Ulster Business - March 2013 by Ulster Business

ULSTER BUSINESS

MARCH 2013 Price £2.30 (23.75)

TAKING TOURISM TO THE EXTREME IS NO RETAIL BRAND SAFE? WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BUDGET

Inspiring

Innovation The Northern Ireland Science Park’s Frank Hewitt explains how it has become one of the UK’s top five science parks in just 10 years.

MARCH 2013

ISSN 1363-2507

9 771363 250005

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26/09/2012

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CONTENTS

What’s inside... 14

66 Volume 25 No.3

MARCH 2013

features 14 - Interview – Northern Ireland Science Park 20 - David Meade 24 - Dr Martin Naughton 32 - Profile – Velocity 46 - Matrix 48 - 2013 Viscount Awards 72 - Million Makers

ICT QUARTERLY 26 - Sophia Search 28 - Gartan Technology 30 - A&L Goodbody

60 50

RETAIL

38 - Online vs the High Street 42 - Henderson Group 44 - Osborne King

TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY 50 - Extreme Sports in NI 56 - John Simpson 60 - Tourism Roundtable sponsored by PwC

TAX & ACCOUNTING 66 - Budget Preview 70 - Close Asset Finance

REGULARS

6 - Dispatch 33 - Technology 34 - Neal Lucas Meets 75 - Motoring 82 - Appointments 84 - Photocall 90 - Lifestyles 92 - Business Traveller 94 - Sport & Health 98 - People In Business

MARCH 2013 3

Questions about managing staff? We have the answers At nibusinessinfo.co.uk you will find free up-to-date information and advice on employment contracts, flexible working rights, controlling absence, managing redundancy and annual leave entitlement.

visit nibusinessinfo.co.uk

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Not so Weird Science

s we approach another Budget day, hopes aren’t exactly high that the Chancellor has an ace up his sleeve that will radically alter the trajectory of the UK economy. The country’s much coveted triple A rating has been cut by one of the main rating agencies and most of the key indicators are still pointing to a sluggish recovery. So when looking at the sectors of our economy that could help stimulate growth, it would seem to make sense to focus on maintaining the UK’s reputation for excellence in technology and science – a reputation Northern Ireland has helped create. Until recent times there was a definite lack of understanding of just what investment in the science and technology sectors could do to transform the Northern Ireland economy. But as this month’s cover interviewee Frank Hewitt tells us, there is a growing realisation that the companies based at the Northern

Ireland Science Park are making a tangible contribution to achieving the goals set out in the Executive’s Economic Strategy. We are some way from a locally based company listing on the NASDAQ but an ambitious new generation of tech stars such as Sophia Search, interviewed in this issue, now see the growth needed to achieve such a listing as a realistic goal. The success of these innovative businesses is helping shift attitudes towards science and technology as a career of choice, but as the chair of the Matrix panel Bryan Keating writes in an article for us, we still have some way to go. Much has been made of Belfast’s historical significance as an innovative, entrepreneurial hub for technologically advanced industry. Our cover photo, taken in the Titanic Dry Dock, provides a neat link to that heritage. But if we ever want to reclaim a place at the top table of dynamic economic regions,

investment and energy must be directed towards those industries with the potential to compete in global markets. The Glen Dimplex founder Dr Martin Naughton said at a recent speaking engagement that his company can still manufacture in Northern Ireland and stay competitive because it invests in the research and development of new products that keep it ahead of the pack. Innovate or die, was one of Dr Naughton’s key pieces of advice that day. With George Osborne unlikely to be bringing us any good news, it is a message that the whole business community should take on board.

Editor: Symon Ross Manager: Sonia Armstrong Deputy Manager: Sylvie Brando Advertising Executive: Stuart Hackney Art Editor: Stuart Gray Production Manager: Catherine Mercer Cover Photography: Richard Trainor Publisher: James & Gladys Greer

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MARCH 2013 5

NEWS

Queen’s centre to support 400 jobs

Ulster campus gets planning approval

nvironment Minister Alex Attwood has recommended planning approval for the new University of Ulster campus in Belfast City Centre. The campus, known as the Greater Belfast Development (GBD), will be based in York Street and represents a £250m investment for the North and West of the City. When operational, the campus will have in the region of 11,290 full time equivalent students and around 1280 staff. The GBD is to include three new buildings at Frederick Street / York Street, Donegal Street and Great Patrick Street, a new foot bridge and minor works to the existing university building at York Street. Also included in the proposal are public realm improvements to York Lane. Alex Attwood said: “This has not been an easy decision – I appreciate that the nature, scale and character of the proposal has prompted concerns. I am also fully aware and sympathetic to the concerns and objections of the local residential communities. On balance however the scheme will contribute positively to the economic, social and cultural vitality of the north and west of the City whilst bringing much needed construction jobs.” The Minister added: “I realise there are still issues to be resolved around this proposal – not least the need for balanced development in terms of student and social housing in this area. Car parking and potential longer term environmental impacts also need to be addressed. However my officials, Belfast City Council and other agencies and departments are working closely together to resolve these issues.”

6 MARCH 2013

ueen’s University has appointed O’Hare & McGovern as the main contractor for its £32m Centre for Experimental Medicine (CEM). At the peak of construction the building of the Centre will support 400 jobs in the sector, including O’Hare & McGovern staff and other constructionrelated jobs, the university said. More than 110 new jobs will also be created for scientists and allied professions when the Centre opens in spring 2015. The new CEM is being built on Queen’s Institute of Health Sciences campus on Jubilee Road, Belfast, where a number of dedicated, high quality research centres focused on cancer, infectious disease, public health and population genetics are already based. The facility will provide accommodation for some 330 members of staff specialising in research into finding cures for eye disease and diabetes, and the development of a global programme to aid understanding of the genetics of complex chronic diseases. The work of the Centre is a focus of Queen’s ambitious £140m Beyond fundraising campaign which will provide funding to support research of global significance. Eamon O’Hare, Managing Director of O’Hare & McGovern, said: “The construction industry is currently a very difficult sector to be operating in. We are delighted to have been awarded this contract to continue our longstanding relationship with Queen’s. The new centre will offer world class facilities for the University with exceptional design, construction and engineering. This announcement will help to secure jobs and offers an impetus to the local construction industry.” Pictured are Cathal O’Hare from O’Hare & McGovern alongside Norma Sinte, Gary Jebb, Patrick Johnston and Sir Peter Gregson from Queen’s.

