The IPBN to Foster Connections in Dublin

Join us on Thursday, June 30 at Musicmaker in Dublin

Due to increased event and travel restrictions related to the pandemic, the Ireland Portugal Business Network (IPBN) was forced to suspend its normal activity in Ireland and Portugal and quickly adapted by moving to online activities where members could stay connected and well informed. And now, the IPBN is thrilled to announce our long-awaited first activity in Dublin in presence in two years. The IPBN’s Members meet Members event in Dublin on Thursday, June 30 will be hosted by the network in conjunction with Musicmaker, in central Dublin's Exchequer Street, thanks to IPBN member John Paul Prior, manager of the iconic music shop.

The network intends to harmonize relationships between its members based in Ireland by inviting those from Portugal along with several other local Irish business associations. Just as Oscar-winner Glen Hansard described Musicmaker as “A vital artery in the Dublin music scene” the IPBN will strive to deliver the same vitality to members’ business connections in order to broaden the network, and the individual successes of its members even further. The long-awaited event will be split into two parts. The first, entitled “Doing Business, Hiring, and Living in Portugal” will feature Pedro Henriques, CEO at Bridge IN will present Why Portugal is a good place to do business, Teresa Patricio, Senior Partner at Teresa Patricio Associates will offer a checklist when relocating, Aidan O’Shea, Founder and CEO at Otonomee will talk about their experience of working remotely and hiring in Portugal, and Rebecca Nixon, MD at Vendici Properties will introduce the real estate market. 

The second part of the event will be a networking event for attendees to meet, connect, and foster existing bonds in order to grow business relationships between Ireland and Portugal. In a recent interview with the IPBN, Bridge In’s Pedro Henriques said that Portugal is becoming a popular pick among VCs and expanding companies due to its booming startup scene, access to top talent, and the low cost of living, so it is well-posed to be a dynamo of a unified European startup ecosystem. He said, "Although the European startup ecosystem has less money available compared to North America, it is built on top of better fundamentals: like better data protection and sustainable goals in line with the work of the EU Council, for example. We have the talent on this continent, now the only thing we are lacking is the money and more success stories."   It’s the success stories themselves that the IPBN is chasing with this event and the network is determined to see it through by presenting the platform to cultivate relationships to that end.

Following her recent IPBN Master Class on Managing a Team In the New Hybrid Workplace, Otonomee co-founder Hillary O’Shea shared her expertise on becoming 100% "geographically friendly,” because, as she told the IPBN, “the word ‘remote’ insinuates that everyone is on their own, separated, alone, and not part of a team, and at Otonomee, the opposite is true, as each team works from home, but from a place of accountability simultaneously.” The company chose Portugal to hire talent, just as IPBN member company based in Ireland, Global Shares, did by opening a second office in Porto, and currently more and more Irish companies are doing the same.

Co-founder of Otonomee Aidan O’Shea will give further context to the company’s growth and share valuable insights that will make the process of hiring talent and working remotely more streamlined and less daunting. In an interview with the IPBN, Aidan said, “Smaller tech businesses find it hard to find and retain good candidates, so we offer that service to customers who are seeking access to those people in order for them to compete with the big global icons.”

The IPBN invites you to join us as we delve deeper into the subject, adding context to the seemingly daunting decision to expand by offering legal and relocation insights from experts Teresa Patricio and Rebecca Nixon respectively. Registration for the event is open here. Come join us!