Our engagement in San Francisco formed a key part of the Cork City Council delegation to our sister city, bringing together representatives from across education, enterprise and tourism to promote Cork as a leading location to live, work, visit and invest.

Throughout the week, we engaged with a wide range of business, tourism, civic and political leaders, with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy, representing the city across official engagements. The programme highlighted the depth of the relationship between Cork and the Bay Area, home to many IDA Ireland client companies with significant operations in Cork, as well as a growing base of Enterprise Ireland-supported businesses.

As a global centre of innovation, particularly in artificial intelligence, engagements with industry leaders in San Francisco offered valuable insights into emerging trends and first-hand perspective of the scale and pace of innovation shaping global markets.

A highlight of the visit was a tour of Zoom’s headquarters in San Jose, where discussions with senior leadership reinforced the strategic importance of Cork-based operations, including the continued growth of Workvivo by Zoom.

Strong collaboration with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development also provided opportunities to exchange insights on supporting SMEs and navigating the broader economic landscape. The visit further strengthened tourism linkages, supported by Visit Cork, with valuable engagement with San Francisco Travel and Tourism Ireland’s West Coast team.

The week concluded with the annual Irish flag raising at City Hall, an important moment reflecting the strength of the Cork–San Francisco relationship and the broader Ireland–US connection, built on decades of partnership and shared ambition.

We were delighted to return to San Francisco, building on longstanding relationships and reaffirming the strength and continuity of this valued partnership between our two cities.