Cork Chamber has identified a real need within the membership for Business Owners to collaborate with each other and participate in meaningful discussions around the challenges and opportunities they encounter on a daily basis. 


We are encouraging small groups of Business Owners to come together and participate in this Hub, by connecting with fellow members and sharing ideas for growth, as well as using real life experiences to support and help each other.

As a participant in the hub you will gain real knowledge and insight into the 4 key areas facing businesses today:

• Legal (employment contracts)
• Financial (budgeting, forecasting, basic bookkeeping)
• HR (leadership & teambuilding)
• Marketing (Maximising your budget)

Please fill out the application form online HERE to confirm your place within this Hub.

The Transition Year Business Projects Awards is an initiative of the Faculty of Commerce, UCC and Cork Chamber and are kindly sponsored by BNY Mellon. The Awards aim to foster entrepreneurialism in students by encouraging them to develop collaborative business related projects with their peers and write about their experience of their Mini Company or School Bank. 

This year, the judging panel is asking students to review the resources available to a start-up business and comment on the key framework, infrastructure or resource necessary to grow their business.

The prize for this year’s winning team is €1,000 for their school and €500 and €250 for those schools in second and third place. More information available here.

Conflict is a part of life. Both at work and in our professional lives, conflict arises in many situations and forms. Being able to constructively deal with conflict and learning how to manage and deal with conflict is an invaluable skill. Our Conflict Management course, running on the 27^th & 28^th February, can help you do just that!

Do you need to explain difficult concepts for readers who have no time to read twice?! Our Introduction to Technical Writing Course will help make your technical documentation accurate, brief, clear, complete and above all, reader-friendly!

• Futurallia Rhône-Alpes 2014 takes place in Lyon (France) from June 4-6 and follows the same formula as CorkMEET. CorkMEET partners are offering an early-bird offer for interested businesses.
• This week’s highlights for partnership opportunities include the Construction and Engineering Sectors.
• See 'read more'  below for further details.

Did you get your picture taken at the recent Cork Chamber Annual Dinner? See photo gallery here.

Is your website failing to pull its weight - could it be doing more for your business?

We are delighted to offer Cork Chamber members a website marketing review. The review will include a 1-hour meeting where we assess your business strengths and objectives, followed by a review of website traffic, website conversion rates and your online PR strategy. Results are delivered in a written report.

The Marketing Review package is available until end May 2014 for €149 + VAT (a 43% discount on normal rates). 

To find out more please contact Zahid Aslam on 085 738 4070 (email Zahid@StudioForty9.com or Ted Robinson on 087 225 1250 (email Ted@StudioForty9.com)

Date: Thursday 20th February
Time: 7.30am – 9.30am
Venue:Vertigo at Cork County Hall
Cost: Registration in advance, free to attend
To book: here

The Vodafone Smart StartUP Network is an initiative to provide guidance and expert advice to both established small businesses and start-up companies on how they can better leverage technology for business benefit through a series of mentoring events and talks from some of Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs.

Date: 25th February
Time: 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Venue: Pegasus Suite, Clarion Hotel, Cork
Cost: FOC
To book: Kerri FitzGerald, kerri.fitzgerald@sherryfitz.ie, 01 2376313  

ARE YOU BEING ASKED ABOUT...
• How are house prices performing and what is the outlook for the year ahead?
• How many houses are actually for sale and what does that mean for the market?
• What is the likely demand for property in the years ahead?

Please join us to receive the answers to these questions and other insights into the residential property market.

Date: 3rd to 8th March
Time: Up to you but we suggest mid morning or afternoon
Venue: At your office or workplace
Cost: No cost but we will forward you a bake pack with chocolate & baking goodies, recipe cards, posters & collection boxes, etc. Plus you will be entered into a raffle to win some great prizes!
To book: Email Mary Filan on mary.filan@concern.net or call her at 01-479 1301

Celebrate International Women's Day by holding a bake party in your office the week of the 3rd-8th of March. All the funds raised will go towards Concern’s Women of Concern project in Zambia. Please help us to help women and girls to overcome adversity in their lives.

Date:  3rd March
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Venue: Upstairs at The White Horse, Ballincollig, Cork
Cost: €20 per person
To book:  HERE

 A Live interview with Gillian Keating, Partner, JW O’Donovan Solicitors and Cork Chamber President preceded by Egg Talks from three high-achieving business women with fascinating stories to tell – Miriam O'Connell of Space for Change, Aoife Rigney, Digital Marketing and Social Media Expert and Julia Lynes of EazyCity.
 

Date: 13th March
Time: 7.30 am (teas / coffees) with 7.45 am start (sharp) /9am finish
Venue: The Clarion Hotel Cork
Cost: Free of charge ( parking - underground car park in clarion)
To book: (RSVP to Anne O’ Dwyer email: here or tel: 021 4861471

Alpha Wealth is hosting a breakfast seminar on business risk and how to protect your business and business opportunity and how to make assets grow in the business. We will have two fantastic speakers from New Ireland who are both experts in their field who will provide an insightful and on the pulse view of business risk and business opportunity in today's current environment.

Date: 5th of March
Time: From 11.00 am to 5.30 pm
Venue: Radisson Blu Hotel Cork
Cost: Free entrance
To book: R.V.S.P Esther Montesinos. Tel (01) 6616313. Mail: emontesinos@mcx.es

The Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy is hosting the “Wines from Spain” tasting in Cork for the trade sector in Munster area. In total, more than 160 wines from over 32 different “Designations of Origin” will be available to taste. Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend seminars on Sherry wines.

More details available here.