Enterprise Ireland will celebrate St Patrick's Day (17 March) with more than 60 events worldwide to mark the positive impact of Irish businesses, with almost 1.2m employed by Irish companies internationally.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin will attend a roundtable women in business event in Washington, DC to recognise Irish women scaling Irish companies in North America, and he will meet with senior executives at Irish multinationals such as Icon plc Glanbia, Kerry Group, and Ornua.
The Taoiseach will also attend a roundtable event in London with consumer-focused Irish companies scaling in the UK, while Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will head to South America for client events in Chile and Colombia.
Minister for Trade Promotion Robert Troy will participate in a series of business and education events during a trade visit to India, and Minister for Business, Employment and Retail Damien English will attend a roundtable event in Stockholm as part of a trade visit to Scandinavia.
Enterprise Ireland will also hold client and partner events in North America in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Toronto and Montreal; in the UK in London and Manchester; and in Asia in Tokyo and Seoul.
In Association with
There will also be a networking reception in Frankfurt for Irish construction companies in Germany a sustainability event in Portugal; an event focusing on autonomous vehicles in Paris, and a showcase of Ireland's digital health solutions and eldercare capabilities in Brussels.
Australia will host a number of advisory panel events for the energy, construction and healthcare sectors, and virtual events will also take place in China and Singapore, among others around the world.
"This year’s international programme of events for St Patrick’s Day will emphasise partnership and collaboration with the international business community. These values are especially important in the very difficult times many people are living through at present," Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland said.
Enterprise Ireland has also launched a new international campaign, 'Ireland: Innovation at the Edge', highlighting fast-growing Irish tech companies and exporters who have performed strongly throughout the pandemic, including client firms Tines, Flipdish, Manna Drones, Nova Leah, Nuritas, Kitman Labs, Let’sGetChecked, Volograms and Inclusio.
"This year we will be talking about 'Innovation at the Edge', highlighting the innovators from the edge of Europe who are pushing boundaries and exploring the edges of their industries. The new campaign we are launching will bring to life the unique conditions at play in Ireland which have led Irish companies to be among the most innovative in the world," Clancy added.
Launching the events series and campaign, Varadkar said: "As global economies emerge from the pandemic, putting two tough, disruptive years behind us, it presents an opportunity to reconnect and rebuild valued relationships with our business partners across the world
"I am incredibly proud of the contribution that Irish firms have made globally, especially during the pandemic. As a one of the leading technology and medtech hubs in the world, Ireland produced lifesaving equipment and medicines which helped us navigate life during Covid. Global firms have learned that they can rely on Irish partners in challenging times. Adaptability and resilience are built into Irish companies.
"I’m honoured to launch Enterprise Ireland’s international campaign 'Ireland: Innovation at the Edge'. This campaign is also about what Ireland offers as a country to our entrepreneurs. We are a small, open economy, a country on the edge of the Atlantic and at the heart of the European Union, a bridge between Europe and the US, where the giants of tech meet the world’s most creative minds, where cutting edge research and industry work hand in hand.
"Our entrepreneurs are ready and waiting to collaborate with our global partners across the world. If the past two years have thought us anything it’s that we are stronger when we are working together."
