The business event market in Ireland is worth billions in revenue each year. Whether it’s large events bringing tourists in from across the world, or smaller knowledge-sharing events from within industries, the event market has seen a huge up-take in popularity since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Many companies are now looking to events as a way to network with organisations in the D&I space, while organisers are looking to include a range of guest speakers and organisations in their events like never before.
However, it can be difficult to find what are the best events to go to, to learn more about D&I. So here are just some suggestions from me, but as always if there are any you feel should be on the list please let me know…Apart from that one . (All the information was quoted directly from the event organisers website, unless otherwise stated):
- Annual Conferences
Every March Ahead holds their Annual Conference. This is an opportunity for Ahead clients to come together and learn about a particular theme, the theme changes based on the year.
Prices range from:
In-person Members €150. Check if your organisation is a member here.
In-person Non-Members €300.
Online Members €100. Check if your organisation is a member here.
Online Non-Members €200.
- Building for the future
One of Ireland’s best events for graduates with disabilities who are job searching is Building for the future is a career fair where businesses that are clients of Ahead’s WAM (Willing and Able Mentoring) programme come together to meet with graduates or those about to graduate and engage, inform and network while also getting mock interviews, CV feedback and guest speakers from former WAM alumni.
Price: Free to all
Associations
In addition to the many membership led organisations, nearly every association or membership group will have an annual conference or series of events throughout the year. These associations include The Migraine Association of Ireland, which regularly holds events that inform and empower people who get migraines in the workplace, Down Syndrome Ireland, who have a range of fundraising, conferences and local events, and The Dignity Partnership, who give information sessions to migrants in Ireland on employment, skills and bringing their community together.
Ireland’s largest garden show, Bord Bia Bloom, takes place in the Phoenix Park in Dublin every June Bank Holiday Weekend. More and more the organisation has been focusing on exhibitors that are involved in Diversity and Inclusion. This year they partnered with The Samaritans and Charlie Bird. The exhibitors also have a commitment to sustainability such as Biasol, Wicklow Way Wines or Food Cloud.
Tickets are 25-30 for adults and 2 children go free, with €5 for each additional child.
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is much more than a competition; it is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime for the students who take part. The exhibition itself is the final stage in the competition, which is open to all second level students from Ireland, both north and south.
Previous winners of the competition include the likes of:
- John and Patrick Collison, who went on to create the company the payments processing company Stripe, which had a peak value of $95 billion euro
- Shane Curran, who went on to create Evervault, which is is a flexible, plug-and-play encryption and data security, now worth $19 million.
- Sarah Flannery Barthelet, who according to ThinkBusiness.ie “Flannery wrote a book on the subject called In Code. She then went on to help found the games company Tirnua before it was acquired in 2010 by Californian outfit RockYou. A University of Cambridge graduate, Flannery also toured the world with her husband on their yacht the Makena.“
However, the competition has nearly 20 awards for both The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. You can view all of last year’s winners here
Careers or Job Fairs
Often the way that students find out about graduate programmes or companies hiring practises is through careers or fairs, where companies take stands at venues and the students go to those stands to find out information about the company. Some of the largest fairs include GradIreland, Jobs Expo Ireland or some of the largest third level institutions in Ireland. More recently, these fairs have a virtual component with companies willing to hold hybrid virtual events where attendees can dial into the event and get feedback on their CV, Cover Letter or practice virtual interviews, for those who may not be able to attend in person.
This is also an option for students to hear about the D&I streams that they have for hiring. These include companies that work with Ahead, CWIT, LGBT organisations and organisations that help non-nationals, migrants to Ireland.
With a tagline of “where technology meets humanity” The Caring In Business takes place in The Conrad Hotel, in March Caring in business allows attendees to “Learn how Caring in Business is not only good for business, but essential for business. The main theme revolves around best practice in the 3 main areas of: –
- Caring in the Workplace
- Caring in the Community
- Caring in the Environment.”
