Chambers Ireland, the national chambers of commerce, has chosen NEO member the Osprey Hotel & Spa as the location of their up and coming event.  NEO Ireland has arranged a 50% discount for all NEO Members to attend this event.    

The Extreme Business Makeover Seminar is a one-day event organised by Chambers Ireland to introduce companies to how they can develop smarter ways of doing business.  By adopting smarter business practices, learning how to innovate, and adopting the latest techniques and technologies, companies can increase their margins and become ‘price makers’ as opposed to ‘price takers’.

 At the seminar, which takes place on Wednesday June 27th 2007 at the Osprey Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare, you will hear from leading Irish and International speakers and entrepreneurial companies, including Manchester United, eBay and Glen Dimplex, about their practical experiences in adopting ‘best-in-class’ innovation techniques and practices, as well as how these companies learned to ‘survive and thrive’ in today’s increasingly competitive business environment. 

See the chambers website for full details and to download the seminar brochure.   As there are a limited number amount of places available at this unique event it is advisable that you book your place as soon as possible. To receive your 50% discount, simply contact the Chambers Ireland event team on 01 400 4327 / 4321 informing them you are a NEO member.

Dublin Convention Bureau has wholeheartedly welcomed the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism John O’Donoghue’s recent announcement of the awarding of the contract for the provision of a National Conference Centre (NCC) to Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin Limited. As planning permission has already been granted, construction of the public private partnership project that will be located at Spencer Dock on the north side of the Liffey, will start immediately and will be completed in 2010.

Jean Evans, CEO of Dublin Convention Bureau said:

‘We are incredibly excited that contract details have been finalised and work on the NCC can now move forward at pace. Dublin has been losing out on certain conferences due to our lack of a state-of-the-art purpose built convention facility but the proposed NCC with a plenary of up to 2000 delegates, 22 multi-purpose meeting rooms and 4500sqm of flexible exhibition and banqueting space will allow us to target organisations that previously would not have considered out of Dublin.

She continued:

‘added bonuses such as the NCC’s fantastic city location, its proximity to many high quality hotels and the fact that the new Port Tunnel cuts travel time from the airport to Spencer Dock and the city centre to just 15 minutes are all important factors in an organisation’s destination selection deliberation and can only act to Dublin’s advantage’.

The building has been designed by the Pritzker Prize winner Kevin Roche, the internationally renowned Irish-born architect based in New York, and is the first landmark building to be commissioned by the Irish government in the State’s 80 year history. When fully operational the NCC is expected to generate additional foreign revenue earnings of between €25 million and €50 million per year.

Keeping the momentum going, the IIA are at it again with another event on the 18th July in Engineers Ireland.

The IIA in partnership with iQ Content present a half day workshop on Accessibility 2.0. Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the web. An accessible website also means a better user experience for all visitors to your site. Many organisations are legally or ethically required to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), but the new WCAG 2.0 makes the definition of compliance ever more ambiguous.

This workshop demystifies the new guidelines, clearly defines what they mean for you and your website, and offers advice on how to achieve compliance and enhance the usability of your site for all users. If accessibility is something you have to, or choose to, care about, then you won't want to miss it. For more details or to book your place you can either log onto the Irish Internet Association website or contact a member of their events team.

We were in the paper!

On the 3rd June, The Sunday Independent wrote an article on the Event Management sector and interviewed the likes of Ovation and our very own Lucy Horan from DIT. Of course Lucy didn't let them away without mentioning NEO Ireland as a voice and a forum for people working in the industry. Thanks Lucy!

If you have a copy of this edition sitting around at home, it is an interesting read. The events industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in Ireland and as soon as 2009 we are going to see degree level event management students coming out of DIT. Are we ready for them? Are you?

The newly renovated ‘The Loft’ space on the top floor of Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is available for hire. Reminiscent of a New-York style loft, this bright, open-plan space complete with exposed beams, wooden floors and full-length windows, is the perfect venue to host fashion shoots, launch events, and host screenings, showcases and exhibitions. The Loft is 1,200 square feet in size.

