A function was held recently in St. Clerans, Craughwell, to mark the retirement of Sean Kinsella as Chairman of the Board of Galway Technology Centre. Sean had been Chairman of the Board since 2001, a period during which over 60 companies passed through the GTC. Former colleagues and board members joined Sean to thanks and congratulate him on his 7 year tenure and expressed their appreciation with a presentation to him.

Concerning the recent coverage in the press, both national and local regarding Easter, the Galway Amicable Society (made up of past presidents of Galway Chamber) has clarified the thinking of the Amicable Society, Galway in this matter. According to John Coyle of the Amicable Society:

'What the society proposes is that the school and educational holidays, which up to now are attached to the religious Easter, be fixed in the same way as the Whit Bank Holiday is fixed and the Spring school holidays in many other countries are fixed.As things stand the movable date poses serious problems for the educational, the healhcare, the transport and the tourism sectors.'

'We do not propose that the method of calculating bthe date of religious Easter be changed, although the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI and indeed the World Council of Churches saw no great problem in stabilising the feast. However that would be far too complicated a matter and in any case, there is no need for it.'

John Coyle concluded:

'This is not about commercialisation but rather about having a definite Spring holiday time and all that goes with it. The religious Easter could only bebefit from having its own special time.'

Sponsorship Opportunity

The Euro Info Centre at Galway Chamber has become a centre for the rebranded Enterprise Europe Network. Each month the European Centre within Galway Chamber produces an information newsletter on the latest business opportunities and developments in Europe for local business. The centre is currently redesigining the look of this newsletter and would like to offer members the opportunity to sponsor the monthly publication. Sponsorship will provide your company with reach to over 900 recipients of the newsletter which is distributed alongside the Chamber Newsletter. The sponsorship arrangement will cover a 12 month period. For further details contact Carol Brady at 091 563356

Galway Chamber is delighted to announce its second Spring Lunch, sponsored by Bank of Ireland with guest and main speaker Barry O'Leary CEO IDA, to be held on Friday April 11th in The Westwood Hotel Galway at 12.30pm. Barry O'Leary was appointed Chief Executive of IDA Ireland in January 2008. Mr. O'Leary has worked in IDA for over 30 years in most of its business areas including two periods totalling 15 years in Germany, latterly as director for Europe. He has been deeply involved in changing the profile and raising the value of Ireland's inward investments over the past ten years and has been primarily responsible, since his return to Ireland in 2002, for the sucessful establishment of Ireland as the leading Global location outside the US for biopharmaceuticals. He has also undertaken strategic change and built new strenghts in R&D, medical technologies, information and communications (ICT) and other areas.

Barry O'Leary held a number of different positions in industrial companies prior to joining IDA Ireland, including Nestle and the Smurfit Group. He is a Board member of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre (DMMC) and aslo a Board Member of the Trinity College Institute od eNeuroscience (TCIN).

This lunch will be an opportunity for guests to hear first hand about foreign direct investment into Ireland and about the impact on Galway in the current climate.

For more information please contact Elaine Murphy at 091 563536 or email elaine@galwaychamber.com  

Please find below link to the powerpoint presentations from the evening Seminar "Supports for Starting your Business"

"Starting in Business from the Revenue Perspective"
Mary Kelly, Customer Services Manager, Revenue Commissioners

"Developing High Potential Start-Up Businesses"
Pat O'Grady, Enterprise Ireland

"Supporting Start Up Businesses"
Michael Noone, Bank of Ireland, Eyre Square, Galway

Download Galway Chamber "Guide to Starting a Business in Ireland"

New corporate branding launched at Galway Airport

Last Thursday evening at Galway Airport, Noel Dempsey, the Minister for Transport, officiated at the unveiling of Galway Airport’s new corporate branding.

This took place as part of the annual Galway Chamber of Commerce New Year reception which is sponsored by Galway Airport

The reception was very well attended (150+) by the local business community, elected representatives, City and County Councillors and the airport’s airline partners Aer Arann and Nex Aviation.

In his introduction to the formalities Peter Allen, President Galway Chamber said “ that this year Galway airport will celebrate its 21^st birthday so it is fitting that it will present itself in all its re-branded glory ,ready to go forth and connect us to more, better and bigger destinations in the future”.

 He went on to say that “the function of any transport initiative is connection and here in Galway we depend on our transport connectors more than most. I urge you all to continue to support Galway Airport, its airlines, routes and hubs so that it can continue to grow and prosper to serve the Galway region and beyond”.

