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New Members
A Very Warm Welcome to our August & September New Members
 
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Member News
 
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Member Events
 
Promoting You
Job Opportunities
 
Member Spotlight
permanent tsb
 

At permanent tsb, we understand that your business needs to partner with a bank that supports and serves the community through our dedicated team of business managers and an extensive local branch network. A partner that takes an active role in helping you unlock your potential so you can run and grow your business. When you’re ready to take that next expansion step, a Business Term Loan can help provide longer-term financial certainty. Get in touch with us and book an appointment in your local branch or call our dedicated Business Banking team 1890 500 177.


Advancing You
EIT Food North West Open Innovation Call: Info Days
 

EIT Food is Europe's leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

 

An online event, over two days, providing information about their upcoming announcement on open calls for proposals to their Innovation fund will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of Nov 2021.

 

SMEs, Large Corporate's, higher Education Institutions and Research Organisations located in Ireland who have an interest in innovating from "Farm to Fork" 


Retaissance Live
 

Retaissance in partnership with Enterprise Europe Network is organising the 2nd edition of Retaissance Live to help European Fashion and Lifestyle premium brands connect to facilitate innovation, trade and overcome current challenges.

 

2020 was a challenging year for the retail sector and this online meet the buyer event has already registered more than 800 physical stores and e-commerce platforms with more than 50 million customers in 35 countries worldwide.

 

Registration for this event ends on the 30th of Oct with the first day of the event kicking of on the 3rd of Nov


Turning Contacts into Contracts
Virtual B2B Event
 

The Enterprise Europe Network group is inviting SME's large Enterprises, Universities, R+D institutions, startups, clusters, associations, agencies, public and private organizations to participate in the "Turning Contacts into Contracts" event from the 1st - 5th Nov 2021

 

This is an online matchmaking event which will help you recover and re-establish cooperation with international partners through business, technology, and research partnerships.


Upskilling You
Discover Your Best: Cultivate Resilience, Transform Your Mind, & Live Unbound
Member Price €500
 

Wed 3 Nov | 11am-12:30pm | 5 mornings

 

Learn the science of a resilient & high performing mindset and engineer your life to become your very best every day.  Reveal your unlimited potential and achieve the impossible with Stephen McDonnell, a leadership, resilience and peak performance consultant who is committed to helping ambitious individuals, teams and organisations develop the skills, mindset, belief and drive needed to achieve transformational performance


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Representing You
 

Dear Chamber Member,

 

I hope you are all well and that this week’s announcement that Government will continue with easing of restrictions planned for Oct 22 will be a positive step for your business. With the extension of some interventions, there remain some inconsistences in the guidelines and Government must provide clarity and certainty on these issues to retain the confidence and support of those who have sacrificed hugely during restrictions. 

 

This week, we published our Q3 Economic Trends results, the survey...


Dear Chamber Member,

 

I hope you are all well and that this week’s announcement that Government will continue with easing of restrictions planned for Oct 22 will be a positive step for your business. With the extension of some interventions, there remain some inconsistences in the guidelines and Government must provide clarity and certainty on these issues to retain the confidence and support of those who have sacrificed hugely during restrictions. 

 

This week, we published our Q3 Economic Trends results, the survey for which was circulated to our business members prior to the most recent Government announcement. It is evident that Q3 2021 has seen a welcome resurgence in business activity with people getting back to business - creating, making, serving, innovating, and doing what they know best, and with that, 91% report confidence in their own business which is on a par with pre pandemic levels and 83% report overall confidence in the Irish economy.

 

As part of the Q3 2021 trends survey we also asked members about air and rail travel for business. 64% of respondents expect air travel for business in 2022 to be under 40% of 2019 levels. We anticipate this perspective will evolve over time as confidence in international travel grows. Businesses reiterated the value of connectivity to Cork and the top three critical routes for business - London, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt respectively. The Budget 2022 provision for an additional €90 million to aviation to help restore vital connectivity is welcome. In addition, the current works and investment underway at Cork airport will bolster the airport’s capacity to support increasing demand and passenger numbers beyond 2021. It is clear however, that the route for aviation will require multiannual support to get back to pre-pandemic levels.

 

We are well placed to close out the end of the year with positivity while not underestimating current challenges of rising cost of business with inflation in materials, energy, and labour apparent, and a shortage of skills. Cost competitiveness and skills availability are among the top three threats.

It is positive that 56% of businesses expect to increase employee numbers over the next 12 months. 61% of businesses have open job vacancies yet 42% are reporting difficulty in filling open roles. Skills is firmly on the agenda for all. The current confidence must be harnessed, and indigenous businesses should be especially supported to benefit from an investment in education, skills, apprenticeships, and trades for an evolving workforce.

 

Thank you to all our members who participated in our Economic Trends Survey, which is sponsored by permanent tsb, and provides important feedback and insights into the business environment in our region and helps to shape our agenda. 

 

We will continue to engage with local and national representatives on these and other key issues affecting life and business in the region.

 

Warm regards,

Paula Cogan

President

Informing You
Chamberlink - Digital Legend
 

Welcome to issue 3 of Chamberlink Magazine.

