Business

Business Diary: What's coming up

Belfast Chamber have announced that their 2023 President’s Lunch – which will happen on Thursday 6 April in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaw’s Bridge – will be sponsored by global law firm Eversheds Sutherland. Commenting, Belfast Chamber President Alana Coyle said: “Belfast Chamber are delighted to partner with Eversheds Sutherland for our President’s Lunch on Thursday 6 April. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Global Belfast’. We can, at times, be understandably focused on what’s happening in our own city or region and forget to focus on the opportunities that exist beyond Belfast. Global companies have made Belfast their home because of our impressive talent pool whilst Belfast based companies are exporting far and wide. Encouraging an even greater international outlook, seeking to attract talent from around the world and exploiting the opportunity of our city as a gateway to markets is something that Belfast Chamber wants to encourage and work with partners to help make Belfast a truly global city. As a global top 10 law practice, Eversheds Sutherland are the perfect partner for such an event. Their presence in Belfast and across the rest of the UK plus close connections across the island of Ireland reminds us of our city’s potentially unique position that could benefit people and business in Belfast and right across NI”. Alan Connell, Managing Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, added: “We are pleased to be supporting this year’s Belfast Chamber President’s Lunch. As the largest and most established global law firm on the island of Ireland, with a full service offering across our Belfast and Dublin offices, Eversheds Sutherland is very much connected globally but committed locally. We are acutely aware of the many challenges which face businesses and organisations currently, and with our strength and depth of expertise across our full service offering, we are uniquely placed to help them navigate such challenges. “This year’s theme of ‘Global Belfast’ is particularly apt for a firm like ours which operates from over 70 offices in more than 30 countries around the world. Eversheds Sutherland and our team of experts in Belfast are globally connected to our firm’s wider network. As we seek to attract more inward investment and create a Belfast economy fit for the future, it is important that, as a business community, in order to capitalise on the many opportunities that are arising, we are outward facing and increasingly global in our outlook and approach.” Note to Editors 1. Attached is a picture of Belfast Chamber President Alana Coyle along with Matthew Howse, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland launching the 2023 Belfast Chamber President’s Lunch. 2. A senior government figure will be the keynote speaker at the event. 3. Tickets for the 2023 President’s Lunch can be purchased on the Belfast Chamber website at https://belfastchamber.com/events/upcoming-events/belfast-chamber-presidents-lunch-2023-crowne-plaza-belfast-6-apr-2023/
Belfast Chamber have announced that their 2023 President’s Lunch – which will happen on Thursday 6 April in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaw’s Bridge – will be sponsored by global law firm Eversheds Sutherland. Commenting, Belfast Belfast Chamber have announced that their 2023 President’s Lunch – which will happen on Thursday 6 April in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaw’s Bridge – will be sponsored by global law firm Eversheds Sutherland. Commenting, Belfast Chamber President Alana Coyle said: “Belfast Chamber are delighted to partner with Eversheds Sutherland for our President’s Lunch on Thursday 6 April. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Global Belfast’. We can, at times, be understandably focused on what’s happening in our own city or region and forget to focus on the opportunities that exist beyond Belfast. Global companies have made Belfast their home because of our impressive talent pool whilst Belfast based companies are exporting far and wide. Encouraging an even greater international outlook, seeking to attract talent from around the world and exploiting the opportunity of our city as a gateway to markets is something that Belfast Chamber wants to encourage and work with partners to help make Belfast a truly global city. As a global top 10 law practice, Eversheds Sutherland are the perfect partner for such an event. Their presence in Belfast and across the rest of the UK plus close connections across the island of Ireland reminds us of our city’s potentially unique position that could benefit people and business in Belfast and right across NI”. Alan Connell, Managing Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, added: “We are pleased to be supporting this year’s Belfast Chamber President’s Lunch. As the largest and most established global law firm on the island of Ireland, with a full service offering across our Belfast and Dublin offices, Eversheds Sutherland is very much connected globally but committed locally. We are acutely aware of the many challenges which face businesses and organisations currently, and with our strength and depth of expertise across our full service offering, we are uniquely placed to help them navigate such challenges. “This year’s theme of ‘Global Belfast’ is particularly apt for a firm like ours which operates from over 70 offices in more than 30 countries around the world. Eversheds Sutherland and our team of experts in Belfast are globally connected to our firm’s wider network. As we seek to attract more inward investment and create a Belfast economy fit for the future, it is important that, as a business community, in order to capitalise on the many opportunities that are arising, we are outward facing and increasingly global in our outlook and approach.” Note to Editors 1. Attached is a picture of Belfast Chamber President Alana Coyle along with Matthew Howse, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland launching the 2023 Belfast Chamber President’s Lunch. 2. A senior government figure will be the keynote speaker at the event. 3. Tickets for the 2023 President’s Lunch can be purchased on the Belfast Chamber website at https://belfastchamber.com/events/upcoming-events/belfast-chamber-presidents-lunch-2023-crowne-plaza-belfast-6-apr-2023/

TEDx STORMONT

:: TEDxStormont returns to Parliament Buildings on Saturday March 25 with a stellar line up including globally renowned cellist Patrick Dexter, Sky News senior Ireland correspondent David Blevins, Hertford College University of Oxford principal Tom Fletcher, Senator Emer Currie, journalist and author Leona O’Neill, Northern-Irish-Ghanian artist Winnie Ama, and Fin TrU chief executive Darragh McCarthy.

