Cork businesses remain 'hopeful' that the much-delayed event centre will be completed.
It has been three years since then Taoiseach Enda Kenny turned the sod on the redevelopment of the Beamish and Crawford site in Cork City.
Since then the project has been dogged by delays and its estimated budget has jumped from €53 million to almost €80 million.
Business and hospitality bodies are now calling for certainty, accountability and meaningful communication on the long-awaited centre.
CEO of Cork Business Association Lawrence Owens says if delivered, the events centre will be a game changer for the region.
"People are investing, from a variety of sectors, they're investing in terms of their infrastructure, in terms of their business to expand. But that investment is based on 'this is going to happen'.
"Of course the concern is that it may not happen or it may not happen in the short-to-medium term because we've been talking about it for 20, 30 years but it's been crystallised in the last four or five."