Inverness Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is running an in-person trade mission to Ireland in November 2024. This is a great way for companies who want to explore trade opportunities with Ireland.
As part of our upcoming trade mission, in partnership with Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, ICC hosted a pre-mission workshop this week (26 June). This was designed to give businesses a taste of what Ireland can offer and highlight the current economic climate, key sectors and benefits of doing business in this exciting market.
For Scottish companies, Ireland is a great place to trade as it has an inclusive, well-connected and stable business landscape, and shares a similar legal system and culture with Scotland. It was a pleasure to welcome 21 businesses from across Scotland to our session who were interested in hearing from our guest speaker, the Consul General of Ireland in Scotland, Jerry O’Donovan.
Inverness Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, Colin Marr opened proceedings by highlighting the main objectives of our upcoming trade mission, what is involved and who can join. Open to any business in Scotland, this mission will introduce companies to the Irish market, help them understand the Irish trading landscape, introduce them to networking opportunities and set up a number of business-to-business meetings for each delegate.
This was followed by Mr O’Donovan who provided key insights about Ireland, current trading conditions, and similarities between our two countries – Scotland and Ireland. Mr O’Donovan further talked through business practices, legalities, financial system and culture similarities with the UK which makes Ireland a good place to invest – especially for new exporters. Furthermore, its ongoing membership with the European Union, offers Scottish businesses the potential to widen their offering into new markets further afield.
Colin Marr commented, “Throughout the pre-mission workshop it was encouraging to see businesses engage with Mr O’Donovan who was very open in answering questions. A number of companies signed up for the trade mission in November immediately following this event.”
Do you want to find out if Ireland is the right market for you or wish to take part in our upcoming trade mission to Dublin, supported by Scottish Government and Scottish Chambers of Commerce, to connect with like-minded businesses? If so, please contact our international team at international@inverness-chamber.co.uk. Please note there are limited spaces available.