With speakers including the former head of Diversity and Inclusion for EMEA for Dell Technologies Tricia Smyth, Global Director of Sustainability Oracle Elena Avesani or the CEO of Siemens Gary O’ Callaghan
Prices range from a regular Price €595 or a corporate table (6 Passes) €3,000
On their website they say Chambers Ireland’s purpose is” to be the voice of business throughout Ireland. We support our network of chambers in their mission of making their local economies places where businesses and people thrive.”
As part of this, Chambers Ireland holds a number of events that support Diversity and inclusion. This includes the Sustainable Business Impact Awards, where large businesses, SMEs, charities, and start-ups get recognised for the work that they have done in the previous year in the area of sustainability.
One of Ireland’s biggest events in the Diversity and Inclusion sector, Diversity in Tech Awards celebrates all that’s good in Diversity and Inclusion in Ireland. Held in the RDS, they have a range of different awards such as the Entrepreneur of the Year, Trailblazer of the Year, Young Female STEM Pioneer and Diverse Company of the Year..
The judges include Gearoid Kearney, co-founder of Myaccesshub, Sheree Atcheson, Global Diversity & Inclusion Senior Exec, Valtech, and Vicky Twomey-Lee Community Diversity Tech Events Organiser / Founder, EventGeek.ie
Tickets are available here and are priced at €92.50
Based in the CHQ building Ireland leading tech accelerator Dogpatch their mission is to “accelerate the development of Ireland’s startup ecosystem by providing a valuable community from where you can grow, share knowledge and form connections.” They’re home to over 250 start-ups and 500 members. Their “vaults” space in their ground floor is the perfect place to hold events.
They hold hundreds events a year, however, they emphasise holding events for underrepresented groups in the tech industry. This includes working with organisations such as Coder Dojo for young people interested in coding. Gender Diversity such as holding events and meet-ups for Women Entrepreneurs. .
Having events on race and ethnicity with companies such as YourY Networks, working with companies in the disability space and being proud sponsors of events and organising communities around the Pride festival
Now in its 8th year, The Dublin Tech Summit is Europe’s fastest growing tech summit. Taking place in the RDS in Dublin each year the summit brings together start-ups from not only Ireland but around Europe and connects them to the biggest companies in tech and venture capitalist who can fund their start-up’s.
Their line-up of speakers is particularly impressive with previous speakers including Bobby Healy from Manna – an Irish drone delivery company, DC Calahan Group CMO of Dogpatch Labs, Sandra Healy Founder & CEO inclusio and some of the biggest names in the international tech community too.
I previously wrote about the Irish businesses in Diversity and Inclusion from the 2022 Dublin Tech Summit. You can find that here.
The conference will take place on 29-30 May 2024 with early bird tickets available from €135 you can find more info here
Taking place in Croke Park on September 19th 2023, they state on their website “ hear lively panel discussions, inspiring case studies and burning fireside chats from industry experts and thought leaders. Hear how we need to ramp up our ambitions to accelerate the actions that are required to respond to the climate crisis, putting climate solutions at the centre of our social and economic development. The numbers have been agreed. Now it’s time to deliver the actions.” There are more than 20 topics include in the panel and workshops at the event and speakers include Conor Minogue Senior Executive, Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), Orla Coyle Head of Energy & Sustainability, Savills, and Nikki Flanders, Managing Director, SSE Energy Customer Solutions, Ireland and GB to name a few
Tickets are available from here and price range from €278 or for 5 for the price of 3 for the price of €861
The Future of Work Conference is on the 28th & 29th of May 2024 in the RDS Simmonscourt, will showcase the latest developments in modern workplace design and provide practical advice on topics such as: how to create a sustainable and ergonomic professional environment; design a workplace that caters for an increasingly diverse workforce and nurtures a collaborative culture; and how to plan a work space that is flexible enough to accommodate the latest technology but that remains people focused.
