Dublin’s 3Arena hosted one of Ireland’s largest sit-down dinners this week, with more than 2,240 international corporate tourists enjoying a gala dinner as part of their four-day trip.

The large-scale event was managed by the 3Arena’s Operational team, led by Cormac Rennick and Virginia Fortune, working with the team behind Odyssey International (which arranged the tourists’ visit) and catered for by Eunice Power – the 3Arena’s executive chef.

A huge logistical challenge, the event required a total of 65 chefs and 700 members of staff supported by management. Alongside the meal, the guests enjoyed an array of entertainment ranging from Irish dancers to live music.

The menu on the night showcased quality Irish ingredients, featuring culinary treats including Ballycotton smoked salmon with Compsey Creamery crème fraîche, blinis and fennel, fillet of beef with a red wine and thyme reduction a trio of desserts – lemon posset, strawberry tart and chocolate cylinder.

“Imagine the challenge of serving 20 Irish weddings simultaneously and that will give you some idea of the pressure on the kitchen,” said Eunice Power. “We have a superb team and everyone did their job magnificently on the night. I couldn’t be more pleased and proud of how the evening flowed, and now that we have done something on this scale so well, I look forward to taking care of similar sized events in the future. Maybe in a week or two, though, when we’ve all had a little rest!”