Bookings can be made directly with Mary Larkin at Powerscourt on 01 6717000.

Dublin’s excellent accessibility already contributes to making it a destination of choice for conference organisers based in the UK, Europe and the United States, but recent developments in aviation agreements and route expansions will only make life easier for conference delegates and organisers alike! The signing of the EU-US Bi-lateral or ‘Open Skies’ Agreement is good news for Dublin and Ireland and should help realise the huge potential of the North American market.

Jean Evans, CEO of Dublin Convention Bureau, commented:

‘Our historical and cultural links with the US already make us a popular conference destination for American delegates. However new services being offered by Aer Lingus into San Francisco, Orlando and Washington Dulles Airport will open up 3 more of the top 15 metropolitan areas in the States. Furthermore, the new Ireland-Canada Air Transport Agreement which has taken effect on a provisional basis since May will replace the restrictive existing arrangement and allow carriers to provide services between any point in Canada and any point in Ireland. These are all extremely positive developments which can only help Dublin to remain at the forefront of meetings planners’ minds when considering suitable destinations for their events.’

And it’s looking just as positive eastwards! Direct flights now operate between Dublin and Dubai, and Etihad Airlines plans to operate four direct flights a week into Abu Dhabi from August 2007. Aer Lingus will also put on direct flights to the new destinations of Agadir, Helsinki, Bucharest and Funchal and resume flights to Copenhagen from October 2007.

97 different airlines currently use Dublin Airport with over 150 destinations being served, making it the 5th fastest growing airport in Europe or the 19th busiest in the world in terms of international flights. And if it’s easy and affordable to get to a destination, more delegates are inclined to attend a meeting or conference being held there, helping to boost delegate numbers significantly and contribute to a successful experience for all concerned.

Of course if you are a UK based delegate, there is always the option of taking the ferry. There are three major carriers operating the service from the U.K. The crossing from Holyhead to Dublin operated by StenaLine offers two sailings per day with a crossing time of around 3 hours 45 minutes while Irish Ferries have six crossings per day with an average sailing time of 3 hours 15 minutes on the giant cruise ferry 'The Ulysses'. They also offer a fast craft service on board the 'Jonathan Swift' which takes 1 hour and 49 minutes. A second popular route to Dublin sails from Liverpool and is served by P&O Irish Sea Ferries and Steam Packet Isle of Man ferries both with an average of three sailings per day and a crossing time of 4 hours.

There is no better way to celebrate the wonderful diversity of culture now in Ireland than with a three-day festival at the end of summer. Full festival details will be announced in early July 2007.

For more information please contact Nik Quaife at Zoetrope.

Islandbridge are delighted to announce their next workshop which will take place on Thursday July 5th in Dublin.

All Work & No Play?

Now you get to do both - whilst learning a fresh and practical approach to building a great brand. You are invited to Islandbridge’s half-day Brand Necessities Workshop on Thursday, July 5th at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Whether you are a business owner or manager with overall responsibility for the well being of your brand, you know how vital it is to the success of your business. We offer a hands-on, heads-up to great branding, and deliver a framework that will equip you to make the most of your brand. As a member of our half-day working group, you will get to grips with the bare necessities of branding and see some brands in action. Get your hands on some useful pieces of kit for briefing brand activity and monitoring its success, and leave with the tools and know-how to take what you've learned and manage your own brand.

Who's It For?

• Business Owners (with a wide range of critical activities vying with brand for attention)
• General Managers (looking to deploy their resources more effectively)

What's The Story?

Thursday, 5th July from 9.30am - 1pm
The Pelican Room, Guinness Storehouse, Dublin
€150 per delegate (or €105 for private companies - please see Chamber Learning Skillnets offer immediately below)

Call us today on +353 1 495 3330 or email Christine@Islandbridge.com to book your place.