Along with topics and key notes around Diversity, Culture and retaining Talent, the conference will discuss several themes around inclusion in the future of the Irish workplace.
The GALAS was established by the NXF in 2009 and since then has gone on to recognise over 116 individuals, companies & organisations for their outstanding work and contribution.
In 2023, The GALAS will return for the first time since the pandemic on Saturday, October 7th, in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin, hosted by Panti Bliss and Lisa Connell.
This year, we want to acknowledge the contribution of individuals, companies and organisations and their work over the past 2 years to make Ireland (and the world) a better place for our LGBTQ+ community
You can book your ticket here.
One of the most popular events in Ireland every Christmas “Gifted – The Contemporary Craft & Design Fair is the ultimate destination for anyone interested in craft, design, unique independent brands and artisan food producers.”- what was The RDS Craft Fair has been around for more than 30 years and in 2022 welcomed more than 500, independent craft, design and food companies to it’s hall in early December
Last year’s events featured a heavy influence on sustainability in inclusiveness. The event had a sustainability question according to its website stating “Look out for the “Ask me and my Sustainability Story” logo throughout Gifted and will help you find more sustainable options”. While Handmade in Ireland Look out for this logo at the Fair and it will help you find products that are exclusively handmade in Ireland thus reducing carbon emissions.
Their Stands included stands supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia, while it also had representation from other marginalised communities such as Irish language books, products for the disability community and mental health with stands supporting The Samaritans Ireland
The process of being accepted into The Great Place to Work community is a 4 step process:
- Over a two week period the company surveys their workforce using GPTW The Trust Index© Employee Experience Survey. The survey measures the extent to which your organisation is considered to be a great workplace by your people.
- The company then goes through a ‘culture audit’ where the company provides GPTW with the company culture, programmes and practices. This is then benchmarked against the employee survey to investigate if the company culture is permeating through to the employees.
- The GPTW team then presents their findings to the company. This is then benchmarked against Irish, international and local practices to give an accurate representation of the overall efforts of the company.
- Then if your employee index is above 65% the company can then be accepted into the community as a member.
The GPTW team then put a series of online and in-person events on for their members, around themes such as HR and recruitment, in-person employer branding events and the gala Best Place To Work In Ireland event. Which is a black tie event held in-person and gives prizes out in a range of categories depending on the size, type of company and what industry they are in
The experts in remote working in Ireland, Grow Remote provides an outlet for people in Ireland and abroad who work remotely, and want a sense of community to feel less isolated from their colleagues. What originally started with a group of people meeting for a coffee in 2019, has now evolved into employer training for employers who have employees working from home, training for employees beginning or want training in their remote working or training for leaders who are working remotely.
They also provide events for their community including weekly virturing coffee meeting and recently they held their National Grow Remote Summit 2023, where they “we’re bringing together the remote working community, leaders in government, business innovators, and employers to explore the future of work.we’re bringing together the remote working community, leaders in government, business innovators, and employers to explore the future of work.” It included speakers from companies such as Microsoft, Shopify, and Boundless. It also included workshops on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in a hybrid world of work, The Power of Changemakers to create social impact and Leadership on Hybrid Teams Productivity, to name a few.
Ibec is Ireland’s largest lobby and business representative group. Our purpose is to help build a better, sustainable future by influencing, supporting and delivering for business success. With over 260 employees, Ibec engages with key stakeholders in Ireland and internationally through our six regional offices and our Brussels office, along with an extensive international network in the UK and US.
As part of this IBEC holds a number of events for its members throughout the country and their offices beyond our shores. Some of these include:
The KeepWell Mark is The Irish Business and Employers Confederation (or Ibec) workplace wellbeing accreditation, and to celebrate the efforts they’ve made to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees at work. Awards range from individual Best in Class Leadership, Nutrition, Physical Activity, Mental Health Awards to company-wide awards, Company of the Year Awards: SME, and Company of the Year Award: Large.
