Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency, is delighted to announce an exciting and busy programme for the agency’s National Seafood Conference ‘Winning in a Changing Environment’ that will take place on the 29th June in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway.
This must attend industry conference will be officially opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and expertly moderated by Gavin Duffy of RTE’s Dragon’s Den.
Jim O’Toole, BIM’s Chief Executive outlines what delegates can expect from the conference; ‘This conference will challenge our diverse industry to consider the direction of their business and the overall sector in light of current challenges. We have engaged a broad range of experts and opinion leaders to deliver invaluable insights around our core priorities of Skills, Sustainability, Innovation and Competitiveness from an Irish and International perspective. We are looking forward to a productive conference that will allow us to strengthen our collective position as we continue to adapt to changing circumstances and look to secure the long term viability of Ireland’s €1 billion seafood industry’
The BIM Conference will start at 11.00am with a plenary session on Innovation. Delegates will hear how Norway is leading the way in seafood innovation from Øvyind Fylling-Jensen, Chief Executive of Norwegian research agency Nofima and from Aidan McHugh of Eaton Square who will demonstrate how seafood companies can make Innovation work for them.
Ireland’s Seafood Industry has made significant progress in the area of sustainability across all sectors in recent years. Gilles Doignon, Communications Officer with the European Commission (DG Mare) will demonstrate how communicating about sustainability through the ‘Farming in the EU’ campaign has transformed public attitudes across the EU. Andrew Mullins from Bord Bia will provide an update on how seafood is an integral part of the food portfolio in the Origin Green programme and how sustainability plans such as BIM’s Responsibly Sourced Standard are contributing to our progress in this space.
Dr. Joanne Fearon, Food and Nutritional Sciences in University College Cork will show how investing in targeted skills and education in the Agri-Food sector pays dividends with a focus on her extensive experience in this field including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Graduate Development Programme which has provided industry specific training and development to over 1,800 young researchers to date. To bring this into perspective, Olivia Slevin, who is assisting BIM, will present on the future changes planned to build the sector’s skills and training capability.
Barry Robinson from Deloitte will focus on how seafood companies can prepare and re-focus business plans faced with competitive challenges including Brexit. As the industry looks to the future, technology is a critical part of any business and will become increasingly important for our seafood industry as Ireland looks to stay ahead of its competitors. Digital Communications expert, Wayne Denner will reveal how key technologies will enable seafood companies to access new markets and increase market share.
Prior to the BIM Conference, there will be a Brexit Discussion on the potential implications for the Seafood Sector, hosted by the Minister. Further details on this event will be announced shortly.
To book your place at the Minister’s Pre Conference Brexit Session and the BIM ‘Winning in a Changing Environment’ conference, please visit BIM’s Ntional Seafood Conference 2017.
BIM’s National Seafood Conference is being held in association with SeaFest, an annual maritime festival that includes the Marine Industry Awards (29th June, Radisson Blu Hotel), Our Ocean Wealth business conference (Friday 30th June, NUI Galway) and a family festival to include the BIM/Bord Bia Seafood Experience on the 30th June – 2nd July at the docks in Galway. For more information, please visit www.seafest.ie
