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‘Take the leap and follow your passion’

Posted by Jim on November 28, 2017 / Posted in Blog

‘Take the leap and follow your passion’

Amanda McGeown of Healthy Juice Co; Marion OConnor of Marion OConnor Nutrition; speaker Dympna Hannon and Paula White and Madonna Daly of Bank of Ireland. Amanda McGeown of Healthy Juice Co; Marion OConnor of Marion OConnor Nutrition; speaker Dympna Hannon and Paula White and Madonna Daly of Bank of Ireland. Published: 17:16 Wednesday 22 November 2017

‘What you focus on you get.’ That was one piece of advice offered during Global Entrepreneurship Week at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s lunchtime seminars for local businesses. Dympna Hannon of the Hannon Clinic looked at the area of goal-setting, and the difficulties people often face when trying to achieve their goals.

She explained: “People often find themselves pondering over for long periods of time, often years, the things they’d love to do and achieve. The barriers they are therefore facing are mental barriers, their self-talk is the obstacle that is preventing them from achieving what they want to achieve. If you on the other hand truly believe that you will achieve something, you will be able to make progress and put your goal into action.” Dympna encouraged those that have a goal, or a dream, to ‘take the leap, follow your passion and enjoy the journey’.

For those businesses wanting to find new customers, and increase their sales, James Coyle of the JCR Network kicked off the business breakfast for Global Entrepreneurship Week with an analysis of sales negotiations and why they often fail. James explained: “Satisfying a customer’s need is critical to successful sales negotiations. This means that as the supplier, you need to be aware of their potential needs in advance of meeting. Reaching a ‘win-win’ outcome that then delivers mutual gain helps to clinch the deal.”

Alderman Allan Ewart MBE, Chairman of the council’s Development Committee, commented: “The council wants to support local businesses as much as possible, and to encourage would-be entrepreneurs to take that step into self-employment, as well as work with existing businesses to acquire new skills and knowledge that will support their continued growth. “I’m delighted with the uptake of our programme of seminars and workshops delivered during Global Entrepreneurship Week, and I would like any local businesses with growth aspirations to contact the council, to find out about the business support initiatives and networking events we have available.”
Ulster Star Wednesday 22nd November 2017
Read more at: http://www.lisburntoday.co.uk/news/business/take-the-leap-and-follow-your-passion-1-8258297

Sales Acceleration: Acquire and Grow New Client Relationships

Posted by Jim on November 08, 2017 / Posted in Blog

Nov 16

by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council

Free

Description

How do you create demand in an ever-changing market? James Coyle is a Director with JCR Network Services Ltd, which provides sales, marketing and business development expertise to local SMEs and specialises in the international manufacturing, financial services and retail sectors.

In today’s seminar James will discuss the modern day sales process and look at changes you can make to improve your sales performance and bottom line

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Date and Time: Thu 16 November 2017

08:00 – 09:30 GMT

Add to Calendar

Location: Inspire Business Centre, Carrowreagh Road, Dundonald, BT16 1QT

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Trustee Network Video

Posted by Jim on October 27, 2017 / Posted in Blog

Watch our short video below which includes an overview of the Trustee Network as well as testimonials from two of our Network members.

If you have any queries about the Trustee Network please email rachel@co3.bz or Tel: 028 90 245 356.

We are delighted to be able to bring to you our new video exploring the benefits of the CO3 Trustee Network which already has over 250 members having only been established in March 2015. Please take a couple of minutes to hear from Howard Platt from Ulster Wildlife and Grainne Walsh, Chair of Housing Rights who explain how being a member of the Trustee Network has helped them learn from peers and experts as well as widening their networks.

Trustee Network membership is offered on a complimentary basis to all CO3 Full, Corporate and Associate members, so if you would like to become a member, please reply to this email. As a member of our network you can also advertise Board vacancies and avail of a Corporate Governance consultation.

Celebrated names set for Derry-Belfast innovation conference

Posted by Jim on October 19, 2017 / Posted in Blog

The two-day FuSIon Fest will feature keynotes from top creative minds addressing some of the major social issues of today

Eden Project founder, Sir Tim Smit KBE, and Deirdre Mortell, Head of the Social Innovation Fund for Ireland

A collection of celebrated innovators from across the UK, Ireland and the EU will be brought together this week for FuSIon Fest, a two-day social innovation event taking place in Derry~Londonderry and Belfast.

