Irish businesses will be on a mission this St. Patrick’s Day

The Chicago River dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day in 2021 in Chicago, Illinois

Tom Cusack

Emphasising the importance of collaboration and partnership in the global business environment, particularly in a time of turmoil, Enterprise Ireland is marking St. Patrick’s Day by hosting a global series of trade events to boost business collaboration with international partners.

With over 60 events planned, this global events series will mark the important impact that Irish businesses are delivering across the world. As well as delivering innovative solutions to meet global challenges, Irish companies are employing almost 1.2 million people internationally.

After a difficult two years, this year marks the first in-person St Patrick’s Day Global Programme of Events since the pandemic began. Irish government ministers – including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, and Minister for Trade Promotion Robert Troy – will be back out around the world, working to strengthen and foster important relationships with our international trading partners.

With events happening across North America, South America, Europe, UK, IMEA and Asia Pacific, our international programme of events presents an invaluable opportunity to highlight Ireland’s innovation offering, and the innovative solutions from Irish firms in areas such as cybersecurity, sustainability, agritech, and much more.

In Washington the Taoiseach will attend our inaugural Women in Business round table event recognising Irish female leaders scaling Irish companies in North America, and will meet senior executives of leading Irish MNCs such as Icon PLC, Glanbia, Kerry Group and Ornua, to recognise the enormous contribution of Irish-origin FDI in the US. Across North America a series of Enterprise Ireland client and partner events will take place in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Toronto and Montreal. While in London, the Taoiseach will also attend a round table event with consumer-focused Irish companies scaling in the UK.

Robert Troy, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, will be in India, for a series of business events focused on technology services and education. Events are also taking place in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and France and the Nordics too, bringing together Irish companies and their overseas clients.

As we reconnect and rebuild valued relationships with our business partners across the world, for businesses, this St Patrick’s Day is all about the three Rs of post-pandemic life – reopening, re-emerging, and reconnecting.

We will also be hosting a major promotional event on QVC, the USA’s flagship shopping channel, live from Slane Castle in association with Tourism Ireland, allowing Irish craft and consumer goods companies an opportunity to promote their unique wares to millions of customers Stateside.

Coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day, Enterprise Ireland is launching a new international campaign, Ireland – Innovation at the Edge – which reaffirms Ireland’s position as a source of global innovation and our contribution internationally.

The campaign highlights the unique conditions that have led Ireland to become one of the most innovative countries in the world and showcases innovative Irish companies too, including innovators such as Tines, automating complex security, Nova Leah protecting sensitive medical products and FlipDish, one of Ireland’s latest tech unicorns, who are transforming digital food ordering for thousands of restaurants and chains across the globe.

Enterprise Ireland’s role is to connect client companies with buyers around the world. For many of our clients, this year marks the first time in two years that in-person visits to markets are possible, with a strong appetite and enthusiasm to recommit to and reengage with their overseas partners.

There is real pent-up demand to get back out there into the global marketplace, to meet in-person and to progress business relationships further.

St Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to do just that.