 

In this issue we celebrate Cork's digital marketing professionals and the overall digital marketing legend of 2021, who were all crowned at our virtual awards ceremony. We bring you a busy calendar of in-person and hybrid events for the season ahead along with an excellent series of professional courses through Cork Chamber Skillnet. Deep dive into some of the policy milestones of this season, including the National Development Plan and we set a course to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best Chambers in the world in our new strategic plan. Browse member news, appointments and views on issues shaping our city region.


Connecting You
Q3 2021 Economic Trends
 

In the latest Cork Chamber Economic Trends Survey, supported by permanent tsb, Cork Chamber members shared their thoughts on the most recent business quarter, Q3 2021 and their outlook on the fourth quarter of 2021.

  • Slightly over one fifth of businesses returned to air travel in Q3 2021
  • 64% of respondents expect air travel for business in 2022 to be under 40% of 2019 levels
  • 62% of respondents anticipate an increase in turnover in the fourth quarter of 2021
  • 83% confidence levels in the Irish economy at the end of Q3 2021

Connecting You
Cork Chamber AGM
 

The 202nd Annual General Meeting of the Cork Chamber of Commerce will be held at Imperial Hotel, Cork at 17.30pm on Thursday 21st October 2021.

 

Please note all Covid-19 Guidelines will be adhered to at this in person event.


Connecting You
Countdown to COP26: Growing our Celtic Cities in the Climate Emergency
Thurs 21st Oct | 3.30pm | Online
 

This informative event will look at a collaborative approach to addressing the Climate Emergency ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).

We are delighted to partner with Causeway: Ireland Scotland Business Exchange, Edinburgh Chamber of CommerceGlasgow Chamber of Commerce and Dublin Chamber for this virtual networking event which will include discussions from representatives from each city including Cork representative, James Duggan, Director, Arup as well as interactive networking sessions to allow attendees the opportunity to connect and share insights from their city on tackling the climate crisis.


Sustainable Cork Programme: Leadership in Sustainability
Fri 22nd Oct | 11am | Online
 

Join us this Friday to hear how Irish SMEs are driving the business case for sustainability, and are engaging in leadership for action to achieve transformation across all aspects of business operations from micro organisations to large-scale businesses.

 

Speakers include Anne Moore, Sustainability Manager, Gas Networks Ireland, James McManus, Managing Director, Earth’s Edge, certified B Corp and first SME winner of Chambers Ireland Business Impact Awards 2021 and Sinéad Hickey, Chair of Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Council and Head of Sustainability Ireland & Europe, John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd.


Cork Chamber CONNECTS with South-East Chambers
Thurs 28th Oct | 12pm | Online
 

Join us for this interactive networking session online where you will meet other Cork Chamber members and also get the exciting opportunity to connect with businesses in South-East Chambers, as part of our Cork Chamber CONNECTS series.

 

Members can log in from wherever they are and e-network with fellow members and businesses across the South-East from Chambers in Carlow,

Dungarvan & West Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Waterford, whether you wish to make valuable connections, stay in touch with those you already know or would like to get an insight into how others are doing during this time this event is for you!


Growth and Opportunity – Showcasing the Financial Services Cluster in South-West Ireland
Fri 5th Nov | 7.45am | Clayton Hotel Cork City
 

This event will showcase some of the many successful financial services companies operating in the South-West and will highlight certain areas where the sector is particularly strong and growing, such as funds and fintech.

Keynote speakers will include Michael McGrath, TD, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and Deirdre O'Connor, Managing Director, BlackRock followed by an impressive panel of industry experts.

 

Join us in the Clayton Hotel Cork City for one of our first in-person events this autumn!


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Business Breakfast Live with Professor Maggie Cusack, President of MTU and Professor John O'Halloran, President of UCC
Wed 10th Nov | 8am | Online
 

Join Professor Maggie Cusack, President of Munster Technological University and Professor John O'Halloran, President of University College Cork as they discuss the importance of knowledge, skills and culture and how they have created a dynamic in which countless companies have located, invested and grown in Cork making our economy what it is today.

 

With skills a top threat identified in our Q3 economic trends, and an economy positioned to fully reengage there has never been a better moment to join us for this discussion!


Upskilling You
MS Excel Advanced
Member Price €150
 

Thurs 21 Oct | 9.30am-11am | 5 mornings

 

This course is designed to follow-on from MS Excel Intermediate. Having already familiarised yourself with the most efficient way of performing everyday tasks and now that you have mastered the more commonly used Intermediate topics, it is now time to build on that knowledge.  A large proportion of the course is dedicated to managing and manipulating lists of information from working with tables & slicers up to creating and working with Pivot Tables.


Connecting Your Teams, Driving Happier High Performance
FREE to Members
 

Fri 29 Oct | 9.30am-11am

 

Since the beginning of Covid, many employees have been feeling disconnected from their company and less connected to their team, with many also experiencing isolation while working from home. From an organisational HR perspective, this 90-minute webinar will teach you how to connect (or reconnect) your teams for going forward, also driving high performance in the emerging era of blended workforces.