Starting at Derry’s Playhouse Theatre on October 19 before moving to the Crescent Arts Centre and Belfast Barge on October 20, the conference will gather people and organisations from all backgrounds with a shared passion for finding and delivering solutions to social challenges.

Recently announced as keynote speaker is Sir Tim Smit KBE, founder of the award-winning, Cornwall-based Eden Project, which opened its doors to the public in 2000. Once a large, disused crater, it was his vision that saw it transformed into an educational centre which houses a range of projects, including an indoor rain forest, a learning college focusing on food production and a horticulture and rainforest canopy. Since opening, the attraction has contributed more than £1 billion to the local economy and welcomed over 16 million visitors.

Eden Project

Joining Sir Tim will be Deirdre Mortell, Head of the Social Innovation Fund for Ireland, tech entrepreneur and angel investor Mary McKenna, and an exciting local talent, Alan Mahon, whose beer producer, Brewgooder, donates all profits to clean water in developing countries around the world.

As well as the keynotes, FuSIon Fest will feature nine interactive breakout sessions each day, on topics including social finance, tech for good, corporate social innovation and youth unemployment.

FuSIonFest is organised by Innovate NI and hosted by the Building Change Trust, with support from the Department for Communities, as part of its work with Social Innovation NI.

Paul Braithwaite, who heads up the Building Change Trust’s work in social innovation, commented: ‘We’ve organised FuSIonFest because we believe social innovation is a powerful concept that could find creative solutions to social problems. By bringing together a bunch of people who wouldn’t normally mix, FuSIonFest combines innovators from business, the public sector, and community sector, as well as individuals who have big ideas.

Alan-Mahon_BrewGooder

Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder

‘Our panel of speakers will be inspiring participants through their own social innovation journey, and the programme includes workshops on specific issues such as youth unemployment and health inequalities, ‘tech for good’ and design thinking. We are hoping to find some great collaborative partnerships emerge from this year’s event, having had previous successes such as with Arthritis Care NI, who, through our Techies in Residence programme, worked with Blackstaff Games to develop a mobile game for young people affected by Arthritis to help them better manage their condition and communicate with health professionals.’

Sharon Polson from the Department for Communities said: ‘The Department is very pleased to be supporting FuSIonFest this year. The festival provides an exciting opportunity for individuals and organisations to learn about social innovation and to have meaningful discussions on innovative solutions to the social problems we face in our society. We believe the festival will not only promote the concept of social innovation but will also inspire ideas and cultivate collaborations and we encourage organisations across the public, private and third sectors to get involved.’

Sir Tim Smit’s keynote is taking place as part of a post-event celebration on the Belfast Barge on October 20. Tickets are available from www.fusionfest.co.uk and a free shuttle bus will run from Derry~Londonderry to Belfast for the after-party. All are welcome to attend the two-day event.

courtesy of Culture Northern Ireland, Nerve Centre ,7-8 Magazine Street
Derry/Londonderry
BT48 6HJ

LVS to Share Their Re-Shoring Expertise at Interplas

Posted by Jim on October 06, 2017 / Posted in Blog

21 Sep 2017

Published by:

LVS Small Plastic Parts Ltd

LVS Small Plastic Parts Press Release 2 – Interplas 2017

Company Name: LVS Small Plastic Parts

Stand: A40M

Media Contacts:

PlastikMedia (Marketing)

Richard Stamps richard@plastikmedia.co.uk 01455 209270

LVS Small Plastic Parts

Charles Carter charles@small-plastic-parts.co.uk 01952 290666

Editorial:

LVS to Share Their Reshoring Expertise at Interplas

Telford based Small Plastic Parts have a proven track record of reshoring moulding projects.

Their most recent project involved a German Tier 1 Automotive Company with a global footprint. Their UK assembly plant previously received all its plastic mouldings from either Germany or Eastern Europe, this being as ‘full loads’ to minimise transport costs.

LVS M.D. Simon Anderson commented,

“We will offer a stable cost (no exchange rate fluctuations), and we will use our fleet of vehicles to deliver product ‘line side’ twice daily on flow racks. As well as almost eliminating all stock holding for the client, product quality will improve, as they previously had an ‘accepted’ level of fall out due to transportation and the very long storage time for these parts.”

“We secured this valuable business by delivering a cost saving per part, reduced inventory levels, improved quality of product and a speed to resolve engineering changes that couldn’t be previously achieved.”

