Business

Business diary: Upcoming conferences, expos and networking events

Your weekly round-up of conferences, dinners and seminars

Rachel Burns (left), chair, FE Economic Engagement Working Group, and Adrian McNally, general manager, Titanic Hotel, Belfast, are pictured at the launch of Northern Ireland’s Biggest Business Breakfast which is being held on Thursday, 30th May.
Rachel Burns (left), chair, FE Economic Engagement Working Group, and Adrian McNally, general manager, Titanic Hotel, Belfast, are pictured at the launch of Northern Ireland’s Biggest Business Breakfast which is being held on Thursday, 30th May. (Philip Magowan/Philip Magowan / Press Eye)
Northern Ireland’s Biggest Business Breakfast

Entrepreneurs and business leaders are being invited to attend Northern Ireland’s Biggest Business Breakfast on Thursday May 30, where they can discover the wealth of business support and funding available to them through Northern Ireland’s six Further Education Colleges. Taking place simultaneously across each Further Education College in Northern Ireland, the breakfast event aims to empower entrepreneurs, small business owners, and industry leaders by highlighting the diverse range of free support initiatives offered by local FE Colleges. Business can register for Northern Ireland’s biggest business breakfast at furthereducationni.com/bigbusinessbreakfast or via their local College’s website.

Serverless Days

Serverless Days Belfast, the software community conference focused on the movement of the industry towards serverless and modern cloud technology, takes place at Titanic Hotel, Belfast on May 23. Speakers for the one-day conference will include internationally renowned experts Jeremy Daly, CEO and co-founder at Ampt; James Eastham, senior cloud architect at AWS; and Julian Wood, serverless developer advocate at AWS. Book at serverlessdaysbelfast.com and follow the conversation at @BFSServerless and ServerlessDays Belfast on LinkedIn.

Aircraft Interiors Expo
Pictured (L-R) are Francis McCartan, from Rostrevor-based Bradfor Ltd; Joanne Liddle, from Carrickfergus-based IPC Mouldings; and Stephen Cromie, from Newry’s Exact Group.
Three local companies are set to highlight the epitome of supply chain excellence, and the value of the north’s thriving aerospace manufacturing sector to the global market, at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), the world’s leading marketplace for airlines and the supply chain, which takes place in Hamburg from May 28-30. Pictured (L-R) are Francis McCartan, from Rostrevor-based Bradfor Ltd; Joanne Liddle, from Carrickfergus-based IPC Mouldings; and Stephen Cromie, from Newry’s Exact Group. (Kelvin Boyes)
Devolution at 25: Productivity & Skills

The Economics Observatory is holding three events to mark 25 years of devolution. The chief aim of these events is to be forward looking and stimulate debate as to how we create prosperous Northern Irish, Scottish, and Welsh economies. The theme of the Belfast event, on Friday 21 June, is productivity and skills. It will take place from 9am to 11am (with refreshments available from 8.30am) and will be hosted by the Northern Ireland Productivity Forum. The event will consist of two roundtables focusing on skills and productivity in Northern Ireland and the two other devolved nations. For further information, please visit the event page on the Economics Observatory website.

SSE Airtricity Community Fund
Ashley Morrow, SSE Airtricity head of brand, and Andrew Greer, SSE Airtricity general manager, launching a new £4.3m million all-island community fund.
Ashley Morrow, SSE Airtricity head of brand, and Andrew Greer, SSE Airtricity general manager, launching a new £4.3m million all-island community fund. (Kelvin Boyes)

SSE Airtricity has launched a £4.3m million all-island community fund, with the aim of delivering meaningful community benefits across the island of Ireland. The company plans to undertake a ten week consultation process, which will continue until July 26, inviting views from communities, individuals and organisations from towns, villages, inner cities, and rural heartlands, to advise how the fund could best support green initiatives throughout our communities. To submit your views to the consultation or for more information, visit: www.sseairtricity.com/communityfund

Graduate recruitment fair

University graduates from across Northern Ireland are gearing up for an exciting opportunity to be matched with their perfect job as the annual Northern Ireland Graduate Recruitment Fair returns for 2024. Organised in partnership by Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast, this premier event will take place at Ulster University’s new state-of-the-art campus in Belfast, for the first time, on June 4. From 11am to 3pm, at the UU campus on York Street, attendees will have the chance to explore a wide range of career opportunities by establishing valuable connections and gaining insights from industry professionals as they take strides towards seeking job possibilities that align with their passions and career goals. You can find out more about the Northern Ireland Graduate Recruitment Fair by visiting the website nigradfair.org.

2024 Northern Ireland Motor Industry Awards
The 2024 Northern Ireland Motor Industry Awards will take place Thursday 7 November 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast. The event will see a Fiat 500 worth over £5,000, auctioned in aid of automotive charity Ben. Pictured (L-R): Stephen Kelly, CEO at Used Cars NI; Michael Tomalin, chief executive at City Auction Group; Sasha Jeffrey, ASG & Partners; and two fundraising representatives for Ben.
The 2024 Northern Ireland Motor Industry Awards will take place Thursday 7 November 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Belfast. The event will see a Fiat 500 worth over £5,000, auctioned in aid of automotive charity Ben. Pictured (L-R): Stephen Kelly, CEO at Used Cars NI; Michael Tomalin, chief executive at City Auction Group; Sasha Jeffrey, ASG & Partners; and two fundraising representatives for Ben. (Brian Thompson)
ScaleX Summit

The ScaleX Summit takes place at ICC Belfast on Wednesday, November 13, with over 900 businesspeople from across the UK and Ireland expected to attend. Founded by scaling experts Brendan McGuigan and Claire Colvin, the ScaleX Summit will provide attendees with the opportunity to gain valuable insights and practical strategies to help businesses scale with purpose. This year, serial entrepreneur, author and co-founder of Dent Global, Daniel Priestley will speak at the one-day event and challenge SME leaders to make the UK and Ireland a global scaling powerhouse. Early bird tickets are available until July 16. For more information and to secure your place at the summit visit scalexsummit.com.

IOD annual dinner

BBC newsreader and presenter Clive Myrie has been confirmed as the key speaker at the Institute of Director’s annual dinner, which returns to the Culloden Estate and Spa on Thursday September 26. Around 400 delegates are expected at the event, supported by headline sponsor Bank of Ireland, which will be hosted by former news anchor Donna Traynor. The event, open to both members and non-members, is also being supported by Arthur Cox and Hire IQ. For more information or to book a table, visit www.iod.com

Food to Go Awards

The Northern Ireland Food to Go Association, founded by Michael Henderson, has launched a new series of awards to celebrate and help grow the businesses which make up the vibrant take-away and food to go sector in the north The inaugural NI Food to Go Awards will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Tuesday November 19, hosted by Q Radio presenter Ibe Sesay. Full details of the awards, which will be supported by one of Ireland’s leading suppliers to the hospitality industry, Henderson Foodservice, can be found at www.foodtogoawards.co.uk.