A Look Ahead: What's On at the IPBN in 2023?

See what's coming this year from the network

The IPBN is very much looking forward to the year ahead and hopes our members find value in the effort we put into keeping us all connected. While some details are still being arranged, we are confident to announce what’s on for 2023 so that we can find the best way to highlight our members, make introductions, and facilitate trade. An increasing part of our work has been to help Irish companies move and hire in Portugal (and vice versa) and we will continue to work hard in facilitating these moves and expansions on our end whenever possible through person-to-person meetings and introductions to helpful institutions within the network.

At a glance, The IPBN will hold a total of four conferences, one in each of the IPBN’s regions: the Algarve, Lisbon, Porto, and Dublin: The conference season will kick off with the annual St. Patrick’s Day Sustainability Conference in Lisbon in March, The Tourism Conference in the Algarve in May, a Doing Business in Portugal Conference with a focus on Special Education in Dublin in September, and the Blue Ocean Conference in Porto in October. Monthly MMMs will be held across the IPBN’s regions throughout the year ahead. We very much hope to see as many members as we can at them all and encourage IPBN members to bring a colleague along with them to further diversify the network. 

Not long after the realization of the IPBN’s March Sustainability Conference, the network will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 31 in Lisbon where there will be a chance for us to hear from some of our members and re-elect our Board of Directors. We do hope all who are available can join us!

What's more, regular Master Classes featuring members of the IPBN who are experts in a variety of different fields will be presented throughout the year with an emphasis on practical application is also on the horizon. You can expect each master class to come with time built in for questions at the end, where attendees can speak directly to the instructor for further clarification or relevant information from their own background or case study.

In June, the IPBN is planning a visit to Cork with members to further expand our reach and establish key partnerships in the region. As a growing number of members have a strong foothold in Cork, we intend to use these connections to broaden our reach and pinpoint new avenues of trade and information sharing between Ireland and Portugal.

The IPBN is also organizing a Round Table discussion between our executive partners on a range of topics from sustainability to tourism but mainly focused on the trade links between Portugal and Ireland and how businesses can expand in both regions with the support of the network. 

Finally, the IPBN is arranging its podcast speakers according to the sectors of which the network is comprised, namely Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, Wellness and Mental Health, Tourism and Leisure, Food and Beverages (Agriculture), Technology and Startups, and IT and Telecoms. Additionally, the network will continue our conversations with leaders of industry series and welcome trade missions from Enterprise Ireland to Portugal as well as Irish ministers visiting Lisbon by confirming meetings with Portuguese counterparts both within and outside of the network itself. In so doing we hope to enrich the IPBN’s offerings and foster relationships beyond the current scope of the IPBN.

We hope to see all our existing members and potential members at these events and look forward to welcoming you! Keep your eyes on member resources such as the IPBN Job Board, the Weekly Roundup, and the latest news articles to stay abreast of member updates, successes, stories, and opportunities in the meantime. Stay connected with us and please don't hesitate to contact us with ideas for involvement in any of the above events, classes, and otherwise.