Pictured at the presentation in One Wimpole Street are (left to right), Liam Kavanagh, Managing Director, The Irish Times; Shane O’Neill, Chief Strategy Officer of Liberty Global; Fiona McLaughlin, Head of IDA in London and The Ambassador of Ireland, HE Bobby McDonagh;
The Irish Times registered another first for the newspaper when it hosted a special presentation on the subject “Ireland – Open for Business” in London on 19th April.
The presentation, held in the elegant headquarters of the Royal Society of Medicine at One Wimpole Street in the heart of the West End, was designed to send out a positive message that after two years of unrelenting negative headlines, it was time to remind people that the commercial life of the country continues and certain industries were prospering.
An audience representing all sections of the Irish community in London and guests from the City heard from Liam Kavanagh, the newspaper’s Managing Director and keynote speaker, Shane O’Neill, Chief Strategy Officer of Liberty Global Inc, the leading international cable and internet services provider.
In a wide ranging address Mr O ‘Neill highlighted the strengths of the Irish economy and provided examples of enterprises that were successfully developing their business despite the economic climate. He called for further incentives and consideration for entrepreneurs who wished to develop businesses in the country.
Mr O’Neill’s address was followed by a lively debate between the audience and a panel consisting of The Ambassador of Ireland, H E Mr Bobby McDonagh, Mr O’Neill and Mr Kavanagh, hosted by Mark Hennessy, London Editor of The Irish Times.
The newspaper intends to follow-up the event with further initiatives on the same theme later in the year.
Over the past three months, Mercedes-Benz has been hosting its exclusive EuroTraining 2011 programme at the superb Villaitana Resort on Spain’s Costa Blanca.
The prestigious German automaker chose the Costa Blanca (Benidorm-Alicante) so that 13.500 of its delegates from all over Europe could experience the upgraded C-Class, the new C-Class Coupé, SLK-Class and CLS-Class vehicles.
This is the first event of its type to be held in Benidorm where in the space of 24 hours delegates are trained up and obtain a thorough knowledge of the new and upgraded models. This training has been made possible by the infrastructure and location that the Villaitana resort offers.
All the resort’s conference rooms are being used for a variety of purposes from car exhibitions, accessory displays, conferences, training rooms, restaurants to gala halls and offices – a total of 22 interior spaces are currently occupied. In addition, on the resort grounds, there are 260 cars waiting to be assessed and tested by the Mercedes delegates.
As well as including theory classes, the comprehensive training programme allows delegates to test drive the new models on different roads throughout the Alicante region. The landscape as well as the climatic conditions makes Benidorm and surrounding areas the ideal place to hold an event of such magnitude. During the test drives, the delegates become acquainted with different towns in the Marina Baixa and three different routes have been prepared (Benidorm,Villajoyosa, Finestrat, Sella, Relleu, La Nucía, Polop, Altea, Callosa and Guadalest), thus promoting future tourism for the area.
The EuroTraining 2011 event is of great importance for Benidorm not only because it is taking place during a period of low tourism activity but also because the large number of delegates attending the training makes it an invaluable promotional opportunity for the city and region.
The organisation and delivery of the event has been undertaken by almost 340 people from Mercedes Benz and the staff at Villaitana resort who have worked to make this event an outstanding success.
This Monday and Tuesday, the international edition of The Irish Times will publish full details of the outcome of Ireland’s ground-breaking general election.
In Monday’s issue the newspaper’s Political Editor, Stephen Collins will lead comprehensive commentary and analysis of the election results. Together with his colleagues in the news and features departments, they will provide coverage of what kind of government will come to power when the Dáil reassembles. There will be introductions to the new faces in Leinster House as well as reaction from the political parties and key candidates to the way the country has voted.
Tuesday’s issue will contain a special supplement that will provide full constituency-by-constituency results.
The international edition of The Irish Times is available in over 6,000 retail outlets throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
The Irish Times is Ireland’s leading chronicler of daily news and its only independent newspaper.
Jim Kirby, Director of Sales UK & Ireland, Villaitana Resort
Spain’s prestigious Villaitana wellness, golf and business resort has appointed Jim Kirby as its first Director of Sales for the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Kirby is a very experienced travel industry executive having previously held senior management positions in the airline, tour operator and hotel sectors in this country, the United States of America, Canada and Ireland.
Villaitana, which opened in 2006, is a 30 minute drive from Alicante Airport. The resort was conceived as a Mediterranean village and consists of 25 buildings nestling on the slopes of a hill overlooking the Gran Bahia de Benidorm. Among the buildings are two hotels – one four star, the other five star, golf and family suites, an exceptional spa and a range of conference and meeting facilities with a capacity of up to 1,200 people.
There are six swimming pools including one with a beach area. These are complemented by a selection of restaurants and bars that feature the best of regional and international cuisine. The resort nestles at the heart of two Jack Nicklaus designed 18-hole golf courses.
“Britain and Ireland are important markets for our resort and we’re expanding our sales and marketing efforts in both countries,” said Silvia Samso, Villaitana’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “The appointment of a senior executive of Jim Kirby’s calibre and experience indicates our determination to significantly develop our business.”
This Thursday’s issue (27th January) of The Irish Times will include a special supplement about London’s Irish, the people working, living and making their mark on the city.
The newspaper’s London Editor, Mark Hennessy introduces the supplement which also includes articles on Irish businesses, Ireland’s role in making the London 2012 Olympic Games a reality and features on Irish people’s contribution to the arts, fashion and culture in the nation’s capital. Among the feature articles is one about London Irish rugby club and its role in serving the community for over 100 years.
The international edition of The Irish Times is available in over 6,000 retail outlets throughout this country including the capital.
The Irish Times is Ireland’s leading chronicler of daily news and its only independent newspaper. The editorial content and page layout of the international edition is completed in Dublin and transmitted to London for origination, printing and distribution.