Simon is an expert in the field of reshoring the UK automotive sector supply chain, having recently sat on a panel for the SMMT International Automotive Summit.

———-END———-

Image supplied by the SMMT. Simon Anderson in centre of shot.

About LVS Small Plastic Parts:

Since 1975, LVS Small Plastic Parts has become a leading plastic injection moulding company, and the contract manufacturing partner to some of the best companies in the UK.

Based in Telford in the Midlands, LVS Small Plastic Parts specialise in providing complex plastic injection moulded thermoplastic components. The company’s commitment to quality, innovation, and speed-to-market is why market leaders across the UK and Europe trust LVS to deliver their most challenging new products.

Product design and tool manufacture
Bespoke manufacture
Small and large production runs
Shot weight from 0.1g to over 4kg
Assembly and packaging of finished goods
Printing, plating and welding
JIT, Kanban and consignment stock supplies
Twin shot moulding machine

Go-2-Tender Workshops Dublin 14th and 28th September 2017

Posted by Jim on September 12, 2017 / Posted in Blog

14 September 2017

Dublin

9am – 5pm

Contact Laura Kearney on 028 90452777 (048 from Ireland)

£85 or €100 per person

Go-2-Tender is an InterTradeIreland programme which has been developed to give SMEs the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to tender successfully for public sector contracts in their own jurisdiction or on a cross-border basis.

The programme is geared towards SMEs who are new to tendering or who want to improve their basic tendering skills. The course consists of a two day workshop and a half day of mentoring. This mentoring may be extended by up to 2 additional days and all mentoring is delivered by an experienced consultant to assist with tender development.

The workshops will take place on 14th and 28th September 2017. Venue details to follow shortly. Find out more course details below:

Day One

How to source above and below threshold contract opportunities
The bid/no bid decision
How the Public Sector buys (North and South)
How to assess opportunities using live examples
Electronic tender platforms (e.g. eTendersNI & eTenders.ie)
Success strategies for SMEs

Day Two

How to become more competitive
Improving your document writing skills
Checklist of tender content and how it should be presented
Debriefing following tender competitions
Action planning for successful tendering

Registration

Registration begins at 9.00 and the programme wraps up at 17.00 on both days.

To register for the event, download the Go-2-Tender Workshop Application Form (220 KB)‌. Once completed, email the form to laurar@envision-ni.co.uk

Cost

Go-2-Tender provides excellent value for money and includes training, materials, catering and mentoring.

The cost is £85 or €100 per person.

Breaking language barrier real key to Eurozone success

Posted by Jim on August 14, 2017 / Posted in Blog

The EU is the single-largest economy and largest trading bloc in the world. With transparent rules and regulations and a secure legal investment framework, the EU also ranks first in both inbound and outbound international investments, and its services markets are very much open to other member states. (Stock picture)

Leo McAdams

August 13 2017 6:00 PM

Uncertainty is said to be the enemy of business. So, in an age where volatility, disruption, complexity and ambiguity are par for the course, where can Irish companies look for certainty?

The answer may be closer than we think. The EU is the single-largest economy and largest trading bloc in the world. With transparent rules and regulations and a secure legal investment framework, the EU also ranks first in both inbound and outbound international investments, and its services markets are very much open to other member states.

Home to three of the G7 nations, it’s the top trading partner for 80 countries and will be home to over 440 million consumers even post-Brexit. It provides Irish companies with a market that is free from tariffs and customs obligations; where there is free movement of people, capital, goods and services; and where all members share common regulatory and technical specifications for goods.

Business risks are further minimised with the shared currency of the 19 members of the eurozone. This year, Enterprise Ireland launched a strategy for 2017-2020 aimed at increasing client exports into the eurozone by €2bn a year. This would represent one of the most significant shifts in exports by Irish-owned companies into continental Europe – a move seen as particularly important in the context of Brexit. Priority sectors include construction, engineering, life science, medtech and food.

With two prongs – ‘Eurozone Start’ and ‘Eurozone Scale’ – the strategy aims to support companies on their export journey from market opportunity awareness, research and capability assessment to product localisation, market entry and growth. Enterprise Ireland’s six offices in the eurozone are identifying new market and sector opportunities for clients, and the plan is being supported by increased assistance for companies, including market access grants, business innovation funding, market opportunity reviews, management development programmes and access to trade missions/market study visits.

