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In this issue
Policy
Q1 2013 Economic Trends Survey
Subsidised Training
Business School @ Cork Chamber
Events
March Business After Hours at Noel Deasy Cars
April Business Breakfast in association with the Irish Examiner
Chamber Supported Projects
Startup Weekend Judging Panel announced
International
Enterprise Europe Network At Cork Chamber
Member Updates
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Welcome to our weekly newsletter that allows you to stay informed of Business News in the region. This weeks top story:

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Time to Get LEAN and STREAMLINE Your Business!

The Business School @ Cork Chamber is running a Lean Six Sigma Course (Green Belt)  due to Start on April 4th.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belts are vital assets to any business:

- They are extremely flexible weapons in reducing costs.
- They can lead cost reduction projects, simply be project team members or use Lean Six Sigma tools whilst performing key everyday activities.
 - Green Belts help a business in becoming better and faster. Green Belts impact the bottom line.

This 8 day course is only €900.00 for Chamber members – BOOK NOW!!


 

Events
March Business After Hours at Noel Deasy Cars
 
Date: 27th March
Time: 5.30pm – 7.00pm
Venue: Noel Deasy Cars, New Mallow Road, Cork.
Cost: FREE for Cork Chamber members
To Book:  visit our website HERE 

Join with your fellow Cork Chamber members for this “dedicated” networking event at Noel Deasy Cars, where there will be a 30 minute formal networking piece, giving Cork Chamber members plenty of opportunity to meet new business contacts and strengthen established connections.

Noel Deasy Cars has been in business for nearly 33 years and are a wholly owned and family run operation. In March of this year they will launch the all new Skoda Octavia in their showroom on the Mallow Road Blackpool. The new Skoda Octavia, a simple clean-lined design of the current Octavia has stood the test of time and is being used by Skoda to represent unrivalled packaging at the price point.

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April Business Breakfast in association with the Irish Examiner
 

Date: 9th April
Time: 07:30am
Venue: Imperial Hotel
Cost: €20 members / €35 non members
To Book: visit our website HERE

Cork Chamber is delighted to announce John Dolan, Senior Director Global Support Services (EMEA, Japan and China) for VMware in Cork and winner of the Cork Chamber Company of the Year 2013 in association with Vodafone.  John was the first employee for VMware in Cork in 2005 and has seen the company grow to a 700 person operation since then (13,000+ employees and 50+ locations worldwide).

VMware’s people orientated culture, driving high performance in a collaborative environment, is what motivates John every day.  Make the most of this unique opportunity to hear about VMware in Cork and network with your fellow Cork Chamber members. 

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Policy
Q1 2013 Economic Trends Survey

The Policy Department invites you to take part in our Q1 2013 Economic Trends Survey. The information provided by you in this survey allows the Chamber to prioritise its lobbying and representation activities.  All respondents who complete this survey will be entered into a draw to win PR training designed specifically for start-ups and small businesses, worth nearly €1,500 from award winning communications company H+A Marketing + PR. See 'read more' to begin this survey. 

In other news, the Chamber invites TY students to submit a project for the Cork Chamber/UCC Transition Year Business Awards 2013, kindly sponsored by BNY Mellon.  TY students are asked to submit a project based on their experience with their Mini Company/Enterprise, see inside for further details. 

 

 

 

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Chamber Supported Projects
Startup Weekend Judging Panel announced
 
Gareth Keane, Investment Manager at Qualcomm Ventures; Sean O' Sullivan, Managing Director at Avego; Pat Phelan, CEO @ Trustev and Eamon Leonard, VP Engineering at Engine Yard have all confirmed their support of Cork’s first Startup Weekend by agreeing to participate in the judging and final selection of the Cork’s Startup Weekend Award 2013.

Startup Weekend for Cork will take place from April 5th to April 7th next in the UCC Western Gateway Building and tickets are now available online at www.cork.startupweekend.org
[Read more]
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Subsidised Training
Business School @ Cork Chamber
 

St. Patrick’s Day is over for another year, the Bank Holiday has passed – it’s back to work time! The Business School has another busy couple of weeks coming up, starting with our MS PowerPoint ‘Beyond the Basics’ course, followed closely by our Introduction to Technical Writing course and then Lean Six Sigma.


 
Why train with us? We have small class sizes of an average of 10 persons per class (individual attention guaranteed) Top Trainers (all are leaders within their respective fields), locally delivered and exceptionally good value for money.

 

 

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International
Enterprise Europe Network At Cork Chamber
 
  • On Tuesday, 23rd April, the Enterprise Europe Network, in association with the EU SME Centre in Beijing, will host a half-day seminar on doing business in China in the River Lee Hotel.

  • A Scottish textile company, supplying customised work-wear uniforms, is looking to establish distributor or wholesale partners in Ireland. Additionally a Northern Irish company which designs and produces a range of design-led portable commercial cookery workspaces is seeking distribution partners. See 'read more' for full information.  

     

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Member News
Want a career in IT?
 

Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) has launched a Big Data course. This new innovative Government-funded programme will complement the excellent Higher Diploma in Cloud Computing already offered by CIT. Both intensive programmes are designed to offer conversion pathways for graduates from cognate disciplines and will start in early April. Graduates will be work ready by January 2014. The programmes have been developed in close collaboration with employers and a cohort of 70 students through similar pathway in 2012 has been very successful in seeking employment.