Michael Corless, Chairman of Galway Airport said “that infrastructural developments must continue for the benefit of the local and national economy and in this regard Galway Airport will not be found wanting in that the airport will carry out its fair share of development. Our total capital spend this year will be €6 million. In terms of Galway Airport’s enhanced connectivity, with the launch of Aer Arann’s Amsterdam route in May, we are now starting to look at ways in which we could attract more tourism to Galway and the West by landing at Galway airport”.

In his speech Minister Noel Dempsey complimented the management team at Galway airport for their “commitment to providing a quality customer service where the passenger is at the core of everything they do”. He also noted that “passengers are increasingly looking to use efficient, well managed people-friendly airports like Galway which offers convenient air access for the city and county”.

He said that “it is important for airports like Galway to now differentiate themselves from their bigger competitors. Regional airports must rigorously focus on improving the customer experience. Today Government is investing heavily under the NDP and Transport 21 to provide the West with the world-class infrastructure it needs to deliver balanced regional development. Galway Airport will benefit from state funding of €6.3 million to support important safety and security upgrades. It will also facilitate investment for developmental purposes, chiefly involving an increase in the capacity of the existing runway and a reconfiguration of the terminal building. Additional State funding is also being made available on an annual basis for operational expenditure at the airport”.

 In conclusion the Minister went on to say that he is “committed to contributing to the funding of the costs of a Galway Transport Unit. I hope that this unit will now bring together the various parties –City and County Councils, Gardai, Transport companies both public and private and the business community to try to agree a common vision for the future”.

To finish Minister Dempsey wished” the team at Galway Airport every success with the new brand and to look forward to the airport’s continuing contribution to the city and the wider region in the years ahead”.

Joe Walsh, Managing Director ,Galway Airport in presenting the new brand image for Galway Airport said “that as part of our brand awareness it was essential that a future brand image for Galway Airport would need to convey key messages like connectivity, a modern, dynamic and convenient  airport and also to convey ‘Galway’. We believe that this new brand image underpins our vision to develop this airport to respond to our future passenger needs and enable the airport to communicate that vision to a wider audience.

To conclude the evening Michael Moloney, Marketing Manager, Galway Airport thanked the Minister and invited guests for being part of yet another significant milestone in the history of Galway Airport and said that he looked  “forward to the successful role-out over the coming months of the ‘new look’ Galway Airport brand image across our entire range of operations”. He also thanked Proactive Design and Marketing, a local business firm, for their part in the re-branding process of Galway Airport.

Finally, to celebrate the launch of the airport’s new route to Amsterdam Schiphol from May 1st, a lucky guest won return flights for two for the new route as did three other guests who won flights to London Luton, Edinburgh and an Executive Helicopter trip for four.

This year Galway Chamber held over 30 events since the kick off last December with our Diary Launch at the Ardilaun Hotel, the launch of our new website www.shopgalway.com, the pre-Christmas Sp€nd Christmas in Galway Campaign and our New Year reception at Galway Airport.

 Business After Hours events were vibrant, drew great crowds and succeeded with their purpose of networking and doing business. We held these events with Pantry Hamper, Acorn Life, Galway Independent, Ryan’s Homestore, Jona Group, Macnas, PFH Group, Courtyard by Marriott, and the final BAH of 2007 at the Galway Clinic in November. This month we launched our Diary 2008 in the Galway City Museum, Spanish Arch as our last event of the year.

In the past year we have also held the third Galway Chamber Business Awards sponsored by Airtricity which were a great success with the overall award going to Biomedical Research Ltd. We hosted the launch of the Galway City Partnership’s Intercultural Toolkit for the Workplace. We partnered with Udaras to hold a health and safety seminar in Furbo, we again ran the Vodafone Passion for the World Around Us awards, the Chamber Golf Classic sponsored by Delta, our annual St. Patrick’s Day Reception in Hotel Meyrick, a ‘Doing Business with Romania Seminar hosted by the Romanian Ambassador, a water information seminar at the height of the water problems, we held the first ever (we believe!) airborne Chamber of Commerce meeting when Galway Chamber took to the skies with Aer Arann at the launch of the airline’s new ATR 72-500 aircraft. We also hosted visits from the Bulgarian, Japanese, Romanian, German, UK, Indian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Swedish and Polish Ambassadors.

We held a summer lunch sponsored by Ulster Bank with Guest speaker, Kathleen O’Toole, Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate. We partnered with solicitors VP Shields to hold a seminar on Dispute Resolution – An Alternative Approach. We held a seminar on ‘Selling to the Public Sector’.

This year was the inaugural year of the Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture, a Galway Chamber initiative held in partnership with NUIGalway, GMIT and sponsored by APC. This year’s lecture was given by Declan Kelly, NUIG graduate, international businessman and CEO of Financial Dynamics. He spoke on ‘Business 2007 – How the lessons of the past will shape the realities of the future’. Next year’s Lecture will be held in GMIT.

