Local business needs to look to the East

With export opportunities for Irish businesses to the Arab world growing year on year and with export gures reaching a new high last year, details of a leading business event for companies in Kilkenny looking beyond the EU to grow and expand their businesses have been announced.

e 2023 Arab-Irish Business Forum will feature speakers from the Arab states alongside business leaders from Ireland who are already doing business there. e event will take place in the Mansion House in Dublin on Wednesday,

September 13. Hundreds of delegates are expected to attend what has become one of the most important events in the calendar for small to medium sized businesses looking for new export or other international business opportunities.

Last year Ireland exported almost €3 billion worth of goods to the Arab states, an increase of 23% on 2021, and the conference will spotlight Irish businesses operating in or exporting to the region, with advice and insight on how businesses can get started or scale up. Hosted by journalist and broadcaster, Dearbhail McDonald, the conference will cover a wide range of sectors including food & drink, nancial services and ntech, travel and tourism and construction. It will also feature panel discussions with Irish SMEs on their experience of doing business with the Arab world along with keynote speeches from business leaders from a number of Arab countries. Details of the conference were announced on the back of the latest gures from Bord Bia, which highlighted 15% growth in food and drink exports to the Middle East for the rst three months of 2023 . For the rst quarter of 2023, more than €86.7million worth of Irish food and drinks products departed Ireland for countries across the Middle East. e event is being jointly organised by the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce, Bord Bia, Department of Foreign A airs, Enterprise Ireland and Emirates Airline.

* Tickets are available from www.arabirishbusinessforum.ie