RUN TO THE HILLS: Almost 400 business leaders attended the Institute of Directors annual dinner at the Europa Hotel where guests heard from businessman and Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson. Joining Bruce was Chairman of IoD NI Mervyn McCall along with sponsors, Ian Sheppard from Bank of Ireland and Alan Taylor from Arthur Cox. In his speech, McCall said the Executive should create a £250m business fund for local companies.

NEWS

JUMP TO IT: Firstsource Solutions, which employs over 2000 people in Belfast and Derry, has announced it is sponsoring the singer-songwriter stage at the ‘Music City!’ festival in Derry~Londonderry on June 21.The day-long celebration will feature music of all genres on various stages across the city. Employees based at Claremont Centre and Northland Road, Derry will be involved with the City of Culture activities. As part of the Music City! event sponsorship, Firstsource will hold a competition in-house to find the company’s most talented musicians.The winners of the competition will have the opportunity to appear onstage at the Firstsource singer-songwriter stage at Music City! alongside well-known local musicians. Pictured announcing the company’s involvement in City of Culture are John (Tony Vegas) McBride, Stephen Harley, Shazz White, John Kelly, Kathryn Calvin from Culture Company, Seos Harkin and Nate McCartney.

MARCH 2013 7

NEWS

The BIG Numbers £1bn

The loss registered by Ulster Bank for the year to Dec 31. Losses across the island were up 6%, with operating profit dropping to £324m from £400m, although the bank said impaired losses from bad debts fell slightly to £1.36bn. average number of UK shops 20 The that closed every day over the last 12

months, according to figures from PwC and the Local Data Centre. Retailers selling computer games, health foods and cards made up a large percentage of the 7,337 closures. figures from the Office for 0.2% Revised National Statistics showed the UK

economy grew by more than previously thought in 2012, at 0.2%. It wasn’t enough to stop ratings agency Moody’s from downgrading the UK because of the “sluggish” economic outlook.

potential value of shale gas £80bn The deposits in Northern Ireland,

according to a report by PwC. The issue of fracking is a divisive one, particularly in the north west and Fermanagh where most of the reserves are believed to be located. Opponents said the report was sensationalist. value of an order by First £28m The Group for new buses placed

with Ballymena-based company Wrightbus. The order was for 179 of Wrightbus’s StreetLite range of lightweight buses. technology firm NYSE Euronext 300 US said it has hired its 300th employee

in Belfast and is well on the way to creating the 400 jobs promised when it received Invest NI funding in 2009.

of the offshore wind £50m Value terminal which Belfast Harbour

has handed over to DONG Energy and ScottishPower Renewables. The terminal is the first purpose-built offshore wind installation and pre-assembly harbour in the UK or Ireland and will create up to 300 jobs. For more on all these stories go to www.ulsterbusiness.com/news

8 MARCH 2013

Powerteam see surge in sales

orthern Ireland’s largest high voltage Alastair Dawson electrical design and build company, Powerteam, has announced that its turnover increased by £14m or 47% in 2012 after it won a number of contracts with blue chip energy firms. The company, which specialises in the construction and maintenance of electrical substations and overhead lines, revealed turnover of £44.5m for the year and said it had already secured new business worth £10m so far in 2013, including four new wind farm projects. A wholly owned subsidiary of ESB, Powerteam has offices in Perth, Basingstoke, Manchester, Omagh and Belfast. The company said that based on its order book for the next few years, turnover is projected to reach £75m by 2016. Alastair Dawson, Managing Director of Powerteam, said: “These figures reflect the business development effort made over the last 24 months and provide Powerteam with a strong foundation that we can further build on. “It is great to see that during 2012 we have added blue chip companies of the calibre of Scottish Power, Electricity Northwest, Northern Powergrid and EDF Energy Renewables to our existing client base that includes SSE and ESB. “Contracts awarded by these companies include Overhead Line work in Manchester for Electricity Northwest; five Substation projects in Yorkshire for Northern Powergrid; Overhead Line refurbishment work for Scottish Power; and the Fallago Rig Wind Farm project in the Scottish Borders for EDF Renewables.” NEW POSTING: The Postal Group has re-located from its former premises on the Newtownards Road, Belfast to a new warehousing and office complex on the Sydenham Road as the result of a letting negotiated by Osborne King. The new premises have been fully refurbished to accommodate the Group’s three separate companies, Mail Matters, Postal Sort and Regional Mail Services. Pictured at the new site are Chris Sweeney from Osborne King and John Hughes, CEO of The Postal Group.

NEWS

TAKING A PUNT: Halo, the Northern Ireland business angel network based at NI Science Park in Belfast, has announced it has raised £5m of investment funding for local companies.The news was confirmed by Alan Watts, Director of Halo (pictured), to an audience of 50 angel investors and eight ‘pitching’ companies at the first Halo meeting of the year at the home of Ulster Rugby at Ravenhill. “I am delighted to announce that Halo has raised a total of £5m inside four years to support exciting new and growing businesses,” said Alan. “Furthermore, we have good reason to believe that 2013 will be a record year for angel investment in Northern Ireland.This is a tough economic environment with angels pressed to look for new investible opportunities since the property crash. They also, genuinely, want the opportunity to talk to other investors, share ideas and support their local business community.” Halo has110 high net worth angel investor members.

MARCH 2013 9

NEWS

Businesses urged to be responsible

sda Northern Ireland is encouraging other businesses to reach out for the coveted title of NI Responsible Company of the Year 2013. As last year’s winner, Asda, which has been operating in Northern Ireland since 2005, has proven its credentials by a structured approach to its corporate responsibility. With 17 supermarkets here including a flagship store in Antrim and a non-food Asda Living in Belfast, the company is a major employer and has made a significant contribution to the Northern Ireland economy – investing over £100m in property and development as well as developing new business opportunities for the local agri-food sector whilst helping drive down costs for consumers. So how is Asda responsible? Firstly, it values every colleague. It has a ‘no jackets’ policy, everyone wears a name badge and deals on first name terms. At Christmas 2011, colleagues enjoyed a 20% discount, received a £20 Christmas gift card, £5 towards a Christmas party and a free festive meal. In 2011, over £1 million was invested in training 500 colleagues here. Over 170 requests for support from Asda’s Colleague Hardship Fund were received last year and the company donated over £120,000 to colleagues who had no other means of financial support available. Asda’s CEO Andy Clarke began his career on the shop-floor with just one ‘O’ level to his name. He recognises the opportunity that retail has brought him and is personally leading Asda’s initiative tackling youth unemployment called ‘Flying the Flag for Young People’. Every Asda store now partners with a local school to provide two weeks accredited work experience for 14-16 year olds and staff provide careers talks in local schools. Each store also has a Community Life Champion who engages with the community on issues which really matter to them, from promoting healthy eating in schools to supporting local charities; from fundraising to inviting them to make use of store space and meeting rooms at no charge. This year the stores came together to fundraise for the NI Hospice and raised an incredible £40,000 in just three months. Each member of Asda’s Executive team takes responsibility for getting involved and inspiring colleagues throughout the business. If your business has what it takes to be the 2013 NI Responsible Company of the Year, enter now at www.bitcni.org.uk/awards. The sponsors of the 2013 Northern Ireland Impact Awards at the launch of this year’s programme.

