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Galway Chamber - What we are!
Galway Chamber, with a membership of over 500 businesses, is the premier business organization in Galway and its hinterland.
We work in the interests of businesses and for the economic development of the City and Region. Galway Chamber represents all sectors of business life in the area and member companies range from sole traders to large corporations and multinationals.
Galway Chamber was the first Chamber of Commerce in Ireland to be awarded the Q Mark by the Irish Quality Association (now Excellence Ireland). Our 'Quality System' was set up with our members in mind and we are committed to providing a range of quality business services to ensure customer satisfaction. We were delighted in June of 1997 to be one of the first two Chambers in Ireland to be awarded the 'Accredited Chamber Status' by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland (CCI) and we have retained this award to date.
'Galway @ the Leading Edge'.
The message from this vision statement is that Galway will strive to be the best at whatever it undertakes, to achieve excellence in everything, to be to the fore in new developments and to be the leading location in every endeavour it undertakes.
Most of all this vision statement is an attitude and way of thinking. This vision is intended to be a motivator, a target to be achieved and a commitment to excellence.
It is the wish of Galway Chamber that all people, agencies and businesses in the City and County would adopt Galway @ the Leading Edge as their vision also. This concept of excellence and leadership can be applied to all aspects of life and business in Galway.
For example, Galway can be: @ the Leading Edge of planning, development and management of Galway's infrastructure and public services; of business performance; of learning, education, knowledge, research and technology; of industry; of tourism; of service provision and retailing; of skill development and life long learning; of customer service and hospitality; of healthcare; of quality of life; of environmental management; of Europe - thus turning the hitherto negative concept of peripherality into the advantage of being @ the Leading Edge.
Indeed this vision can be applied to all aspects of life and business in Galway. From this vision statement Galway Chamber has revised its mission as:
'To make Galway the leading location for business, investment and people'.
One of the tasks of fulfilling this mission is to promote a vision for the future, which will allow business, investment and people to flourish and co-exist.
Chamber Activities
- Provides representation for business in Galway. The Chamber is the focal point for business in Galway. It is the first point of call for people seeking information on business and it is the voice of business in Galway.
- Galway Chamber lobbies local Government, National Government and State Agencies on behalf of its members on issues of importance to Galway and its continued development.
- Galway Chamber provides opportunities for its members to make contacts to help promote their business and encourages mutual business support between members.
- Galway Chamber helps businesses to enhance their profiles through membership.
- Chamber Members are encouraged to fully participate in Chamber activities.
We hire out top class meeting facilities in the centre of Galway.
We offer members marketing opportunities for their businesses: entry into the Galway Chamber Diary and Yearbook; posting on our website; opportunity to enclose a flyer with our monthly mailing; opportunity for mention in the Galway Chamber Newsletter; opportunity to sponsor a Chamber event and have your branding associated with ours. What we have been doing…
2006 The Galway Chamber Year
2006 was a very busy year for Galway Chamber. We set out to create a calendar of events and activities, which reflected the diverse needs of Chamber Members. The main events in 2006 included the following:
January
- Galway Chamber's New Year Reception at Galway Airport. Aer Arann brought members on a tour of the city to kick off the evening. President David Niland outlined his plans for his presidency and the new branding for the Chamber movement in Ireland was introduced to members.
February
- February Business After Hours was hosted by the Prestige Group.
- In January and early February we offered People Management Skills Training courses to the public dealing with topics such as problem behaviour, absent
March
- Seminar on employment law in partnership with Udaras na Gaeltachta.
- Business After Hours held in HC Financial Services in Oranmore.
- St. Patrick's Day Reception in the Great Southern Hotel.
- Pat Shanahan, Chief Executive of Shannon Airport Authority addressed a Chamber Business Lunch held in association with Ireland West.
- Chamber's EIC launched a website on Literacy in the Workplace in association with Arrow Skillnet.
- Chamber welcomed 170 new jobs in Respironics and Labcoat.
- Euromax started to fly from Galway to sunny Malaga, Paris and London.
- Increased resources for Eyre Square was welcomed.
April
- Performance Management Courses held in association with Collier Broderick.
- Chamber Safe, health and Safety for SMEs was launched.
- April Business After Hours was held in Ernst & Young's new offices in Dockgate.
May
- Chamber's ambitious National Broadband Conference took place in the Radison SAS Hotel, in association with sponsors e-Net, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, SMART Telecom and the Department of the Marine, Communications and Natural Resources with speakers including Minister Noel Dempsey.
- Galway Chamber hosted a day long seminar during Europe Week 2005 chaired by MEP Pat Cox.
- The results of a membership survey carried out in Spring 2005 were presented to the Chamber Council.
- Galway Chamber, reacting to the news of the closure of Cambridge Diagnostics , emphasised the need to be competitive as well as the need for wage restraint and more cost effective options in business.
- Bradley Motor Works hosted the May Business After Hours.
