2014 newsletter August/September

GET INTO 2014 - NEWSLETTER Your guide to stories, news and business opportunities in the Highlands and Islands throughout 2014

2014

EVENTS

Jan - Dec 23 - 28 Sept

The Year of Homecoming Ryder Cup

August/September 2014

Issue 6

AUGUST EVENTS

1 – 31 23 24 27 28 28-30 29 - 30

Summer Arts Invergordon Highland Games Lord Tweedmouth Walk Marketing and Selling Skills Workshop Record Keeping Workshop Cowal Highland Gathering Ride the North

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

2–7 2 - 3

3 - 4 3 – 6 4 – 6 4 – 10 5 – 7 5 – 13 6 6 6 - 7 9 10 13 13 - 14 13 – 20 17 - 18 17 & 24

20 20 20 20 23 - 24

24 – 28

Nairn Book and Arts Festival Investment Readiness Workshop, Orkney and Shetland Financial Management Workshop, Shetland World Sheepdog Trials Skye Book Festival Orkney International Science Festival Highland Military Tattoo Blas Festival Kilts Up Ben Macdui Calling Me Back Home Culloden Homecoming Knights of the North Highland Way Duathalon 2 Day Business Start Up Workshop The Camanachd Cup Final Best of the West Festival Isle of Harris Mountain Festival Marketing and Branding Workshops, Isle of Skye Introduction to Developing your International Tourism Markets Living Food at Cawdor Castle Skye’s the Limit Invercharron Highland Games City of Elgin Food and Drink Festival Scottish Renewables Marine Conference, Exhibition and Dinner Findhorn Bay Arts Festival

CELEBRATING THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES CEREMONIES LIVE AT LOCAL CINEMAS The Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies were screened live for free across the country thanks to BBC Scotland and HIE. Taking place in 21 cinemas across various towns and cities including Thurso, Campbeltown and Kirkwall, the screenings brought communities together to enjoy the Commonwealth Games.

YOUR 2014 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES •

Procurement opportunities for Ryder Cup: look at www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk (Short lead opportunities will appear on both sites in the lead up to the games, so keep your eyes peeled for opportunities).

• Check out the VisitScotland website by clicking here – there is a host of information and a useful Homecoming toolkit to help your business make the most of 2014.

For further details on all of the above events please visit www.hie.co.uk/2014

Claire Simers from HIE said: “We wanted to get communities beyond the main Commonwealth Games involved and for them to experience this major event for themselves. By screening the opening and closing ceremonies at local cinemas, it’s just one of the events we hope will bring people together and instil a sense of pride in the Games and Scotland itself.”

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COMMONWEALTH SUCCESS FOR HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS ATHLETES Glasgow 2014 was a recordbreaking Commonwealth Games for Team Scotland with 53 medals in total and athletes from across the Highlands and Islands playing their part in the team’s medal success.

Three female athletes from Shetland competed at the Games - Erraid Davies, Andrea Strachan and Lynda Flaws (pictured). Erraid Davies, 13, Team Scotland’s youngest ever competitor won bronze in the 100m Breaststroke (SB9) and Lynda Flaws was part of the women’s table-tennis team which was the first to win a match at the Commonwealth Games.

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August/September 2014

Andrea Strachan, from Lerwick, reached the final of the 50m Breaststroke. She said: “Being part of Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games is definitely something I will never forget. The crowd at the pool was absolutely amazing and the noise they made definitely spurred me on for my race. Also the support I got from back home in Shetland was incredible.”

Stephanie Inglis, from Inverness, who secured a silver medal in the under-57kg Judo event at the Games said: “I am delighted to have won a silver medal at the

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

It has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to reach this stage and I am very happy that it paid off. I feel so lucky to have represented Judo Scotland and Team Scotland at the Games and to compete in front of such a large home support. To represent Inverness and Highlands was a very proud moment for me and after I competed I had so many people from the area congratulating me on social media sites. My next big goal is to try and qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio. This will mean more hard work, sacrifice and determination, but after my success in Glasgow, I want to push myself

Kevin A Jones Photography

more to see how far I can go.”

Jamie Bowie, also from Inverness, ran the fastest split in Team Scotland’s 4x400m relay in the final to achieve a national record and Mark Dry from Moray brought home a bronze medal in the hammer event.

Congratulations to all athletes from the Highlands and Islands who competed at the Games for Team Scotland.

SCOTLAND WELCOMES THE RYDER CUP After a very successful Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month, Scotland now looks to the next major event in the sporting calendar – The Ryder Cup. The most prestigious event in golf takes place at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire from 22nd to 28th September with competition days being held on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The event is expected to attract 45,000 spectators from 75 countries to watch teams from Europe and the USA compete in the biennial competition. The venue will welcome more than 250,000 visitors over the course of the week and coverage will reach more than Scotland Welcomes the World 2014

half a billion homes each day of the competition.