PLAIN SAILING: MLN’s hugely successful Management Month closed with an excellent Management & Leadership Conference at Titanic Belfast. Pictured at the event are the keynote speakers, Nigel Dunlop of Moy Park, Keith Grint of Warwick Business School, Kathleen Gormley of Hazelwood Integrated College, event organiser Bill Manson of Podiem/MLN, Dr Michelle McDowell MBE of BDP and David Meade, television mentalist and host for the day. Over 300 delegates from the Northern Ireland business community attended this year’s conference.

10 MARCH 2013

Export Outlook By Angela McGowan, Chief Economist, Danske Bank

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster is pictured in Dubai with Ulster Carpets sales representatives for the Middle East Ahmed Nour and Scott Hanna.

Northern Ireland firms have success in Dubai

ocal companies selling everything from carpets to organic salmon have announced sales to Dubai as part of a threeday Invest NI trade mission in the United Arab Emirates. Portadown-based Ulster Carpets has secured an order to provide carpet for a luxurious Sofitel hotel, which is under construction in the heart of new Downtown Dubai. The hotel is located close to the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa. Ulster Carpets has won a number of big orders in the Gulf Region after investing in new technology that means it now has the capability to weave up to 25 colours in a single carpet. Dungannon-based recycling machinery company Kiverco also said it had secured a £1m order in Dubai. Kiverco manufactures a wide range of equipment for use in the waste processing and recycling industries and is continually evolving its product offering to meet the changing environmental recycling measures across a range of export markets. Shoppers in the UAE will also now be able to put champ on the menu after Comber-based Mash Direct won its first business in the region. Mash Direct’s new business is with Spinneys, the Middle East’s premium supermarket chain. The order was secured after the company teamed up with Invest Northern Ireland to attend the SIAL food exhibition in Paris. The champ might go well with Glenarm Organic Salmon, which has also won its first business in the United Arab Emirates after participating in Gulfood, one of the world’s biggest food and hospitality events. Glenarm Organic Salmon, Northern Ireland’s only salmon farm, won the business in Dubai with a leading distribution company to supply major hotels and high-end restaurants following its participation last year on an Invest Northern Ireland mission to the Emirates for local seafood processors.

ith sterling’s recent fall from grace, local exporters must be pleased with the prospect of improved competitiveness in global markets. Growing Northern Ireland’s export base is a key economic goal for the Executive and despite last year’s strong pound, firms here still made good progress in this regard. According to DETI’s latest manufacturing exports survey, Northern Ireland exports rose by 9 per cent over the year from £4.8bn to £5.2bn in current prices (in real terms exports were up 8.1 per cent). The latest rise was largely driven by an increase in sales to the rest of the EU. Over the last year in Northern Ireland, large companies have been responsible for the majority of our exports (73.2 per cent). Medium-sized business are responsible for 16.4 per cent and despite that fact that small businesses dominate the local economic landscape, this group only contributes 10.4 per cent of our export sales. Small firms tend to be limited in terms of their capacity to do market research on foreign markets – so a combination of market information, combined with cultural differences and upfront financing, can all act as barriers to export. Nevertheless small and mediumsized businesses are increasingly breaking down these barriers with support from government agencies and a number of local initiatives such as the Danske Bank Export First Programme with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, all of which help to increase expertise in the export arena. Local SMEs are increasingly aware that they are missing out on the benefits that exports can deliver; the increased sales, the economies of scale in terms of production and the reduction in risk that comes from selling into a diversified portfolio of markets. And it is not just manufacturing firms that are eyeing up opportunities in foreign markets. The local construction sector has also raised its game when it comes to tendering for foreign contracts. Additionally, other sectors such as ICT, engineering services and computer-related services are all much more aware that global contracts provide revenue streams when demand in the home market is subdued.

To talk to us about how we might support your exporting ambitions, you can email me on angela.mcgowan@danskebank.co.uk or telephone 028 9004 5000

MARCH 2013 11

NEWS

Trevor Haslett

NI Water chief to stand down

he Chief Executive of NI Water, Trevor Haslett, has informed the Chairman and the Board of the company of his intention to step down from the post at the end of August this year. The Chairman of NI Water, Séan Hogan, said that he and the Board had accepted the decision “with regret” and wished to extend to him their thanks for his work in guiding the company in his time as CEO and prior to that his almost four decades of service with NI Water and its predecessors. “Trevor outlined to the board that his decision had been taken for mainly personal reasons but said he also felt the timing is right for the Company,” he said. “I am grateful that Trevor has indicated that he intends to make a full contribution in post until a suitable replacement CEO is found. That selection process had already commenced with the appointment of search consultants and it is likely that the post will be advertised early next month. “ Haslett stepped into the CEO role after the departure of predecessor Laurence McKenzie amid stinging criticism of his handling of supply problems caused by the big freeze in winter 2010/11. He said of his decision: “When I took over as Acting CEO and was then appointed on a fixed term contract, I set a number of priorities which I believe have been achieved with the help and hard work of all of the staff in NI Water. Their support has been overwhelming and humbling. I knew I had made the right decision from the first day I took up office. We have come a long way, but alas, I have to get off at the next stop and let that journey continue.”

12 MARCH 2013

Embrace technology, says CME chief

usiness leaders must be open to new ideas and create a culture of innovation in their organisations if they are to capitalise on the increasing convergence of science and technology. That was the advice given by CME Group’s executive director in Belfast, Mark Bennett, speaking at the recent TechXplore expo at Queen’s University’s Riddell Hall. Bennett, a self-confessed technology junkie, outlined a number of key areas in which he believes technology will make a huge impact in coming years, from nano technology and bio engineering, to augmented and virtual reality and the increasing impact of social media on everything from news to crowd-funding. He advised companies to be open to new ideas, which he acknowledged is difficult when your organisation is successful and doing what you’ve always done seems to be working. Part of doing that is building multidisciplinary teams with skills in several different areas, he said. Creating a culture of innovation by making a real investment in R&D also has TechXplore organisers Carl Whyte of MW Advocate, a cost because it diverts resources away Ann McGregor from the NI Chamber of Commerce from core business. and Mark Bennett, Executive Director of CME Group. For experts in their field he also advocated “staying informed and keeping lean” – for example by looking at ideas from parallel industries and even unrelated sectors. The half day event heard from a total of 12 speakers including Vincent Breslin of siansplan.com, Lisa Clancy, the GAA’s head of communications, and Jim Gamble, CEO of INEQE.