Our Autumn lunch this year, sponsored by VIVAS Healthcare was addressed by Galway sportsman and African Charities founder Alan Kerins. On the training front Galway Chamber has trained 136 people in Sales Training, Interview Skills, Customer Care, Conflict & Neg Skills, Team Building, Performance Mgt, Conflict & Negotiation Skills, People Management Skills, Employment Law, Time Management, Finance for Non Finance Managers and Safety for Managers. We finished off the year with an EU Seminar where Minister Eamon O’Cuiv lead a group of speakers on the topic ‘Regional Development and the Role of the EU. The Minister was joined by Minister Noel Treacy, Elected MEPs, BMW Assembly, Western Development Commission, NUI Galway, John Concannon JFC Manufacturing and Sean Hannick Killala Precision Steel.

In terms of Lobbying and Representation this year has seen Galway Chamber publish documents on the following issues of concern to Members:

•            Commercial Rates Submission to Galway City Council and Galway County Council (document also submitted to each member of Galway City and Galway County Councils individually)

•           Pre-Budget Submission to Government: An Taoiseach and Minister for Finance

•           Galway Chamber Election Manifesto 2007

•           Galway City Outer Bypass Submission to Oral Hearing of An Bord Pleanana

In addition Galway Chamber issued Press Releases and provided Media comment to local radio, RTE, TV3 News, TG4, RnaG, Local Press and national press on such issues as water contamination, commercial rates, Eyre Square, Chamber Business Awards, Litter, Anti-Social behaviour, Infrastructure including Roads, Rail, Air, Energy, Braodband, Tourism, Traffic, Business Costs ie Insurance, Rates and Wage Levels.

We engaged with Local Government and in the period under review we engaged extensively with the Business Support Agencies – Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, the Galway County and City Enterprise Board, WESTBIC, ITAG, FAS, the American Chambers, the IHF, Failte Ireland West and the 3rd Level sector particularly the links forged by the inaugural Paddy Ryan Memorial Lecture, held in NUIG this year and in GMIT next year with a continuing rotation. This year was also the inaugural year of the Certificate in Management Practice run by Chambers Ireland and the Cairnes Business School in NUIG.

In 2007 Galway Chamber met regularly with Local Government (Galway City and County Councils) politicians (City and County Mayors and City and County Councillors) and City Officials and Senior Staff. The purpose of these meetings varied, however at all times Galway Chamber articulated the views of its Members on the issues under discussion. These issues included: Water, Commercial Rates, Traffic Problems, Planning and Litter/Waste Management and environmental issues. While all of the above issues are important, the water crisis dominated the year and lead to weekly interactions with Galway City and County Councils and the HSE West.

In addition to the contacts with Local Government, the Chamber also held meetings with An Taoiseach, An Tanaiste, Government Ministers and their Officials, TDs in the Galway Constituencies and Senators. We also met with MEPs in the Connaught/Ulster Constituency, EU Politicians and Officials.

Issues discussed at these meetings included: the infrastructure deficit in Galway and the West Region, the need for more balanced Regional Development, Broadband and Funding for Local Government and its impact on Commercial Rates. The Shannon-Heathrow flights and the Aer Lingus decisions relating to these flights required Galway Chamber to represent the views of the business community in Galway at the Atlantic Connectivity Alliance meetings. 

We continued to lobby as part of the inter-agency group on two specific priorities; the Galway City Outer Bypass (GCOB) and the N18 Road to Shannon/Limerick was consolidated in 2007. The bodies involved in in this Task Force include IBEC West Region, the Irish Hotels Federation West Region, the American Chambers of Commerce West Region and the Information Technology Association of Galway (ITAG). While the core group comprises the heads of the organisations mentioned, the Group has been supported in its work by both Galway City and Galway County Managers and, in particular, Frank Fahey TD.

The Water Crisis (already referred to) required an extensive level of interaction with Galway City and County Councils, the HSE West and Failte Ireland West Region. Similarly, the Shannon-Heathrow issue required an extensive level of interaction with  

these Councils, Failte Ireland West, Clare Co. Council, Shannon Airport Board, Shannon Development, Enterprise Ireland, the IDA West, The Atlantic Way Movement and the Chambers in Ennis, Shannon and Limerick.

Galway Chamber has had a busy and productive year working on behalf of our members. This work will continue under the Presidency of Peter Allen in the coming year and we will endeavour at all times to make Galway the leading location for business, investment and people.