Our #GlobalAmbition campaign showcases companies achieving success in the region and is backed by market guides, information, sector workshops and insights. Enterprise Ireland also plans to launch ‘Advantage Ireland’ in-market digital communication campaigns in key markets to stimulate awareness among buyers of Irish innovation and capabilities.

While eurozone opportunities are immense, there is a need to recognise the region’s diversity in terms of GDP levels, industry strengths, language and culture. Research is essential to understand the dynamics of individual markets, their scale, drivers, existing players and where your own company’s offering might fit within that landscape. Companies need to be laser sharp in identifying the product areas or sectors where their business can have the most impact, and is likely that what differentiates your offering in specific eurozone markets will be different from your value proposition back in Ireland.

To truly maximise the eurozone opportunity, we believe that Irish business leaders need to embed second and third languages in their companies. This is key to building the capability to really engage in detailed business and technical issues.

It’s also about demonstrating commitment and truly understanding the customer. A common misconception is that we should speak customers’ languages simply to be understood. But in reality it will enable you to gain better market intelligence, understanding who your local and international competitors are (and positioning yourself accordingly) and being more aware of the cultural nuances of conducting business in that country.

Building a technical and business team with linguistic and cultural fluency is not something that happens overnight, but Enterprise Ireland’s local offices in the eurozone can help you on this journey.

Leo McAdams is Enterprise Ireland’s director of international sales and partnering

Go-2-Tender – IntertradeIreland

Posted by Jim on June 14, 2017 / Posted in Blog

Source: Go-2-Tender – IntertradeIreland

IntertradeIreland Supplier Engagement Event

Posted by Jim on May 26, 2017 / Posted in Blog

You are invited to a ‘Supplier Engagement Event’ being held by InterTradeIreland in conjunction with its partner organisations in Glenavon House Hotel, Cookstown, County Tyrone on 21^st June 2017

Why should you attend?

If you have a good or service that councils procure – this event is for you!
It is FREE to attend. Local Government Supplier Event 21 June 2017 InterTradeIreland Programme (1) 21.6.17

Meet the procurement personnel from the following Northern Ireland Councils:
- Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
- Ards and North Down Borough Council
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
- Belfast City Council
- Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
- Derry City and Strabane District Council
- Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
- Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council
- Mid and East Antrim Borough Counci
- Mid Ulster District Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

Meet personnel from the following Councils in Ireland
- Cavan County Council
- Leitrim
- Louth County Council
- Monaghan County Council
- Sligo County Council

Find out what councils require from suppliers and discuss upcoming procurement opportunities with council staff
Meet representatives from Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) and the Office of Government Procurement (OGP)
Get help registering on the main procurement portals on the island etenders.ie, etendersNI.gov.uk and supplygov.ie
Visit the Business Information Zone to Find out about funding opportunities and supports that are currently available to SMEs across the island of Ireland
Attend information sessions such as Brexit and Top tips to help create that winning tender

Full registration and programme details are available on the website.

http://www.intertradeireland.com/supplierengagement/

If you require any further information please contact Grant, Caroline or Aveen at InterTradeIreland.

Northern Ireland World Trade Summit: Landscape Post Brexit

Posted by Jim on May 26, 2017 / Posted in Blog

Tuesday 13th June 2017, 8.30am – 12pm followed by a light lunch and networking

Sharing information and expertise is a must for businesses trying to plan for the period of change and uncertainty in international trade that will be the UK’s negotiating period for leaving the EU.

Companies in Northern Ireland are invited to a great opportunity to hear from and network with industry leaders and exporting experts at the World Trade Summit at Belfast Metropolitan College this July.

The summit is run by The Institute of Export & International Trade, in partnership with Belfast Business School, and a world class line up of speakers will be examining the issues and opportunities in accessing new markets post-Brexit.

Speakers:

Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive – Manufacturing NI

Elizabeth McCrory MIEx (Grad), Export Finance Manager – UK Export Finance

Brian Telford, Head of Markets – Danske Bank

Lord Empey OBE, Former Lord Mayor of Belfast and Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Sandra Scannell, Head of Business Services – NI Chamber of Commerce

Alan Lowry, CEO – Environmental Street Furniture Ltd

Ann Brown, Managing Director – FG Wilson

Glenn Dale, The Queen’s Awards Office

To be held at the Belfast Metropolitan College e3 Building, Springvale Campus