EYE ON THE GOLD CHAIN: The Publicity Association of Northern Ireland (PANI) appointed Cathy Martin of CMPR as its new chair its annual AGM event held at Ten Square. Cathy is pictured with Stephen Roycroft of Ardmore Advertising,Tony Axon of Navigator Blue and Gary Wells. For more information go to www.panionline.com

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25/02/2013 14:25

BUILDING A

BETTER FUTURE

The Northern Ireland Science Park has achieved huge success in its first ten years and plans are underway for further expansion that will help it further develop an ecosystem which matures the next generation of science and technology entrepreneurs, according to chairman Frank Hewitt.

little over a decade ago all that stood on the site now occupied by the Northern Ireland Science Park was the almost derelict Titanic Pump House and the ship’s former dry dock, half filled with murky water. Ten years on, the site is the hub of Belfast’s technology community, a modern high tech centre for innovation that houses everyone from bright start-up companies to globally recognised multinational players. The positioning of the focal point for a sector that’s expected to be key to Northern Ireland’s economic future on a site synonymous with the city’s rich heritage as a powerhouse of the shipping, rope-making and linen industries is no accident. NISP chairman Frank Hewitt says having a (now restored) reminder of what Belfast achieved in the past should provide inspiration for the Science Park’s tenant companies as they seek to translate their engineering, science and innovation potential into commercial success. “We have proven that Northern Ireland companies can go international – sometimes it is by acquisition, sometimes by organic growth, but Northern Ireland companies have that ability. What we’re trying to do here is accelerate the process,” he said. It is clearly working. NISP was recently named one of the top five science parks in the UK by industry body UKSPA, outperforming its peer group of 78 parks across England, Wales and Scotland on a range of benchmarks. Research showed that with 115 tenants and a 1,900 strong commercial community across its seven buildings, NISP contributes £80m in wages to the economy, has facilitated £10m of risk capital, mobilised 1,000 business volunteers and 110 Business Angels to help 800 new starts, and showcased to 100 plus school visits and 60,000 visitors per annum. “We take great pride in the achievement,” says Frank Hewitt. “What has happened on this site within ten years is pretty phenomenal. We started off with a derelict site and one small building and now we have over a quarter of a million square feet of fully occupied accommodation.

“It has become a bit of a magnet for graduate talent. There are now 2,000 jobs on this park and the vast majority of those people have a degree or masters. You’ve also got to factor in that there are maybe 1,000 people here who would have been working outside of Northern Ireland in the past because there weren’t these kinds of jobs,” he adds. Scaling up the physical footprint of NISP, Hewitt says there’s potential for ‘two or three times’ the economic contribution from Science Park jobs, which on average carry a salary double that of the median annual wage for Northern Ireland of £17,000 to £18,000. And that doesn’t take into account the stimulus provided by Science Park companies’ own innovations. Software, telecoms, financial engineering, digital media, health/bio, gaming, clean tech, aeronautical and business services are all represented at NISP. New arrivals include Kana, Novosco, Dot Retailer, Dell and Automated Intelligence, while IBM recently doubled its space and moved its acquisition Q1 Labs into the park. “Part of the challenge we face in communications terms is actually explaining to people that a Science Park isn’t a business park where they do a bit of science. It is actually an ecosystem where science based companies, whether they are large multinationals or start-up companies, can get together, share creativity and learn from one another,” says Hewitt. NISP provides a “soft landing” for FDI companies, such as current tenant Dow Chemical, by allowing them to start with a small presence, to rent not buy office space, and taking care of practical issues such as utilities. Though Hewitt stresses that NISP is not a property company, he says it is crucial it has high quality office space that appeals to science and technology companies – ranging from a start-up entrepreneur renting a desk to a single company requiring a whole building on a 15 year lease. NISP has just completed its 55,000 sq ft Concourse 2 building and has all the statutory approvals in place for Concourse 3, which its

senior team are starting to market. “This is not cheap property, we are at the top end of the rent spectrum. But people are prepared to pay that premium for buildings that suit science based companies,” he adds. “We have to be able to give companies space or we lose them out of the ecosystem. The challenge always for us is that we have to have the next building on the stocks because tenants want to grow. We’ve got to keep that momentum going.” NISP’s next goal is the North West Regional Science Park in Derry-Londonderry. Pilings have been sunk for the foundations of the £12m project, which includes the construction of a 50,000 sq ft science park facility at Fort George and a 20,000 sq ft extension to the Co-Lab facility at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, with potential added value of £4m and 285 jobs to the local economy. “The NorthWest is going to be a very important part of what we do in future. It is unique in that it is a cross-border collaboration between ourselves and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology, so there will be an interesting learning dimension,” said Hewitt. NISP also hopes to replicate the successful joined up strategy and university links that have helped make the Belfast site a major success. “You have to concede that if it hadn’t been for the far-sightedness of government ten years ago NISP would never have got off the ground. We now have a unique blend here of government, private sector participation and the universities.” A MATTER OF TRUST Government money was used to establish NISP and while its buildings generate rental income, core programmes Halo and CONNECT still rely on DETI funding. NISP CONNECT is the programme which aims to foster entrepreneurship and organises the successful 25k Award, the VC Forum, Frameworks, the Knowledge Economy Index report, Enterprise Forum, Generation Innovation and the US-NI Mentorship Programme. Halo’s role is to match companies with >>>

COVER STORY RICH HERITAGE: Frank Hewitt is pictured at the restored gate of the Titanic Dry Dock in the Northern Ireland Science Park.