More details including eligibility and application information can be obtained at:
CIT's Cloud Computing Website: http://cloud.cit.ie

 

 

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Members Offers
3-day Data Protection Practitioner - Cork
 

Date: 3rd April
Time: 9:00
Venue: A1 Computer Centre, Cork 
Cost: €1,350.00 (€1,080 for Cork Chamber of Commerce Members)

This 3-day programme equips you to:

  • Gain an in-depth knowledge of Ireland’s data protection legislation
  • Understand what needs to be achieved to attain organisational compliance
  • Develop and maintain effective policies and procedures
  • Apply data protection legislation

Get full details of the upcoming courses and register HERE
If you have any queries, please phone 01 6854474, or email training@ics.ie

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Heffernan's Travel - To Celebrate 90 years in Business we have a range of special offers
 

To Celebrate 90 Years in Business Heffernan's Travel Have An Amazing Competition - Book your holiday before the 31st March and be in with a chance to win 2 tickets to New York. See the ‘read more’ section below to avail of our latest special offers.  

 

 

 

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Member Events
Cornstore Spring Fashion event in aid of Pink Ribbon Walk for Action Breast Cancer
 

Date: April 17th
Time: 7pm
Venue: Cornstore Restaurant Cornmarket Street
Cost: regular ticket price €40 or Special for Chamber members - table of 10 for the price of 9
To Book: email cork@cornstore.com, tel 021-4274777


The Cornstore will host the evening, with a Pink Blossom cocktail reception followed by a three course gourmet dinner and fashion show, featuring Spring fashions from Blush, Douglas Village; Brocade & Lime, Cornmarket St; Jane Boutique and h’Attitude, Kinsale all modelled by Lockdown Model Agency. Also on the night, there will be a prize for Best Dressed Lady, kindly sponsored by Michel the Jewellers, spot prizes and a raffle.

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Smarter Egg’s Easter Egg Event
 

Date: March 25th
Time: 7pm
Venue: Upstairs at the White Horse, Ballincollig
Cost - €10 cover charge
To Book: Reserve your place by contacting events@smarteregg.com.

 

Clients and friends of Smarter Egg are celebrating Easter a little early with the latest in the continuing series of Smarter Egg events and for the first time, some places are available to other members of Cork Chamber. Egg Talks will be given by Conall Mac Aongusa, Director at Transport and Innovation, Shane McCarthy, UCC and Avril Ronan, Trend Micro which will provoke us to think differently and take away some fresh insights about the world in which we work.  

[Read more]
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Chernobyl Children Launch their Annual Chairty Cycle
 

Date: Saturday, 27 July 2013
Time: Registration at 8.45 with a 10 am start
Venue: Highfield Rugby Club, Bishopstown

Cost: A registration fee of €30 must be paid pre event and we ask that you try to raise a minimum of €150 to participate in the cycle (€150 in total, €30 for registration and €120 to raise).


The theme of this year’s annual charity cycle is simply ‘Do Miles, Make Smiles’ and will see cyclists depart from Highfield Rugby Club in Bishopstown, Cork and complete a 100Km or 50Km cycle route. The charity cycle route will journey through some beautiful parts of Cork including the towns of Dripsey and Bandon.  A rent a bike facility is also available which will give everybody the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile fundraising initiative.

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Autism Forum 2013
 

Date: April 7th
Time: 10-4pm
Venue: Radission Blu Hotel, Little Island
Cost: €15 unwaged, parents, families, students, OAPs, €20 professionals
To Book: call 0214271808 / www.corkautism.ie


The Autism Awareness Forum (AAF) hosted by the Cork Association for Autism, will bring together the country’s leading experts to share the latest trends, topics and therapies surrounding the fastest growing neurodevelopmental disorder in the country. The conference aims to cover a wide range of topics, including everything from advocacy to cutting-edge research. This will be a one day forum which will aim to meet the needs of professional staff, parents, educators and students that have an interest in adults with ASD. This project has been funded by Cork County Councils Economic Development Fund.

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Free public lecture - Terrorism: What have we learnt?
 

Date:  22nd March
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: Boole Lecture Theatre 1, University College Cork


 Professor Louise Richardson, a leading authority on terrorism and political violence, is to deliver a public lecture at UCC this Friday 22nd March. ‘Terrorism: What have we learnt?’ comes as part of the Centre for Global Development Global Challenges Lecture Series. Professor Richardson, a native of Lismore, Waterford and graduate of Trinity College Dublin, is Professor of International Relations and Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university. Her lecture at UCC will explore the lessons learnt since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and will investigate the illusions around terrorists and counter-terrorists. Full Details available HERE.

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Had eNEUF? Spring into action then at UCC
 

Date:  22nd March
Time: Registration from9.30am, forum begins 10.30am
Venue: Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, University College Cork 


The UCC Environmental Society will launch the inaugural National University Environmental Forum (NUEF) on Friday the 22 March. The public, as well as students right across primary, secondary and third level are actively invited to attend. The purpose of NUEF is to encourage university students from all over Ireland to gather and discuss environmental issues with their peers, academics, professionals and the public. Going forward, NUEF will be hosted in a different university annually with the aim of facilitating engagement and contribution nationally. Further detail on the extensive array of speakers and ticket prices available
HERE.

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