20
BUSINESS connect MAGAZINE
April/May 2022
Isle of Man
Can you do business with Business Connect Magazine have packed their bags and ventured across the Irish Sea to take a look at the Isle of Man business community. The Isle of Man chapter of the British and Irish Trading Alliance (BITA) are celebrating with a fantastic 3 day
event, inviting businesses from the UK and Ireland to network with Manx businesses and look for ongoing synergy and opportunities for trade at a series of showcase events. Manx business organisations have welcomed the opportunity to showcase the Island’s business community, with support from the Isle
of Man Government’s Department for Enterprise, the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce and the Isle of Man Business Network. In this feature we’re looking at the work these organisations are doing, and how we can better create opportunities for businesses on all sides of the Irish Sea.
Status The Isle of Man (also known as Mann) is a separate self-governing Island nation which is a British Crown Dependency with the British Queen as head of state. The Lieutenant Governor acts as the Queen’s representative and the UK is responsible for the Island’s military defence.
BITA Isle of Man Chapter The rain lashed the runway, propelled by a brisk force 5 wind causing the businessman leaving the plane to clutch his laptop bag to his chest and run for cover. Once inside the terminal building at the airport he is greeted by the usual array of notices held by taxi drivers with names of the arrivals printed on them. Having managed to source his own taxi driver, he is taken out of the airport past the palm trees and the strange sculpture of rather thin spindly legs that adorns the gardens and into the waiting taxi. Wishing to be friendly he asks the driver “Can you see Southampton from here?“ A true story, and for those readers who maybe do not quite understand the difference of the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man a quick resume.
The Isle of Man is situated equidistant from England, Ireland and Scotland in the middle of the Irish sea. Population of approximately 85 thousand people living on 572 square km with the largest sectors of GDP coming from insurance and e-gaming followed by ICT and banking as well as manufacturing, crypto currency, laser optics, industrial diamonds, electronics, plastics and aerospace, precision engineering, construction, retail, hospitality - the business world is as varied as the Island itself! Networking is important on the Island, and is easy to achieve. BITAIOM works with the Department for Enterprise, the Chamber of Commerce and the IOM Business Network.
Doors are opened to the professionals and businesses on the Island so that they can expand and not just take advantage of the opportunities that are available internationally, but also assist businesses from off Island to look at
the Island and its possibilities. Times change, and we all face the various problems arising from the pandemic as well as international economic changes, and now more than ever organisations such as BITA start to have a real role to play.
