Invites you tothe Asian Pacific Ireland Business Forum 2011
The event will focus on the opportunities for Ireland in Asia in the context of free trade agreements, notably recently implemented EU-Korea FTA and other EU FTAs under consideration in the region.
Keynote Address: Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. Tánaiste , Minister for Foreign Affairs Ireland , Representation from leading industrialists & senior business people from the Asia Pacific Region.
Date: Friday 14th October 2011 08.30am-15.00pm
Location: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seoul
Forum Details: www.apibf.com
The Hyatt booking code details
Limited places - please book now to secure your place. Attendance is free with Buffet Lunch
‘The APIBF is now the most important gathering of Irish Business people in Asia, positioned to play a close and supporting role to the Irish Government’s Asia Strategy. Convening professionals doing business in Asia, it members play a vital role in expanding Irish Trade with Asia. The Asian Gaelic Games are also a very important flagship for Ireland in Asia, fostering continued links with Ireland for the diaspora and integrating many Asians and other expats into our ancient sporting tradition and the fellowship that comes with it.'Dick Spring, Patron of the APIBF and former Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland)
The 4th Annual Asia-Pacific Ireland Business Forum 24 September 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Langham, Hong Kong8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong KongTel: (852) 2375 1133 Fax: (852) 2375 6611Email: tlhkg.info@langhamhotels.com
The 4th annual Asia-Pacific Ireland Business Forum will be hosted by the Irish Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong and will ;
With up to 300 delegates attending from Ireland and Asia, the Asia-Pacific Ireland Business Forum is a unique event that brings together senior executives and decision makers from a broad canvas of industry sectors and is the largest gathering in Asia of Irish business professionals in Asia and of those with an interest in business in Ireland.
A key feature of the forum will be the presentation of the Business & Finance Asia- Pacific Ireland Business Awards 2010 at a gala lunch during the forum.
The event programme will include:
Asia Pacific Ireland Business Forum, 24 September 2010
The 3rd Annual Asia Pacific Ireland Business Forum was held in Bangkok on Friday, 16 October 2009, hosted by the Irish Thai Chamber of Commerce Held for the first time in Thailand (when the Asian Gaelic Games were held in Phuket from 2000-2002, the APIBF had not yet been introduced), to an audience of over 200 delegates and media, keynote speakers at this landmark event included H.E. Korn Chatikavanij, Finance Minister of Thailand & Dick Spring - former Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) & Foreign Minister of Ireland.
With Irish foreign direct investment outflows in 2008 at US$13.5 billion, the Thai Finance Minister & the Ambassador of Ireland, H.E. Eugene Hutchinson, lauded this year’s APIBF as delivering a strong boost to Thai-Irish bilateral relations.
Following the APIBF, leading Irish business publication, Business & Finance, presented its inaugural Asia Pacific Ireland Business Awards at a gala luncheon.
The second annual Asia Pacific Ireland Business Forum was a collaborative project by the ten Irish business groups in the region (Australia (2), Bahrain, China (3), Japan, Korea, Singapore & Thailand) held on the eve of the annual Asian Gaelic Games, Friday, 10 October 2008.
This year's event brought together Irish professionals from around the Asia Pacific Region, including people like Liam Casey, 2007 Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year; Liam O' Keefe, Founder & Chairman of PCS Group, the largest property services company in Thailand; Colm McCarthy, President Asia-Pacific of Bank of America; Ron Bolger, a member of the Irish Government's Asia Strategy Group and Margaret Ward, Foreign Editor of RTE.
This first ever collaboration of the Irish business groups in the region continues to gather momentum & the event in Penang provided a very special opportunity to network with the Irish business community in Asia. It was also a chance to learn first hand about doing business in the world’s fastest growing region.
Ní neart go cur le chéile - Togetherness is Strength.
I would hope to see the Forum plan for next year and possibly consider other venues such as Thailand.
