NI Chamber Events

NI Chamber Events Gallery

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1. Alan Bridle (UK Economist at Bank of

Ireland) addresses attendees at a Business

Breakfast event for those working in finance. 2. Members of NI Chamber’s Infrastructure sub-committee met with Chris Skidmore

MP, as part of his review of net zero. 3. Nigel Walsh (Director of Commercial &

Corporate Banking at Ulster Bank for

Northern Ireland) addresses attendees at the Driving Digital with Ulster Bank event. 4. Stuart Sproule (Director at Cleaver Fulton

Rankin) provided Legal Workshop attendees with practical advice surrounding cost control considerations in relation to commercial contracts, employment law and contractual disputes. 5. Catherine Crilly (Business Support Manager at NI Chamber), Gary Pollock (Head of

Client Services at Platform Media), Conor

McGivern (Business Manager at Danske

Bank) and Clare Walsh (Managing Director at Kukoon Rugs) at a Grow with Danske

Bank event in September. 6. In September, NI Chamber and BT hosted an In Camera event with Permanent

Secretaries. Pictured are Neil Gibson (Department of Finance), Gillian McAuley (President at NI Chamber), Jayne Brady (Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service),

Paul Murnaghan (Regional Director for

BT Enterprise in NI), Katrina Godfrey (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs), Peter May (Department of Health), Ann McGregor (Chief Executive at NI Chamber) and Mike Brennan, (Department for the Economy). 7. At the latest Regional Networking event in

October, attendees had the opportunity to make new connections, meet like-minded business people, grow their sales pipeline and create new business opportunities.

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DELIVERING ON IMPROVEMENT

Linen Quarter BID, one of eight business improvement districts across Northern Ireland, provides enhanced management for a 25-hectare district south of Belfast City Hall. It was formed in February 2018 and will be launching a new five-year business plan in December 2022. Ahead of the launch we take the opportunity to catch up with LQ BID Managing Director Chris McCracken.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are a recent innovation for Northern Ireland. Can you tell us a bit more about them?

Yes, of course. A BID represents a defined district where organisations collectively invest in projects, services and events that will benefit the area. BIDs are notfor-profit companies, governed by statute, and can only be formed following a successful vote amongst eligible organisations. Over the last two decades 330 BIDs have been democratically elected in towns and cities across the UK and Ireland - a visible demonstration of their effectiveness.

Linen Quarter BID itself has been operating since 2018. What are the key benefits you have delivered?

LQ BID invested £2.8m to pioneer 30 projects across four different themes. We are working towards a safer, cleaner district with enhanced policing, additional CCTV, and a dedicated clean team. To promote the area, we have introduced district branding, bespoke events, and Street Ambassadors, and co-fund restaurant week and the city centre gift card.

As part of our public realm theme, we delivered a £500,000 programme in just two years. This included three parklets, planting, lighting, street art, and a 43m outdoor hospitality space at Brunswick Street. Finally, we have a growing focus on sustainability, organising the RE[act] Festival and helping local organisations sign up for green energy, sustainable waste management, employers cycling accreditation, and climate awareness training.

You are going to ballot for a second five-year mandate in January 2023. If you are elected what are your priorities for term two?

Our first priority is to extend our services to neglected areas of Belfast, especially southern Great Victoria Street and Dublin Rd. There has been widespread media concern about the state of these streets, and we aim to work alongside the City Council to invest a six-figure sum on refreshing the public realm.

Our second priority is to almost double our project delivery, investing £3.7m in more than 50 projects over the next five years. New innovations include air quality monitoring, the creation of a vibrant district fund, and a tourism project to better tell the stories of the area.

Our third priority is to further deepen the joint working relationship we enjoy with statutory partners. This is particularly important over the next five years, which could potentially see the roll out of £350m of public projects within the Quarter, including the Transport Hub, North-South Glider, Gasworks Bridge, cycling infrastructure, Streets Ahead V, and the Bolder Vision for Belfast. These are all projects that LQ BID can positively influence and help integrate into the district.

How can organisations find out more?

Linen Quarter BID are launching our new five-year business plan at James Street in early December. If you would like to attend, or if you just want to find out more about BIDs in general, then please e-mail me: chris@linenquarter.org