CROSS-BORDER TRADE CONFERENCE
:: A major free-to-attend cross border trade conference, jointly hosted by Newry and Dundalk Chambers and with sponsors including InterTradeIreland, will be held on Wednesday March 8 (9am to 1pm) at the Carrickdale Hotel and will focus on future business opportunities.
Case studies will demonstrate how businesses, both north and south, have overcome significant challenges, using the supports available to navigate the changes in trade flows and identify opportunities for growth. Public sector bodies from both sides of the border will set out their priorities for the region.
The conference is also supported by Louth County Council, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Louth Local Enterprise Office and Skillsnet.
Other confirmed speakers include representatives from DKIT, Enterprise Ireland, AIB, Trinity College, DELI-LITES Ireland and Kaseya. MC for the event will be broadcaster & journalist Mark Simpson.
The conference is to attend but delegates must register in advance at www.newrychamber.com.
SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT
:: The All-Ireland Sustainability Summit, in partnership with Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, will take place on Thursday March 9 in the Europa Hotel, Belfast.
Over 200 attendees from a variety of sectors are expected to attend to hear from sustainability experts and peers, with themes covering help for organisations to progress on their sustainability journeys, accessing the support needed to make change, and sharing best practice when it comes to ‘going green’.
Further sponsors for the summit include Danske Bank, International Synergies and NIE Networks.
The summit (details at www.allirelandsustainability.com) will focus on providing businesses and organisations with the support that they need to continue on their sustainability journeys during the current financial climate. The aim is for attendees to leave the day with tangible actions that they can take forward within their own businesses and organisations, and, as ever, there will be a major focus on networking, exhibiting and opportunities to explore collaborative working.
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.