MARCH 2013 15

COVER STORY

“Certainly with the organic growth of the Science Park itself, there is no reason it can’t be self-funding within the next five or six years.” growth potential to high net worth individuals – angels – who may wish to invest in them. It has recorded £5m of investment since 2009. NISP’s board – largely made up of people with extensive private sector experience – want these programmes to be self-funding and to that end have established a charitable Trust which will help support science, technology, engineering and mathematics in education and business. “The whole idea of the Trust was to go forward on the basis of economic philanthropy – going to successful businesses and business people and asking them for their support to develop a trust fund that would generate enough money itself to keep the CONNECT model going,” explains Hewitt. “I would like to think that CONNECT will be funding itself within the next five years. Halo, we are already working to make it selfsufficient by asking the business angels to make a contribution,” he added. “Assuming we don’t lose any major tenants the revenue that we’re generating from rent is already very stable and increasing. Of course if

16 MARCH 2013

Government were to ask us to do something new or different we might well need some support. But certainly with the organic growth of the Science Park itself, there is no reason it can’t all be self-funding within the next five or six years.” The recent visit of HRH Prince Andrew has helped raise awareness of the Trust’s objectives. His Royal Highness’s visit to the Science Park was part of his focus on promoting institutions at the forefront of maintaining the UK’s reputation for excellence in technology and science. “One of the criticisms that was levelled at us was that we don’t shout loud enough,” adds Hewitt. “There are always going to be people who won’t have heard of NISP and won’t be interested in it. But there is a range of influencers here that have to understand what we do. Most of the Executive Ministers have been here – they are starting to see the relevance of what we’re doing here for the Programme for Government.” Recognition of the pivotal role NISP plays in the economy has also extended to the business

community, where there has been a lot of interest from people with big reputations in becoming mentors or board members. Hewitt, also a board member of Invest NI, notes that ten companies in Northern Ireland account for 50% of exports, illustrating the pressing need to help our SMEs develop products and innovative processes which will help them break into export markets. “We have a network at the Science Park that helps young companies meet the kind of people they need to meet to develop their business. We have 1,000 business people who give their time to help young companies develop their business. That is an incredible resource,” he said. Hewitt believes that NISP also has a big part to play in the process of changing the cultural mind-set of people in Northern Ireland towards science as a career. “The challenge for all of Northern Ireland is to change the mindset away from the really bright kids going into law, medicine and the civil service. I think the contribution we can make to that is in demonstrating there are great jobs in science-based companies,” he said. “Schools are bringing people down here from an early age to be introduced to technology. We’re saying to them, this is what Northern Ireland’s history is about, but this is what the new technology offers. Engineering no longer means overalls and dirt under your finger nails. It is now a much more attractive career option for kids, as are the other sciences,” he adds. “The whole question of inspiring young people is both in showing them the career options and also showing them there’s hope.”

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04/02/2013 17:34

BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY

“every decision that we make involves a certain amount of mental effort, and those that involve spending money arguably require even more effort.” 20 MARCH 2013

BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY

Is less really more? Whether buying a new laptop for the company, selecting a conference venue, or picking an appetizer in a restaurant, nothing beats having a wide variety of options. The more the better, some say – but is that popular wisdom ill-informed? In this article David Meade explores how research is fast proving that the opposite is true, and that by reducing your product offering you could increase sales by 600%.

rregardless of the sector or industry, almost every new venture manages to fall into the same trap. A watertight business idea is conceived, a sizable target market identified, and a striking brand designed and rolled out. The organisation is up and running, and it needs to develop a stable revenue stream fast to maintain cash flow. For the most part, organisations seek to sell as much product as they can to as many clients as possible while not compromising quality or service along the way. To this end, product ranges grow organically to try to appeal to as many customers as possible. More products, more choice, more sales… right? Few things are more damaging for an organisation than an over stocked warehouse. Low stock turnover increases the likelihood of damaged merchandise, inventory obsolescence, and unnecessarily high storage costs. Not to mention, of course, that capital tied up in a in a vast array of stock items can cripple any enterprise’s ability to operate with agility. So is it a good idea to try and satisfy everyone by having a product for every punter? Is it possible to please all of the people all of the time? The answer might surprise you, as research shows that having fewer concentrated options for your customers can dramatically increase your sales. A LESSON IN LESS A professional researcher set up a free sample stand in a high end supermarket in Columbia, USA. A store renowned for a wide range of scarce and expensive delicacies, it proved the perfect testing ground for a study in choice, carried out over two Saturdays. Customers were dealt with in exactly the same manner on both occasions. They were greeted as they roamed around the store, offered a sample, and if they enjoyed it they could take it – or one of the others on offer – to the till to purchase. One Saturday, 24 varieties of jam were offered to try and buy at the sample kiosk, and on the other Saturday the stock on display was reduced considerably, by 75% in fact, and shoppers could choose from just six. One display was rich, varied, and bountiful. The other was contrasting in it’s sparseness of choice. Two key questions present themselves: first, which kiosk attracted more footfall and interest; second, and more importantly, which sample stand sold more product? You’d be forgiven for expecting a marginal difference in sales, but the results were an

astonishing landslide that offer insight for every business. When the researcher (posing as a promotional representative) offered 24 jams for sample and sale, 60% of the busy shoppers opted to try out the preserves, but only 3% of those converted to a sale. While certainly not impressive by themselves, the conversion rate will at least be familiar to those who have employed in store sampling as a sales mechanism. On the second occasion only six jams were offered to customers. On this occasion, markedly less browsing shoppers chose to stop and sample the produce – only 40% of the shoppers chose to try out the preserves. The conversion rate, though, is far more interesting. When dramatically fewer products were offered, nearly 30% of shoppers stumped up the cash to buy. JAM DODGERS So why were shoppers shying away from the wide choice on offer? The truth is there’s a huge amount to learn from these findings, even beyond the lesson on conversion rates. Having a wide range of products to choose from made for an eye-catching display that garnered attention and whet the punters appetites. The bountiful display attracted more foot traffic and created more customer engagement. The much smaller display sold more. Dramatically more – almost six times as much product in fact. That’s a staggering 600% increase in sales from the same product line, by offering far less to choose from. And all with a lower investment in stock, lower amount of capital tied up in inventory, and even a lighter load for the sales team. WHY LESS IS MORE Every decision that we make involves a certain amount of mental effort, and those that involve spending money arguably require even more effort. Few of these decisions are simple; prices vary, specifications are unequal, and everything from availability, size, postage, warranty, and build quality factor into the process. For the poor purchaser, the senses are bombarded and suddenly picking a new printer for the office becomes the hardest job in the world. Every time your clients buy from you, they need to gather and process the information on each option, evaluate if it will meet their need, then survey your competitors. Then and only then can they begin to make a buying decision. If your

product list is extensive, the process becomes even more cumbersome as the client needs to repeat these steps ad infinitum as often as more options occur. In short, one of two things will happen. Either the buying process with you becomes so cumbersome that the customer sees it as a joyless dredge for information, or worse still they become bored or frustrated and take their business elsewhere. In either case, you’ve likely lost a customer. Social psychologists call it ‘choice overload’. When a person is faced with an overwhelming amount of options, they are much more likely to avoid the cumbersome process of making a decision and instead go elsewhere. This was evident in the earlier jam experiment: when 24 options were on the table, 97% of people chose none, whereas when there were six available, 30% bought at least one. IN SUMMARY You shouldn’t, of course, go out and cull your 400 page brochures down to a mere pamphlet. Instead, take a look through your sales and examine your five lowest performing lines and ask yourself if the costs associated with carrying these items are worth the yield and margin that they create for you and your business. The lesson in the research is clear – consumers will buy more from you and your team when they’re presented with a shorter simpler value proposition.