Tec Support - Galway Business Park, Dangan - Information Technology Consulting Services 

Western Publications Ltd - 43 Rockbarton Park, Salthill, Galway - Publications

Turnkey - Carraig, Cloosh, Kinvara, Co. Galway - Property Development Services

West Training & Development Ltd - Mayoralty House, Merchant's Road, Galway - Education, Training & Development

Independent Trustee Company Ltd - 5 Kendal House, Abbey Street, Loughrea, Co. Galway - Financial Services, Pension Schemes

La Maison Chic Ltd - 51 Renville Village, Oranmore, Co. Galway - Interior Design, Furniture, Fabrics, Lighting

Jade Management Solutions Ltd - Unit 5, Ballybrit Industrial Estate, Ballybrit, Galway - Supply, Installation and Service of security systems 

Ábalta School  - 6 Cuan Glas, Bishop O'Donnell Road, Galway - School for Children with Autism

(Updated - Monday, 21st April 2008)

Refer a Friend and be in with chance to win trip to Nice!

Oui Can Do are Ireland’s leading French Property professionals. At Oui Can Do, we work with you to find the right property for you. We then address all of the purchase issues including contracts, tax, legal considerations, financing options and ongoing management. We cater for those looking at Investment Property (Pension, Capital Growth, Children’s Future) and those looking for that Special Second Home in France. We are delighted to offer a fantastic trip to Nice if you refer to us a friend or colleague and your lead turns into a sale. The trip includes flights with Aer Lingus, a night in a 4 star hotel and a dinner in a prestigious restaurant. Terms and conditions apply. To register your friend, send an email to marketing@ouicando.com

Maroon and White Golf Classic

The Galway Hurling Board will be launching their Maroon and White Golf Classic on Monday evening 7^th April at 6.00pm in the Tom Hogan Motors Showroom in Ballybrit. All are welcome to come along.
Tom Hogan Motors are delighted to be sponsoring the Maroon and White Golf event which will be taking place on the 8^th & 9^th May at Loughrea and Gort Golf Course. For further information or to enter a team contact please contact Pat Kearney on 086 8308886

IRFU Tag Rugby 2008

Registration for the upcoming IRFU Tag Rugby season is well underway with host venues at Corinthians and NUIG, Dangan.

Tag Rugby is now regognised as the fastest growing sport in the country with 170 teams (over 2000 players) in Galway last season. Its growth has stemmed from its appeal to both genders as well as leagues incorporating people of all ages and skill levels.

Given our association  with the Chamber i.e. Connacht Rugby is a Galway Chamber member, we are offering team registration to members at the discounted rate of € 450. For application forms please contact: emolloy@cbirfu.com

Cuirt 2008 - Galway Arts Centre

Ireland's Premier Literary Festival 22-27 April 2008

The 23rd Cuirt International Festival of Literature will take place on the 22nd - 27th April 2008. The festival will once again feature the eclectic and exciting range of Irish and international writere for which the Cuirt is renowned. See www.galwayartscentre.ie for further details.

Atlantic Way Presentation

A presentation by te Atlantic Way Group will take place in the Clayton Hotel, Galway on Friday April 18th at 8 p.m.

Corrib Removals & Storage
Winners of Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh 2007

 Gaillimh le Gaeilge with special support from the Galway Advertiser and in association with Galway Chamber,  host the Award, which is presented every year to a company or organisation in recognition of their use of Irish and their subsequent promotion of Galway as the bilingual capital of Ireland.
Corrib Removals & Storage, this year’s winner is one of the leading removal and storage companies in the West of Ireland. Established in 1980, it has grown significantly through the years, growing from a local and national removal company to an international company relocating people and businesses to different destinations around the globe. The Irish language is an integral part of this company as there is a complete service in Irish available in the company, Irish is using in all branding on all marketing material, signage, trucks and t-shirts. The judges were particularly impressed with the bilingual tag line that was in use. – Ag bogadh do ghnó gan stró. Galway Taxis were named the winners of the category with more than twenty employees.
They were presented with a replica of the Gradam Sheosaimh Uí Ógartaigh Award supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta.  Galway Taxis have been providing a premier taxi service to the people of Galway since 1986. Upon relocation to Dominick St. Galway Taxis have embraced the language using it on stationery, brochures, signage and customers are greeted with 'Fáilte go Galway Taxis' when they enter a taxi.  Several drivers are fluent speakers and can provide a service in Irish.

Chamber Member Protects Wembley!

Galway Chamber member company Sword Security with offices in Galway, Dublin, Cork and Cardiff has won the contract to provide security at the new Wembley Stadium. Sword was the only non-UK company to be shortlisted and eventually awarded one of the few coveted contracts for services at the stadium. Sword Security was founded in 2002 and employs some 700 people here and in the UK.