June
- CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Mr. Frank Ryan spoke at a luncheon event in the Galway Bay Hotel sponsored by Ulster Bank.
- Arabica in Liosban hosted the June Business After Hours.
- President's Golf Competition, sponsored by The MoneyButler was held in Gort Golf Club.
- Finalists in the Galway Chamber Business Awards 2005 were announced and the event was deffered to September.
- Chamber President, John Madden was invited to join a Mayoral task force on the controversial Eyre Square project when the contractor withdrew from the site overnight.
July
- Visit from our twinned of Lorient, France.
- Bank of Ireland launched a new jobs index.
- The Arts Festival and the Galway Races continued to keep their outstanding track record.
- Chamber urged that new contractors be put on site at Eyre Square as soon as possible.
August
- Chamber urge the attraction of as many tourists as possible to the area to counteract the negative effects of rising city centre rates on the business community.
September
- Chamber Golf Classic in Galway Golf Club, Salthill.
- Business After Hours took place in the Menlo Park Hotel.
- The rescheduled Galway Chamber Business Awards, main sponsors Vhi Healthcare took place on September 30th in the Radisson SAS Hotel with guest of Honour Minister Brian Cowen TD.
- The overall winner of the Awards this year was Hewlett Packard Galway. President of Galway Chamber John Madden took the opportunity to leave the Minister in no doubt as to the seriousness of issues which were damaging Galway's ability to compete with other commercial centres in Ireland and he particularly emphasised the need for the successful and speedy completion of the Galway Dublin route incorporating the Galway City outer bypass and fifth bridge.
- Galway Chamber attended a business opportunities in India seminar and met with the Ambassador from Pakistan.
October
- Seminar on Succession Planning held in the Ardilaun House Hotel.
- Murray & Spelman based in the Financial Services Centre, Moneenageisha hosted the October Business After Hours.
- Galway Chamber met with Minister Martin Cullen on the City Bypass/Fifth bridge and was given a commitment to the prioritisation of the project.
- Galway Chamber became an Eircom WiFi hotspot on October.
- Elections to the Council of Galway Chamber were held, as was the 214th AGM of the organisation.
November
- John Madden handed over the chain of office to incoming President David Niland. David outlined his presidency and said that he would use his term of office to promote 'Brand Galway'.
- Galway Chamber lobbied strongly on Commercial Rates with elected members, councillors both city and county as well as officials of the councils.
- Galway City Council, nominated by Galway Chamber for its Ballybane Neighbourhood Project, won its category in the Chambers of Commerce of Irelands' Excellence in Local Government Awards.
- Atlantic Language School, Galway hosted the November Business After Hours.
- Galway Chamber sent its annual Pre Budget submission to Government.
December
- Launch of the Chamber's annual Sp€nd Christmas in Galway Campaign.
- The first park 'n' Ride in the city was organised from the Racecourse by Galway City Council on a free, pilot basis.
- Chamber CEO Michael Coyle addressed the Ernst & Young Budget Briefing.
- Galway Chamber launched its 2006 Members' Diary in the Eye Cinema in December and unveiled the new branding that will become a reality for all Chambers at the end of January next.
Year in Review - Full Document
Top Ten Priorities
1. Roads – On time and on budget
2. Airports
3. Decentralisation
4. Benchmarking
5. Education
6. Energy
7. Waste/Litter Management
8. Broadband
9. Childcare
10. Industrial Estate Rejuvenation
11. Tourism
View Full Outline of Priorities - Download
Representation
During the year Galway Chamber represented its Members on the Boards of our subsidiary companies Galway Airport and Galway Technology Centre, the City and County Develoment Boards, on SPCs and on Co-Ordinating Mechanism Committees in the Local Authorities. You were also represented on the Galway City Partnership, the Access Music Project Galway, the Galway Civic Trust, various input groups to the third level colleges, in the CEOs Forum of the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland and by the recent election of Dr. Chris Coughlan to the Board of CCI which lobbies Government at National level on behalf of its member chambers.
Galway Chamber also managed the meetings of the Galway Business Watch Committee and the Salthill Business Watch Committee.
Promotion
In terms of promoting Galway as a location for inward investment, Galway Chamber hosted visits by the Ambassadors of Canada, the UK, the Czech Republic, Pakistan, Egypt and met trade delegations from many other countries around the world, including the British trade attaché. We took part in ‘The Best of Galway in Lorient’. Galway Chamber also supported a number of initiatives undertaken by other Galway organisations including Ireland West Tourism, Enterprise Ireland, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, the Educational Institutions, Galway City and County Childcare Committee, Gaillimh le Gaeilge. Galway Chamber worked with the Department of Trade Enterprise and Employment and Minister for Labour Affairs Frank Fahey TD on the January Employment and Social Policy conference held in Galway.
Galway Chamber was delighted to welcome new member companies last year and we look forward to an interesting and challenging 2007. |
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