of development of newsletters, brochures, stationary and direct marketing campaigns and is proficient in Microsoft Office. April worked as a PR Assistant to the BDGroup in the organisation of the Great Hudson River Revival Festival in 2005, one of the largest fundraising projects in the United States. The Festivals’ promotion focused around precise marketing avenues to stimulate festival attendance. In 2005, the Festival achieved its highest attendance of 15,000. April was responsible for a grass roots marketing directive, discovering and exploring new outlets of communication, researching new demographics and localities, and managed the feedback and follow up to the event. With exceptional attention to detail, good instincts and organisational skills, April was responsible for updating and composing website copy, database management, press release writing and was liaison to all state and local media outlets.
With BEM Ireland, April is responsible for database management, website updates, composing new marketing and promotional material, event management including itinerary design and on-site management, budget management and overall administrative duties.