About David David is a researcher and lecturer in international

business with one of Irelands leading Universities, whose personal interests have always focused on aspects of popular psychology, consumer behaviour, and choice. He’s driven by a passion for understanding how and why we think the way we do. David has become a sought after international speaker and corporate advisor in the USA and Europe with a reputation for an innovative style that forces audiences to think critically about the challenges around them. In this series of articles for Ulster Business, he’ll cultivate a wide range of cutting edge research in management and leadership to help you achieve peak performance. Find out more about David’s work on www. davidmeade.co.uk and follow him on twitter @ davidmeadelive

MARCH 2013 21

Prices go down... ...standards stay up T

here’s a common misconception nowadays that energy prices just keep going up and up. But what are consumers to believe when all we ever seem to see are ‘price hike’ headlines every other week? However there is one particular area that currently bucks the trend and that’s electricity prices for small businesses. Take Northern Ireland’s leading energy supplier for example. Power NI cut its prices by 14.1% for small businesses last October and its Popular Tariff Alan Egner, Commercial Sales and Marketing Manager, Power NI

unit rate is the same today as it was in 2009; which allowing for inflation, means a reduction in real terms. Now more than ever, it pays to choose a supplier you can trust, that offers you ‘real’ value, understands your needs and tailors its packages to suit your business. That’s why around 30,000 businesses here make Power NI their number one choice. Alan Egner, Commercial Sales and Marketing Manager at Power NI said: “We know that

straight talking, great service and big savings are what any business wants in an energy supplier. The majority of our business customers are SMEs, with hundreds more switching back, so I am delighted that we can offer all of our small businesses 14.1% cheaper prices than before. “We also have over 1,000 larger customers and over the past year we have experienced huge growth in this sector, offering discounted, tailor-made packages including renewable ‘green’ energy options, cash back and loyalty discounts. “Our tailored contracts have helped us secure a series of major contract wins recently in the larger user sector, including the Department of Finance and Personnel, Park Inn, Niche Drinks, Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Premier Inn. “When we talk of great service, it’s not an empty promise. We’re talking about the 83% satisfaction level of our customers and recent Consumer Council NI research that showed Power NI has by far the lowest level of complaints compared to any other supplier here.” Straight talking, great service and big savings come as standard with Power NI. Add even more value to your business with their innovative products like Energy Online, Power NI’s paperless billing service for direct debit customers. Businesses can manage their account 24/7, view bills and payments online, monitor usage and much more. Power NI also works closely with industry experts to provide specially tailored, energy saving products to suit most businesses including renewable technologies like solar PV as well as lighting and insulation. Interest in energy saving is at an all-time high and it’s just another area Power NI has covered for its customers. Alan concludes: “Real value, a high quality, local service and 0% empty promises. If you’re not getting this then you’re with the wrong supplier. We have been doing business in Northern Ireland for over 80 years and are confident in saying that no other supplier understands your business needs as much as we do.” To give your business our energy, visit www.powerni.co.uk/business

22 MARCH 2013

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22/02/2013 11:11

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Stay nervous, says Dimplex founder Founder of Glen Dimplex Dr Martin Naughton gave this year’s FPM Annual Leadership Talk at the University of Ulster as part of MLN’s Management Month. Symon Ross caught up with him after the event.

ntrepreneurs need to “always be nervous” and should “steal a little bit” of knowledge and expertise from everyone they meet if they are to be successful. Those were two pieces of advice given in a recent lecture by Dr Martin Naughton, founder and president of Ireland’s largest privately owned manufacturing business, Glen Dimplex. The entrepreneur normally shuns the limelight so it was no surprise to find more than 200 leading business figures crowded in to the University of Ulster’s York Street campus to hear him interviewed by broadcaster Gerry Kelly. Dr Naughton quipped that he prefers to keep a low profile because “in business an unknown enemy is hard to defeat”. A mechanical engineer by training he founded his appliance manufacturing business Glen Electric with ten employees in Newry in 1973 at the height of the Troubles. The business succeeded where others failed by focusing on doing a small number of products well. In 1977 he bought Dimplex – an Irish company eight times larger than Glen Electric were at that time – out of receivership and took ownership of its brands. He continues as President of the Group, which now has a worldwide turnover in excess of €1.5bn, over 10,000 employees and 22 manufacturing plants worldwide. Naughton said times of economic difficulty had traditionally been good for Dimplex, allowing it to buy up competitors which were living off their brands but not investing in new product design and development. After taking out those competitors Glen now has 95% of the UK heating business. He advised other entrepreneurs to see recession as a time of opportunity, at the same time warning that starting your own business is “not for everybody” and that you “pay a price for everything in life”. “Sitting around complaining and moaning and groaning gets nobody anywhere. Building a business is about having a positive attitude, it is about rolling up your sleeves and getting on with it,” he told Ulster Business. “I think the key is investing in new products. Also, don’t run before you can walk – conquer your own market first, focus on controlling

24 MARCH 2013

Dr Martin Naughton

that, and then move to the next easiest market for you. For most in Northern Ireland that means they should look to the South and then start looking across the water. But don’t try to do everything at once, to conquer Europe and America at once, concentrate on doing them one by one.” Dr Naughton’s said his own company is “structured for depression” following the global downturn and subsequent drop in consumer demand, with no borrowings for 15 years and large cash reserves in the bank. But he also said his senior managers are more positive now than they have been at any time in the last five years. In 2003 Dimplex went into China, a country Naughton described as representing “both a great threat and a great opportunity” to the company. The threat comes from cheap competitors and the opportunity the vast number of increasingly wealthy Chinese consumers who aspire to owning Western brands. While Glen is manufacturing in China, its founder confirmed it has no plans to move its operations in Newry and Portadown. “By constantly manufacturing new products

we are able to manufacture in the Western world and stay competitive,” he said. “We’re here because it is right to be here. We’re an offshore island off an offshore island, therefore we have to compensate for that. We would be very positive about our future here. It is possible to compete and either you compete or you die,” he added. Dr Naughton believes there has been a sea change in the quality of management in Ireland, both north and south. “I’m so impressed by the calibre of people I see in management that we have here and I’d have a lot of confidence for the future because of the quality of those people,” he said. “I think the people now who are going into business are much more educated than my generation, they are much more self-confident, much better travelled,” he added. “Some of our Northern Ireland executives who started with us as engineers, are now running global companies for us and have the capacity to do it. That’s not because of sentimentality, that’s because they are the best, most competent people.”