The daylong event, supported by Herbert Smith Freehills and compered by presenter and broadcaster Sarah Travers, is expected to see 200 guests fill the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings for the event’s 10th anniversary.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in April, this year’s speakers will deliver their talks on the theme of “YES”. Standing on the iconic red dot, speakers will share their ideas on hope, peace, and possibility for Northern Ireland and beyond.

Beginning as a four-day conference in California, TED and the TEDx programme has grown to support world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives like TEDxStormont, which since 2013 has organised over 20 events and meet-ups, including TEDxStormont and TEDxStormont Women.

Across the span of a decade, TEDxStormont has hosted some of the most acclaimed speakers including Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, Lyra McKee, Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters, and astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

The event will bring individuals from an array of backgrounds such as academia, journalism, music, business, and sport. Tickets and more information are available at www.tedxstormont.com

GENERATION INNOVATION

:: Catalyst’s free work experience programme Generation Innovation is accepting applications from 17–18-year-olds interested in accelerating their career development and learning new skills to help them think innovatively.

Established in 2018, Generation Innovation is a one-of-a-kind work experience programme designed to empower, enable, and upskill young people for the workplace of tomorrow.

Supported by the Department for the Economy, it gives young people a real-world working experience with some of the most successful and dynamic companies in Northern Ireland.

Since 2018, over 1600 young people from over 130 schools and FE colleges have taken part in Generation Innovation’s work experience programme, with 57 companies supporting the initiative.

Over the course of 4 or 5 days (depending on location), participants will receive design thinking training from experts and work as part of a team to develop new ideas and solve a real company challenge.

Young people will be paired with well-known employers, such as Allstate, Artemis Technologies, and iManage, and then collaborate with their team to develop a solution to an issue that the company faces in the real world, before pitching their solution to the partner company and fellow peers at the end.

Alongside upskilling and working with innovative companies, participants will receive free Generation Innovation merchandise and gain access to the Generation Innovation alumni network.

Some 600 young people will take part in Generation Innovation in June at The Guildhall Derry (June 13-16), Catalyst Queen's Road (June 19-23) and The Junction Dungannon (June 26-29).

For more information on how to apply for Generation Innovation 2023 visit: generationinnovation.co. Applications close on March 31.

STUDENT TELEVISION AWARDS

The Royal Television Society Northern Ireland (RTS NI) has opened nominations for this year’s Student Television Awards, supported by NI Screen and the Department for the Communities.

Celebrating ten years of encouraging and nurturing student talent in the north, the awards ceremony will be hosted by UTV on-screen journalist Sarah McKinley on Wednesday March 29 at 6.30pm in the Black Box in Belfast, with the Joe McKinney memorial keynote speech delivered by Jannine Waddell, managing director of Waddell Media.

The winners of these awards go forward to the national RTS Student Media Awards in London in June and will also be invited to this year’s RTS NI Programme Awards on June 1 at Belfast City Hall, where they will meet top professionals from across the local screen industries.

eCOMM LIVE 2023

Speakers from global brands including Ryanair, TikTok and Pinterest will join more than 500 delegates in Belfast on April 26 & 27 for Ireland’s leading conference focusing on e-commerce and retail technology.

eComm Live 2023, partnering for the fourth consecutive year with Belfast based e-commerce platform IRP, will showcase the breadth of innovation created by Irish retailers, agencies, entrepreneurs & service providers.

Taking place in Belfast’s iconic Assembly Buildings Conference Centre, the two-day training and networking event will provide insights on profit to those who have recently begun selling online, as well as established e-commerce businesses with global growth ambitions.

Kevin Traynor, who founded eComm Live in 2019, said: “We have grown eComm Live into the go-to event for e-commerce businesses wanting to showcase their talent, products and technology to UK and Irish audiences. E-commerce has seen stellar growth over the last few years, and although the market has evened out, there are still opportunities and partnerships to be formed, and our Conference is the perfect place to make this happen.”

One of the main themes for the conference is e-commerce profitability, something IRP Commerce founder Daniel Loughlin believes is the singular goal of e-commerce.

He said: “IRP wants Northern Ireland to be at the forefront of e-commerce innovation and trading. We should never forget that e-commerce is all about the merchants. When merchants make profits, our profits never fail to follow, this “merchant first” approach is what will be highlighting at this year’s conference.”

Information and tickets can be found at www.ecomm.live