These awards celebrate the best of technology in Ireland and the role that technology can do in improving our lives. Sponsored by EY Ireland, the event takes place in November at the Mansion house. Last year Fidelity Ireland sponsored the Tech 4 Good Awards which featured awards such as products and services, community and sustainability which in 2022 were awarded to Gabado, Fujitsu Ireland and Foodprint by Nutritics respectively.
C. The Small Firms Association (SFA) Awards
Similarly, the SFA awards, which is part of IBEC, looks at firms that are under 50 employees. Their awards include categories such as Sustainability and Workplace Wellbeing.
On their website it states “There are 31 Local Enterprise offices (LEO) located in Ireland. Each available to provide support for small businesses Local Enterprise Offices provide a range of complementary supports to support people who want to start up or grow a business. The supports range from providing an initial “First Stop Shop” service where individuals can receive advice on the steps involved in setting up a business, to the provision of grants for feasibility studies, provision of financial support for the establishment of new businesses or expansion of existing ones and the provision of a range of soft supports such as training and mentoring.”
The Local Enterprise Awards are held in each of the 31 LEO’s around the country. Each location has a panel of experts that judge the businesses they support on a number of criteria, with the eventual winner being taken forward to the national award ceremony. There a further panel of judges judging the contestants on a further set of criteria unit an eventually winner in each category and an eventual winner is announced. It can often serve as a launching pad for many brands in the Diversity and Inclusion market.
At MII, we investigate, illuminate, and inspire to embolden the future of marketing. Our educational programmes from short courses to Master’s degrees and strategic partnership with TU Dublin help marketers develop their skills to make insightful and incisive decisions for their businesses and careers. Our events spark new ideas, start impactful conversations, and make connections between people that ignite ingenuity. Driven by performance and energised by ambition, we are at the centre of thinking for our industry.
Their events include Diversity Attitudes – “How inclusive are we? The DEI Census Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global industry’s performance across a wide range of metrics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It is a significant undertaking that explores various protected characteristics, including race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, gender identity or expression, family status, and disability. Furthermore, the report examines aspects such as positions, salary, and, most importantly, the lived experiences of individuals within the industry”
The Menopause Workplace Excellence Awards is a partnership between The Menopause Hub and Great Places to Work to highlight organisations that are creating supportive environments for women experiencing menopause. We want to recognise those employers that are putting in place support and reasonable accommodation for those impacted by menopause symptoms at work. Many are already implementing awareness, education and training for all colleagues, managers, supervisors, HR and Menopause Champions and have implemented a menopause policy. We want to encourage many more to follow suit.
Mother Tongue’s mission is “to empower bilingual children through creativity and the arts so they can grow up confident in their linguistic and cultural identity.” In 2018 Dr Francesca La Morgia founded Mother Tongues, the first social enterprise in Ireland to employ a creative arts-based approach to empowering parents and children to embrace their mother tongue. Since their inception they’ve work with 1250 parents and children, they’ve employed 237 migrant artists, has more than 100 parents, teachers & education professionals attend their course, and had more than almost 700 people attend their events.
In addition to being a finalist at the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2022, attended The Impact Programme – Social Entrepreneur Ireland was one of nine projects awarded the 2018 European Language Label Award selected as one of the most impactful and scalable innovations in education for the Hundreds of Spotlight on Parental Engagement in 2021 by Language Explorers.
Having held more than 160 events throughout the country, Mother Tongues are the experts in creating events for multilingual communities. These events range from free events in local libraries for children to community meet ups in local civic centres for adults to Diversity and Inclusion training for companies. Furthermore Mother Tongues also holds the Mother Tongues Festival every year which is the largest festival celebrating linguistic diversity through the arts in Ireland. “Its mission is to showcase the country’s rich artistic and cultural tapestry, and connect people through the power of language.”