NEWS
L-R: Perry Kennedy (Harland & Wolff), Niall Devlin (Bank of Ireland UK), Tanya Anderson (NI Chamber) and John Wood (InfraStrata plc) pictured at the launch of NI Chamber’s 2020 Meet the Buyer with Bank of Ireland UK
EVENT OFFERS NI SUPPLIERS CHANCE TO PITCH PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO FIRMS WITH MAJOR PROCUREMENT NEEDS... NI Chamber’s “Meet theBuyer” event will boost local supply chain
E lectrical contractors who signed up for the next NI Chamber “Meet the Buyer” event will get the chance to pitch services such as facilities management online to the biggest names in NI and ROI business on November 5. Held in partnership with Bank of Ireland UK, the event offers suppliers from all industries the opportunity to pitch products and services to companies with significant procurement needs. To date, 24 major buyers from NI and ROI have confirmed their attendance including Applegreen, Caterpillar, Coco- Cola, Harland & Wolff, Randox, Seagate and Translink. Tanya Anderson, Head of International and Business Support at NI Chamber explains, “Meet the Buyer is one of our most popular flagship annual events and we’re really pleased to be able to deliver it digitally for the first time in November. This year, it will place a strong emphasis
on boosting the local supply chain – connecting large companies with suppliers from Northern Ireland. Local sourcing “This focus on bolstering the local supply chain is really resonating with buyers in the current climate, who are keen to increase levels of local sourcing. The list of those attending spans all sectors, from retail and manufacturing, to utilities, tech and education. “We have witnessed a really significant level of interest from new buyers this year. One in two of those attending the 2020 event are new to Meet the Buyer, which means there are lots of fresh opportunities for suppliers who attend this event annually. This list of new buyers includes Irish utility company Ervia and Atalian Servest Ireland, bringing opportunities for new cross border trade as well. “Last year, this event facilitated over 350 meetings and with the benefit of
increased capacity through digital technology, this time that number is set to be even higher. At the 2019 event, 70% of suppliers identified new customers and 54% identified new export markets.” Niall Devlin, Head of Regional Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK added, “Meet the Buyer is at the heart of our Winning Business partnership programme with NI Chamber because it is tangible in enabling local SMEs to win business. A recent McKinsey survey indicated that 93% of supply chain leaders in business are seeking to improve their supply chain resilience. Locally, we have 24 high quality organisations registered as buyers for the event. Their diverse needs will provide significant opportunity for new local supply deals, connections and commercial collaborations to help strengthen, diversify and rebuild supply.” www.northernirelandchamber.com
20 | IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL MAGAZINE
FOLLOW US ON:
www.elecmagazine.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online