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Sophia

has its eyes on

the stars As his company announced the completion of a $3.7m funding round, Sophia Search CEO Dave Patterson told Symon Ross that the software firm, which has offices in Belfast and Silicon Valley, has big ambitions in the big data market.

echnology company Sophia Search, a spinout from the University of Ulster, has confirmed its growing reputation by closing a $3.7m series A funding round. The investment has been seen as an endorsement of the company’s technology and strategy as it was led by Atlantic Bridge, a growth equity fund focused on technology investments with offices in Dublin, London and Silicon Valley CEO Dave Patterson said the funds will be used to increase Sophia’s marketing and sales efforts in North America, grow its executive team and accelerate product roll-out. “I’m delighted they have made an investment because they are such a good match for us. They have one foot in Dublin and one in Silicon Valley. Although we are very much a Northern Ireland company and always will be, from a technology perspective we feel a very close affiliation to a lot of the tech start-ups in Silicon Valley. That’s why I spend a lot of my time out there, that’s why we’re building our sales and marketing team out there and it’s great to have a VC that understands the challenges that early stage companies have in developing new products and rolling them out,” he said.

26 MARCH 2013

Established in 2007, Sophia is an innovator in what’s known as “semantic content analysis” – a growth area in the age of big data. Target customers are companies with large amounts of unstructured data from which they wish to extract meaning and value to enable better decision making. Customers using its solutions already include some of the world’s largest advertising and publishing houses, which are looking for smart technologies to help them in their fight against Amazon and its ilk. Sophia claims advertisers can achieve up to three times higher click through rates by providing more relevant ad content without using cookies. Publishers’ sales can be increased

by intelligently recommending titles through an understanding of readers’ interests while maintaining anonymity, it says. “Now that we’ve got this funding we can start going to the world and telling them what we’ve got, what great products we have and go to market with great customer stories,” said Patterson. “Our core technology is incredibly strong. We offer advantages because a lot of our competitors in this space need to build domain models in order to do the analytics on the content. Our technology does away with the need for that. The time it takes to build those domain models is immense and costly to maintain over time. Our technology is

“We’re looking to grow SOPHIA INto a $100m company. This is not a lifestyle company, this is a business that has the potential to be massive.”

ICT QUARTERLY

intelligent enough not to have to rely on those models.” According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the global analytics market will continue to grow at a 9.8% compound annual growth rate through to 2016 to reach $50.7bn. Patterson says Sophia is well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity with a solution that eliminates the manual work and high cost that current analytic solutions require. The backing from Atlantic Bridge and Sophia chairman Chris Horn, one of Ireland’s most respected tech entrepreneurs, suggests others believe it too. Though it’s now based in San Jose, California, Sophia has retained its development centre in Belfast, and the CEO says it has a big role to play in future. “We believe the US market is more open to new technologies and the adoption of new technologies than we would traditionally be in Ireland and the UK. It is a brave decision and it goes against the common approach of companies in Ireland who generally say let’s build our business at home and then after a few years go abroad. We felt it was the right move for us early on to set up over there and I’m delighted we took that decision. High risk as it was it is really paying off for us,” said Patterson. “But our product engineering team is here in Belfast and that is not going to change. We’ve got a core team of engineers here which we’re going to actively double that in the next 12 months. We’re looking for people who are top quality engineers here in Northern Ireland who can get excited by our vision and the opportunity. At the moment we have six here in Belfast and I think we’ll try to get up to 15 or more in the next 12 months. We don’t just want people who are good programmers we want people who can get passionate about what we do. We want them to buy into our mindset. We offer a very different view on what it is to be a software engineer. If you want something that’s going to excite you, you need to come work for us.” And unlike some tech start-ups from Northern Ireland Patterson isn’t afraid to dream big. He is confident that the IP the company has is not easy to replicate, giving Sophia a lead on the market which will be hard for competitors to catch up on. “We’re looking to grow this company to be a $100m company. We have our eyes firmly set on the stars here. With the team we’ve got in, Chris Horn and Atlantic Bridge backing the company, they are not going to invest in a company they don’t think can do that. This is not a lifestyle company, this is a business that has the potential to really be massive.”

John Souter, Chief Executive, LINX (left) and Andrew Maybin, Managing Director, TIBUS.

Exchange students P

lans for a new Northern Ireland-wide ‘internet exchange’ in which broadband companies directly connect or link their networks to reduce costs and improve service, have been discussed in Belfast. The first meeting to discuss the concept of a local exchange and the idea of ‘peering’ networks was chaired by LINX (London Internet Exchange), the world’s largest internet exchange point (IXP) and facilitated by Tibus, the digital infrastructure company owned by UTV Media, with input from the Irish Neutral Exchange. LINX, a co-operative organisation, recently set up its first regional internet exchange in Manchester and wants to establish more in areas with significant internet traffic. Currently, most of Northern Ireland’s internet traffic is routed through London and back again – which leads to inefficiency and increased costs for local Internet Service Providers (ISPs). LINX says a dedicated internet exchange for Northern Ireland would improve the performance of the local Internet, potentially reduce costs for local broadband users and form a key part of the new digital economy. Chief Executive John Souter, told Ulster Business there would be benefits for a range of businesses which use technology – such as gaming, gambling, VoIP and financial transactions. “The kinds of businesses that would benefit are any businesses that have latency sensitivity in them. At a basic level, if you’re on skype and the pathways that the packets are taking to let you speak to another person are either too long

or too fractured, you’re listening to a Dalek. It is about quality of service. It is the same in a game. If you’re attacking a dinosaur or whatever people do in games and it has moved on before you can get it, it is ruining the experience,” he said. “With an exchange here the traffic would stay local rather than having to go to London first. It may not seem much, in terms of seconds and physics it isn’t very much. But there is a hidden cost behind the scenes because someone has to pay for all that networking,” he added. Souter said the benefits for Northern Ireland as a whole would be that the price of transit, or bandwidth, would drop adjacent to the exchange. At present, companies like Tibus have to do their hosting in Dublin and London, It could also make a difference to Northern Ireland’s FDI proposition, increasing resilience by reducing reliance on London. Increasingly international tenders are ask for evidence of the number of internet exchanges to a location. The whole endeavour is also partly dependenr on further development of the province’s data centre offering. There are two here already in Atlas and BT but two more which are what the industry terms “carrier neutral” and which could make large numbers of racks locally available, are in various states of build and could arrive in 2014. “Traffic has got so big now, people have become so dependent on using the internet, both business and consumers, that the time for this has just come,” said Souter. “What we’re asking people, content and access providers, is to show the commitment to connecting if we build the infrastructure.

