‘We help our members grow through a variety of networking opportunities.’

WEEKLY UPDATE: Thursday 3rd February 2022

Thank you to all our members who attended the Breakfast Seminar this week at the Canal Court Hotel. The presentation was titled ‘2022 & Beyond – Our Future Vision’. President, Julie Gibbons and I outlined our future priorities based on your feedback. 

We have consulted extensively with our Board Members, Chamber Council, Corporate Patrons, members and other partners and stakeholders. This combined input has been invaluable and help focus the Chamber’s programmes/ events. 

The latest draft version of the strategy summary and overview presentation is available for you to view HERE.

The Board are meeting next week and we hope to publish the final strategy summary and full 2022 plan by the end of next week. So if you have any comments on the above summary and presentation, please get in touch with me via:

Email: tony@newrychamber.com
Phone: 07493 192 918

We are gearing up for a busy period of events over the coming months and you can register for some of our upcoming events via the links below. 

CONFERENCE: NI Digital Marketing Conference 2022
Thurs 24th Feb 2022, 8am – 1pm, FREE – REGISTER NOW

CONFERENCE: Cross-Border Conference 2022
Wed 9th March 2022, 9am – 1pm, FREE – REGISTER NOW

In this update, I have also included information on:

  • NI Digital Marketing Conference 2022
  • Post-Brexit Conference 2022
  • Campaign: Back To Schools
  • Update: Omicron Hospitality Payment Scheme Extended
  • The SRC BIG Apprenticeship Event
  • Webinar: Business Analytics Software
  • Survey: InterTradeIreland SME Innovation Project
  • NMD Employment Academies: Call For Employers

Tony McKeown
Chief Executive Officer
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade

NI DIGITAL MARKETING CONFERENCE 2022

DATE: Thursday 24th February 2022
TIME: 8am – 1pm
VENUE: Canal Court Hotel & Spa, Newry
COST: FREE – Chamber Members

Book your place for our NI Digital Marketing Conference supported by NMDDC and SRC and it will include keynote speakers, case studies and an exhibition space.

The conference is aimed at marketing professionals at all levels, those who are responsible for marketing and business owners/managers.

The stacked programme will cover:

  • Marketing Programmes & Apprenticeships
  • Do’s and Don’ts of Google Advertising
  • How To Use TikTok To Grow Your Brand In 2022
  • The Videos You Should Be Making In 2022
  • How To Optimise Your Website In 2022
  • The Opportunities of a E-Commerce Website
  • How To Supercharge Your Digital Content
  • How To Get The Best Results From LinkedIn
  • Overview: Inbound Marketing
  • Overview: Influencer Marketing
  • Retailer Case Study: Kukoon Rugs 
  • Retailer Case Study: Jack Murphy Jewellers

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE.

POST-BREXIT CONFERENCE 2022

DATE: Wednesday 9th March 2022
TIME: 9am – 1pm
COST: FREE
ZOOM: VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

Register now for Newry and Dundalk Chambers’ Annual Cross-Border Conference which will focus on sustaining and building cross-border cooperation and trade. 

Case studies will demonstrate how our local businesses, North and South, have overcome significant challenges, using the supports available to navigate the changes in trade flows and identify opportunities for growth.

Government Ministers and Senior Council Officials from both sides of the border will set out their priorities.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE.

CAMPAIGN: BACK TO SCHOOLS

Would you like to give back to local schools?

Newry Chamber has teamed up with Clanrye Group to give organisations an opportunity to give back to local primary schools.

Donate your old laptops or tablets to Newry Chamber (Windows 7 Minimum/No Broken Screens).

Clanrye Group will then work with its participants to wipe them, recondition them and donate them back to local primary schools in need of IT equipment.

A trial will take place with St Joseph’s PS, Bessbrook.

To make a tech donation, please contact:
admin@newrychamber.com or info@clanryegroup.com

OMICRON HOSPITALITY PAYMENT SCHEME EXTENDED

Finance Minister, Conor Murphy MLA has announced that the Omicron Hospitality Payment Scheme will be extended to include hotels and certain sports clubs.

Under the scheme, following NI Executive agreement, hotels will be eligible for a one-off grant between £10,000 and £20,000 depending on their rateable value.

The Executive has also agreed to extend the Omicron Hospitality Payment to include certain sports clubs with a licensed bar or restaurant facility. 

A maximum one-off £10,000 payment will be available to sports clubs that operate a bar or restaurant, have a liquor license and received less than £50,000 in total from the Dept for Communities Sport Sustainability Fund last year.

Over £25.5 million has been issued to 2,089 hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland to date.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.

THE SRC BIG APPRENTICESHIP EVENT

The SRC BIG Apprenticeship Event will be launched during Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week (NIAW22) which takes places from the 7th – 11thFebruary 2022.   

SRC’s theme this year is ‘A Conversation With’ and students can register to have a conversation with employers offering HLA/Apprenticeship Opportunities. 

This is a great opportunity for students to get in front of an employer, one-to-one for a conversation outside a formal interview setting. Students can register now to avail of this great opportunity by clicking HERE.

Employers will organise chats directly with students who are registered between 14th – 25th February 2022.

There will be lots of other activities happening on SRC’s website during Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Week launching at 10am on Monday 7th February 2022 including a live Apprenticeship Q&A and a chance to hear from local companies and apprentices including Thompson Aero Seating and McGuinness Plumbing.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.

SRC: BUSINESS ANALYTICS SOFTWARE WEBINAR

Lean Manufacturing Innovation & Technology Specialist, Jimmy Moore will cover how Business Analytics tools can be used by companies to retrieve, analyse and transform data into useful business insights.

Examples of business analytics tools include data visualisation, data warehouses, interactive dashboards, and reporting tools.

Business analytics software applications pull internal data that the business produces into an analytics platform for deep insights into how different parts of the business affect one another.

The webinar will introduce some of these packages, demonstrate their ease of implementation and show how they can help drive improvements in your business.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

SURVEY: INTERTRADEIRELAND SME INNOVATION PROJECT

InterTradeIreland have been helping SMEs to explore new cross-border markets, develop new products, processes and services and become investor ready for over two decades.

They now hope to secure investment for a range of activities which will enhance the sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs within the region.

To inform their programme design for the most relevant and useful supports, they are seeking the input of businesses throughout the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area.

DEADLINE:
Thursday 10th February 2022

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE SURVEY.

NMD EMPLOYMENT ACADEMIES: CALL FOR EMPLOYERS

If you have vacancies in the Health & Social Care sector or require HGV Drivers, NMMDC want to hear from you.

They are keen to hear from employers who are willing to participate in an Employment Academy to address their recruitment issues.

Send expressions of interest to business@nmandd.org and include in subject line:

‘Health & Social Care Academy – Employer Interest’ or
‘HGV Academy – Employer Interest’.

DEADLINE:
Friday 11th February 2022