The event presents many opportunities to the tourism industry across the Highlands and Islands and gives businesses across the region the chance to showcase the very best of what they have to offer.

Highlands and Islands businesses are set to reap the benefits, with Great Glen Game, Hebridean Sea Salt and Gigha Halibut amongst the many suppliers from the region featured on the menus. http://www.hie.co.uk/regionalinformation/2014/ryder-cup-2014. html

www.hie.co.uk

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August/September 2014

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Henshelwood’s Fine Foods

TASTEBUDS ARE TANTALISED BY FOOD FROM ARGYLL AT GLASGOW 2014 Visitors from all over the world enjoyed tasting food and drink from Argyll and the Islands at the Commonwealth Games last month as producers from the region showcased their local cuisine to festival-goers. Food From Argyll, which is account managed by HIE,

served food from BBC at the Quay and Glasgow Green’s Scottish Food and Drink Village over the two-week period.

Competitors at the Games also got the chance to sample food

HIGHLANDS WELCOME THE WORLD The Highlands are getting ready to take centre stage during September and October with a two-month long programme celebrating the Year of Homecoming.

Highland Homecoming is set to be an unforgettable celebration of contemporary art, literature, sport and music, as well celebrating the region’s rich heritage and tradition.

Events include the World Sheepdog Trials (3 – 6 Sep), the Highland Military Tattoo (4 – 7 September), Blas Festival (5-13 Sep), and Baxter’s Loch Ness Marathon and Scotland Welcomes the World 2014

from the Argyll and Islands region.

Henshelwoods Fine Foods, based in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, followed up on their Olympics success by supplying their awardwinning jam and marmalade to the Commonwealth Games athletes’ village.

For more information on Food From Argyll please visit www.foodfromargyll.com

Festival of Running (28 Sep).

INVERNESS TO HOST SCOTLAND’S LARGEST MARINE ENERGY CONFERENCE

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said: “The line-up for Highland Homecoming is nothing short of spectacular. From ancestry to astronomy, mountain biking to marathons, ceilidhs to cabers, the Highlands will light up with the outstanding sights and sounds of Scotland during September and October.”

Scottish Renewables Marine Conference, Exhibition and Dinner will be held at Eden Court, Inverness on 23rd and 24th September. The event, in association with HIE, will showcase world-leading wave and tidal energy technologies and give delegates the opportunity to learn about the key issues facing the sector.

For more information on Highland Homecoming events visit www. homecomingscotland.com

The event has been chosen as a Scottish Cities Global Excellence

Conference as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy programme and is one of seven Global Excellence conferences taking place throughout Scotland. www.scottishrenewables.com/ events/sr-marine-conferenceexhibition-dinner-2014/

www.hie.co.uk

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CELEBRATE OUR REGION’S FANTASTIC FOOD AND DRINK Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, an annual celebration of Scotland’s fantastic produce, takes place between the 6th and 21st of September. Last year there were more than 320 events and this year looks set to be even bigger and better.

Elgin city centre will be taking part in the event by hosting its very own food and drink festival on Saturday 20th September. More than 80 exhibitors from the Highlands and Islands and beyond are expected and visitors can enjoy cooking demonstrations, children’s activities and a craft market.

Other Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight events taking place next month include Living Food Festival at Cawdor Castle, Dornoch Farmers’ Market, Hooray Haggis, and Cromarty Community Market.

You can find out more about Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight events in your area here:

www.scottishfoodanddrinkfortnight. co.uk/events/events-2014

DOING BUSINESS IN THE COMMONWEALTH A free workshop for businesses in the Highlands and Islands looking to start or increase international sales in Commonwealth countries, hosted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Development International, was held at Eden Court on July 30th .

Biomatrix, based in the Enterprise Park in Forres, the Loch Ness Brewery and The Maclean Electrical Group were among those who shared their experiences of doing business in key markets abroad with attendees. The event was a Highlands and Islands’ extension of the Scotland House programme of business events taking place in Glasow during the Games.

Scotland Welcomes the World 2014

Laura Robertson, development manager at HIE said: “There was a wide selection of delegates from various sectors who were keen to hear about the opportunities available in each market. Speakers came from overseas and locally to share their key learning and advice, and we hope the delegates take away some valuable insights.”

Looking to develop your export and trade skills? Sign up to Smart Exporter’s Preparing to Export Introductory workshop which will be held on 1st and 2nd October www. hie.co.uk/exporting

www.hie.co.uk