Newry Chamber was delighted to host the NI Digital Marketing Conference on Thursday 18th June in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry, with 100+ business representatives from Greater Newry Area and beyond in attendance, proudly supported by:
The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving at an unprecedented rate, with the brief for the conference being to make it as practical as possible, leaving the large gathering of attendees in the room from local businesses with ideas to take back and implement in their own businesses.
Attendees heard from a top-class line-up of specialists who delivered informative presentations and took part in interactive Q&A sessions, expertly overseen by Chamber Board members, Deborah Loughran, Managing Director of King Communication and Maeve Finnegan, Managing Director of Mitso, across a wide range of areas including covering everything from AI, social media strategy, content creation, building a brand online, eCommerce, fulfilment, paid ads and much more.
The stacked conference programme on the day had speakers including, John McAreavey, Director of Banbridge-based, Clearhill and Stephen Henderson, CEO of Kilkeel-based, SJ Henderson Fulfilment who delivered two keynote addresses on ‘How Clearhill are Transforming their Business with AI’ and ‘Creating a Fulfilment & eCommerce Hub in Greater Newry’, respectively.
Other speakers at the event included David Dickson, Head of Merchant Success at IRP Commerce, who delivered a presentation on ‘Driving eCommerce Profits – The Tactics Behind 250% Growth in a Year’, Lidia Magliocco, Founder of Parl Studio who delivered a presentation on ‘Building a Brand Without Having it all Figured Out’ and Mairead McKibbin, Founder of Crossbox Marketing who delivered a presentation on ‘Social Media & Content, Simplified – Show Up, Stand Out’.
The conference also featured two fantastic panel discussions, the first centred around the theme of ‘What it Takes to Run a Successful eCommerce Operation’ with David Dickson, Head of Merchant Success at IRP Commerce, James Cave, Co-Owner of FWD Commerce, Michael O’Hare, Director of f10Marine and John Walker, Founder of Vend Digital.
The second panel discussion focused on ‘Maintaining Authenticity in an AI World’ which included Callum O’Neill, Owner of HEAT Health & Fitness, Gareth Creaney, Sales & Marketing Executive at Paul Feely & Associates, Milena McArdle, Manager of Snaubs Boutique and Graham McCalmont, Lecturer in Computing at Southern Regional College.
Dr Conor Patterson, President, Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade commented:
“Newry Chamber was absolutely delighted to have a packed house in the Canal Court for this year’s NI Digital Marketing Conference, illustrating the importance of this topic to local businesses, an area that continues to constantly evolve at an unprecedented rate.”
“We are extremely grateful to our Principal Sponsors, Southern Regional College, IRP Commerce and SJ Henderson Fulfilment. Without their support, we simply couldn’t run events such as this important annual conference.”
“The conference was all about providing our local businesses, who are the lifeblood of our economy, with the information they need when it comes to all things digital marketing, keeping them up to date with all the latest trends in this area and giving them practical steps they can start to implement right away within their businesses.”
“The conference included a top line-up of speakers, and I would like to thank all of them for taking the time out of their busy schedules to come and speak at the event on topics including social media strategy, creating content, eCommerce, AI, email marketing, paid ads and much more.”
Tracy Rice, Assistant Director of Business & Economic Engagement, Southern Regional College said:
“Southern Regional College was delighted to sponsor the NI Digital Marketing Conference, in partnership with Newry Chamber, IRP Commerce and SJ Henderson Fulfilment. This annual conference continues to provide SMEs with up-to-date information on digital marketing practices and associated technologies.”
“Attendees benefited from an engaging programme of speakers, each offering valuable insights and practical takeaways. The College offers many upskilling opportunities, mentoring programmes and apprenticeship pathways to support SMEs to establish and build effective digital marketing strategies.”
Brian McLaughlin, Partner Development Manager, IRP Commerce added:
“IRP Commerce is proud to support initiatives that drive the online economy forward. As a sponsor of the NI Digital Marketing Conference, we were delighted to see a strong turnout and high-calibre discussion on profitability, performance and innovation in eCommerce. Events like this are vital for sharing knowledge, sparking new ideas and building a connected digital ecosystem in Newry and Mourne region.”
Stephen Henderson, CEO, SJ Henderson Fulfilment commented:
“It was a privilege to return to Newry Chamber’s NI Digital Marketing Conference – this time not just as a sponsor, but as a speaker. To stand on that stage and look out at a room full of business owners, retailers and entrepreneurs all asking the same questions about growth and opportunity – that’s exactly the kind of energy Greater Newry needs more of.”
“My message was simple: the opportunity sitting on our doorstep is unlike anything available anywhere else on this island. Northern Ireland’s dual market access – the ability to trade freely into both the UK and the EU – is a structural advantage that no other city, no other region, and no other country shares. And from the 1st of July, with the EU removing its duty-free exemption on small parcels, that advantage becomes sharper still. The businesses in that room who move first on this will be the ones telling the story from the stage in five years.”
“At SJH Fulfilment, we are proud to sponsor and support events like this because the conversation matters as much as the infrastructure. Awareness, ambition and action – that’s what moves a city forward. Greater Newry has all three, and we are committed to playing our part in making this vision a reality.”