The GAA Asian games attracts such a huge number of your Irish living and working in Asia. I would like to see a future keynote speaker from a more hands on level , share his experience of working with a local labour force.
Liam O'KeeffeChairman, PCS Group ,ThailandDirector, Irish Thai Chamber of Commerce, Bangkok
Business is all about people dealing with people and the APIBF is the prime event in Asia where Irish business people from across the region have an opportunity to network with their peers.
In its work on behalf of Irish companies in Asia, Enterprise Ireland draws on the assistance and resources of Irish business people in the region. The APIBF is an invaluable source of new business contacts and leads across the region.
The APIBF provides an excellent platform for Irish business people in the region to promote their services.
Michael GarveyDirector ASEAN Region, Enterprise Ireland
There are many opportunities for Irish people and Irish companies in Asia & to capitalize on these opportunities we need to develop strong Irish communities across the region. The Asia GAA games and business event is one of the major annual events on the calendar it is a great opportunity to network with other Irish people in the region.
Login to download the APIBF Documents for this forum, including:
Irish firms see eastern promise in Malaysia : Clifford Coonan, Irish TimesA lively business forum looks set to kindle Irish interest in Asia, writes Clifford Coonan in PenangWith its palm trees, beautiful beaches and balmy climate, the tropical island of Penang in Malaysia feels a long way from the industrial estates and technology parks of Ireland.
Asian tigers have not lost their roar : Clifford Coonan, Irish TimesIrish entrepreneurs in Asia are conscious of the coming downturn, but they are generally cautiously optimistic, writes Clifford Coonan in Kuala Lumpur
On 22 June 2007, timed to coincide with the annual Asian Gaelic Games, the Irish Business Association of Singapore, with sponsorship from Enterprise Ireland & the support of the Embassy of Ireland, organised the Inaugural Asia Pacific Ireland Business Forum.
The event attracted a range of young Irish professionals doing business in Asia as well as key figures from Irish business & Government officials.
Opened by HE Richard O’ Brien, Ambassador of Ireland to Singapore the keynote speaker was Dick Spring, Executive Chairman, Fexco, and former Tánaiste. Other notable speakers & panellists included HE Mary Whelan, Head of Bilateral Economic Relations, Department of Foreign Affairs who spoke on the role of embassies in the region.
A panel on ‘Opportunities for Entrepreneurs in Asia & Ireland’ was chaired by Moira Lynam of Citi & included Paul Timmons, EIRE Systems K.K, Japan & Robert Agnew of the Hong Kong Ireland Chamber of Commerce.
A lunchtime keynote address was delivered by Professor Patrick Gibbons of the Michael Smurfit School of Business.
Alan Hobbs & Michael Garvey spoke about the support which Enterprise Ireland can provide to Irish companies in Asia & entrepreneurs in Ireland.
The day concluded with a presentation on Diageo in Asia by David Moore followed by a wrap-up piece by Barry O’ Brien.
'Tosnú maith leath an obair' : I was very pleased to participate in the Asia Business Forum in Singapore and it is a great networking opportunity,having both public and private sector representatives from all over Asia in the same room.
I am confident that it will go from strength to strength and become a major event for the Irish diaspora in Asia.
Liam & Pauline FerrieFounders Irish Emigrant
Asia is a massive and somewhat daunting continent.It is also now home to many Irish people. At the Forum, one gets the opportunity to meet and hear those people who have made Asia manageable in a uniquely Irish way.Allied to the Irish sporting network,it is possible to find an Irish niche in every market....and to make an Irish market out of every niche......BE THERE.
Working as a journalist covering the region it can be a strong comfort knowing there is an Irish person at the end of a phone or an email in a country where you have just arrived and are trying to find your bearings.
The business forum helps to both formalise, and expand, that network. Contacts I made during the forum have generated stories for me, and also given me access to people who will fill me in on the lay of the land in unfamiliar environments, all of which is a bonus in my game, and I can see how that would translate well in other arenas.
