Over 100 Chartered Accountants and their guests will fly to Munich tomorrow (26th May) for their annual conference.
The ‘Engineering Success’ Conference in Munich, organised by Chartered Accountants Ulster Society and supported by Northern Bank will take place from 26th to 29th May and features business speakers from both Northern Ireland and Germany.
The Conference will offer an insight from senior speakers into Munich’s and Germany’s economic success. ‘Engineering Success’ will also highlight local Northern Ireland companies which have taken the step of doing business in Bavaria and will explore how the Accountancy profession can support local businesses in accessing increased trade opportunities on mainland Europe and Germany in particular.
A key part of the Conference is a link up with one of Bavaria’s most iconic brands and remarkable success stories, BMW, at the company’s global showpiece headquarters, BMW Welt.
Michael Black, Chairman of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, said: “We’ve chosen Munich because it is at the heart of Bavaria, one of Europe’s most economically successful regions, and we’re very grateful for the continued support of Northern Bank in making this Munich Conference possible.
“Germany is a key trading partner for Northern Ireland; in fact it is the number one destination in Europe for our goods and services. In the December 2010 survey published in by DETI, £216m worth of goods were exported to Germany in sectors including food, electronics, IT, renewables, manufacturing, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals.
“Local companies with access to export markets are well placed to face current economic challenges and grow as we move towards recovery. We need to work together to equip more of our local businesses to access global markets and learn how to build international success.
Ivan McMinn, Head of Corporate Acquisition at Northern Bank said, “The potential for expansion into new markets presents innovative growth and development opportunities for many companies in Northern Ireland. Both innovation and export are likely to be significant drivers of economic recovery locally.
“Alongside the vital role of accountants in supporting export, Northern Bank is particularly well placed to share its expertise, financial solutions and technology platform to make expansion into overseas markets straightforward and rewarding for local businesses.
“As part Danske Bank group, we are delighted that the Chief Analyst from Danske markets will address the conference this year. We are very pleased to work in partnership with our colleagues in the Ulster Society to support local businesses to meet their export ambitions.”
Key presentations during the four day Conference include those from Wolfgang Breyer, Head of International Advertising, BMW; Joerg Wiemer, Senior Vice President for SAP, Europe’s largest software company; John Hydeskov, Chief Analyst, Danske Markets; and Adrian O’Hare and Markus Rehkopp of Invest NI’s Northern Ireland Trade Development Centre in Düsseldorf.
Michael Black added: “The Conference also affords Ulster Society members the chance to meet in one of Europe’s most historic and culturally important cities. We’re also thrilled about the exclusive link-up with BMW at this Conference and look forward to a really eye-opening day at the company’s BMW Welt headquarters.”
Pictured before setting off to Munich, home of BMW’s global headquarters, are Michael Black, Chairman, Chartered Accountants Ulster Society and Ivan McMinn, Head of Corporate Acquisition at Northern Bank.
Ends
Reference: Garry Webb, Chartered Accountants Ulster Society,
phone 02890 435840/ 07841 152045
Note for Editors:
Chartered Accountants Ulster Society is a district society of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Ireland's largest and oldest professional body of accountants founded in 1888. The Society currently represents over 3,400 members in Northern Ireland.
www.charteredaccountants.ie/ulster