All-Ireland Business Summit 2017 Highlights

By Eimear Dodd Journalism MA student, @TheCity_Dublin editor, @Irish_TechNews

Over 750 delegates attended the third annual All-Ireland Business Summit in Dublin’s Croke Park on 6 April 2017. The event also featured the inaugural presentation of the Business All-Star Awards.

Chaired by Insomnia boss and broadcaster Bobby Kerr, the 2017 Summit aimed to inspire, energise and challenge delegates through presentations from speakers with a wide range of business and life experience. There were also opportunities to network and develop contacts within the Irish business community.

“The past three years have proved that Irish businesses have a real appetite to be inspired by genuine achievers. We’re already planning an even better Summit for 2018 – it will be hard to beat this year’s event but we’re up for the challenge.” says co-founder Kapil Khanna.

What a venue for our summit. Beautiful @CrokeParkEvents #pitch4progress pic.twitter.com/sHKdg7KkNm

— All-Ireland Summit (@All_IreSummit) April 6, 2017

Highlights

Among the highlights of the 2017 Summit was Peter Casey of the Claddagh Group, who spoke about the seven deadly sins to be avoided in business life.

Former Red Bull director and drinks innovator Ahmed Elafifi outlined how he has catapulted ‘Tranquini’, a new relaxation drink into over 40 countries in just 24 months.

Chris Slack CEO of Unplug discussed how to stay focused in an ever-more distracting world. Declan Coyle, author of The Green Platform explained the measureable benefits of maintaining a positive outlook in the face of adversity.

Sinead Kane, the visually impaired athlete who recently completed seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Inspirational would be an under-statement when describing @KaneSinead ? @All_IreSummit #pitch4progress #justdoit pic.twitter.com/4FDhgDEj4R

— Gary O'Meara #Meath (@GaryOMeara_) April 6, 2017

Other speakers including Mick Crean of Micksgarage.com and personal branding expert James Sweetman inspired delegates with their insights and perspectives.

Business All-Star awards announced

The inaugural Business All-Star awards were also presented during the summit by Bobby Kerr and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor. The awards were a celebration of the achievements of progressive Irish businesses.

The winners were chosen from over 250 entries by a panel of judges chaired by Dr Briga Hynes of the University of Limerick.

Commenting on the awards, Bobby Kerr said: “The rewards of business aren’t all about the bottom line. Being lauded by people who have a genuine sense of the challenges facing Irish businesses today can also make you feel like the tough days are worth it.”

Aphix Software picked up the Emerging Small Business award. EireChrom was named the Innovative Business of the Year. The award for Female-Led Business of the Year was presented to AgriKids.

Well done and congrats to all the winners and finalists All Star Business Awards @All_IreSummit @mitchelloconnor ?? pic.twitter.com/1W2hajABdk

— Guaranteed Irish (@GuaranteedIrl) April 6, 2017

The 2017 Summit had a number of high-level sponsors including United Airlines, FedEx, Guaranteed Irish, Codex, Customer Service Excellence Ireland, Capital Marketing, MENTORS and Flexiwage.

The All Ireland Business Summit founders, Kapil Khanna and Elaine Carroll of the Mespil group, have begun preparations for the 2018 summit.

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