The forum was an interesting experience. It was the first time so people were obviously a bit nervous, but by the end of the event people had relaxed considerably and the event this year should be able to hit the ground running. A challenge is always going to be how to take the concept forward, as Asia is such a huge geographical expanse, but there was a lot of commonality around and people felt they could connect with other and exchange views on doing business in their respective areas.
I found the event very useful. The Irish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong has made great progress in building a network of contacts around the region. I would recommend that any Irish business person with an interest in Asia attends the next forum.
I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with my peers in the Irish Business Community in Asia. The event itself was well organised and held in a central location which was convenient to all attendees. It was also held in close proximity to the location for the Asian Games opening ceremony which was useful to those participating.
The forum was particularly interesting as it gave a number of start-ups the opportunity to showcase their successes in the region and provide some guidance for those who were in the process of setting up or those who would like to set up their own businesses.
Perhaps a smaller room would have encouraged more interaction between particpants as it was a little spread out, with large tables but all in all I felt the event was a success and look forward to attending in 2008. It would be good if more of the participants at the business forum took a more active part in the Asian Games as both players and supporters. I felt in 2007 there was very little crossover between those who had attended the Irish pavilion at Communic Asia and the Irish business forum attending the games.
It was a great opportunity to network with Irish business people in the region, key contacts from relevant Irish government organizations and other relevant non-Irish contacts. The event was very well organized with key speakers from Ireland and around the region. I look forward to the Business Forum 2008.
Ireland has deep reserves of goodwill throughout Asia, established over centuries by Irish religious, teachers and professionals who have lived and worked in the region. This Irish community today has extraordinary depth of experience in every market, and across all industries.
Already, friendships which I established at the inaugural event in Singapore in 2007 have provided tangible benefits to my business and to the Singapore Irish Business Association. I look forward to participating in the success of the Asia Ireland Business Forum in the years to come.
As an entrepreneur, I need to keep my contacts fresh and their number growing. Additionally, I value the goodwill extended by fellow Irish business people that starts with a handshake and ends with a common vision of collaboration.
There is nowhere else in Asia where I can meet Irish business people of this diversity, with this level of openess, with this vision of shared prosperity.
As the saying goes, "Ní neart go cur le chéile". And the APIBF is where our efforts are enabled to work together.
Looking forward to 2008.
It was a pleasure and of great benefit to me to be involved in the inaugural Asia business forum in Singapore 2007. To have this joined up with the criac of the Asian GAA makes for an ideal opportunity for the Irish Diaspora and their local colleagues and friends to enjoy Irish culture whilst also adding value to their businesses and careers. The gathering is an excellent opportunity for the individual countries Chambers of Commerce, their members and the various Irish support agencies to come together to share and build on their experiences. As the forum’s reputation grows I have no doubt that Irish businesses at home and elsewhere around the globe will see and tap into this network gathering to get an insight into what its really like to do business in Asia as well as providing the solutions to what from afar may be seen as insurmountable barriers. Asia is a much smaller place when you join this forum.
Some may say with a yawn 'yet another networking event' but in the case of the APIBF such thinking would be a mistake. There is no other event in the Asia Pacific region that not only brings Asia-based Irish business professionals directly together 'under the same roof' but also provides a platform for discussion and exchange that can potentially lead to greater business opportunities and development for those wishing to do business in Asia. In the inaugural forum held last year it became clear for the first time just how advanced and widespread Irish business has developed in Asia but also of course just how much more opportunity is possible. One felt that there is a great need to enhance bonds between Asia-Irish business groups so as to provide a catalyst to realise this opportunity. Coming from a wide variety of backgrounds participants provide a truly interesting mix of personalities and experiences that is both intriguing and appealing making the working discussions and social interactions that much more enjoyable.
The organisers should be applauded not only their vision in creating this forum but also for their work to ensure it continues.