MARCH 2013 27

ICT QUARTERLY

Life is easier on Gartan Managed Time® With more and more emphasis on accountability and performance in business, industries who need to manage people and roles around the clock, must find smarter ways to manage the mobile workplace. One software company has come up with an intuitive and flexible concept to suit many industries, including the Public Sector, which brings people and performance together. Gartan Managed Time.®

“I

t begins with the individual,” says Malachi Eastwood, Managing Director Gartan Technologies. “The quality of information is driven by how easy it is for someone to communicate their availability or status at that time. It’s not enough to just record information. Instead, we need to manage it in a way which can lead to strategic decisions which improve performance. That means linking with other information in ‘realtime’ and being flexible enough to adapt. New technology has brought speed but sometimes it’s about making the technology work for the people using it.” Malachi adds: “Throw in links to payroll and roster and you end up with an impersonal system which may not suit your organisation. Our focus is to provide reliable software, flexible enough to meet the needs of the organisation both now and as their needs evolve in the future. Not only to record work scheduling but to turn that into a management tool.” Gartan Technologies has been developing innovative workplace management software for 17 years, predominantly in the emergency services sector where Gartan software is used by over 40 UK Fire & Rescue Services. Gartan Managed Time® comprises a suite of Availability, Roster and Payroll software designed to help improve efficiency and performance.

28 MARCH 2013

“Since many of our clients are in the emergency services our solutions have to be super reliable and flexible. Each Fire & Rescue Service has to know who, when and what teams are available at any given time, since they don’t know when the next emergency will arise. This kind of flexibility and foresight is just as valuable for any organisation and it doesn’t mean that it needs to cost the earth either,” explains Malachi. Gartan Technologies apply this customer centred philosophy to pricing too. “Our clients pay an annual licence fee so there are no massive up front charges or additional costs when enhancements are made to the software. Companies can make manageable annual payments throughout the lifetime of the contract and this annual payment gives them access to an unlimited number of user licences and user & technical support. We know that our clients’ needs will change and so our software will always remain functionally relevant to the organisation but without the additional charges.” “We’ve found operating this way means there are no nasty surprises for our customers and encourages long term relationships, a large number of our clients’ have been with us for over 12 years.” “Our products are designed to complement and enhance existing systems,” emphasises Malachi, “whether you favour a ‘best of breed’

Malachi Eastwood, MD Gartan Technologies

or a single all-encompassing system strategy, our suite of interfaces can communicate to an organisation’s existing systems.” “Gartan Managed Time can help companies organise tasks and people in a way which is efficient and best for both management and staff. It’s about making life easier. Our customers consistently save money through being able to manage their own performance through ‘real time’ tracking and accurate performance measurement. Employees like working with the system since it’s very intuitive and can be accessed by any Internet device be it smart phone, PC or tablet,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot over the years about developing robust software specifically tailored to individual workplace needs. Yes we have an effective roster system, but the thing that stands out is our reliability and flexibility to accommodate our clients, and the intuitive nature of our products. It beats off-the-shelf products hands down and leads to greater savings. It’s why we think more industries could benefit by switching to Gartan Managed Time.” To find out more about how Gartan Managed Time can work for you, contact Malachi Eastwood, Managing Director, Gartan Technologies on tel: 028 9095 0036 or email: meastwood@gartantech.com.

ICT QUARTERLY

Data Centre Collection: outsourcing to the cloud As both public and private sector organisations grapple with the increasing volume and complexity of data they hold in their data centres, many are turning to outsourced cloud-based hosting solutions. Ivan Waide and Jonathan Wilkinson of A&L Goodbody examine some of the key issues arising.

n today’s age of “big data”, many organisations are increasingly holding very large volumes of data. Due to historical, operational and various other reasons, this data is often spread over several traditional data centre sites in different geographical locations. Some of these sites may be “in-house” with other parts held in third party data centres. Many of these organisations are now looking at ways of consolidating their approach to the use of data centres, and turning to outsourced cloud-based hosting solutions. UK Government’s G-Cloud Programme For some time now, the UK Government has been encouraging UK public sector organisations to further explore cloud-based solutions, through its G-Cloud Programme, a core element of the UK Government’s ICT Strategy. The programme sets out to define how the public sector could utilise the cloud computing approach to ICT delivery and explore what benefits and challenges this approach creates. Since February 2012, UK public sector organisations have been able to purchase a range of IT services off the shelf from the UK government’s CloudStore on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, rather than having to develop their own systems. In October 2012, the UK Cabinet Office announced the latest framework of G-Cloud suppliers (comprising some 458 suppliers in total) for the next 12-month period. It is hoped this will drive efficiency and value through standardisation, sharing and re-use of services, as well as providing a route for rapid access to a portfolio of G-Cloud services, including cloud-based hosting services. Ensuring Data Security and Compliance with Data Protection Legislation Any customer (whether public or private sector) outsourcing the provision of data centre services will want to ensure appropriate legal protections are in place to ensure data integrity,

30 MARCH 2013

Ivan Waide

Jonathan Wilkinson

security and where personal data is involved, compliance with data protection legislation. A threshold issue for organisations to consider will be what type of data it allows into the cloud. An organisation may decide to use the cloud only for its non-commercially sensitive and non-personal data. Pre-contract, a customer will generally need to carry out due diligence on the cloud provider, its proposed security measures and its track record for safeguarding customer’s data. The customer will also want to ensure that its contract contains meaningful service levels and appropriate liability provisions. If personal data is being processed in the cloud, the so-called 7th Principle under the Data Protection Act 1998 requires that appropriate technical and organisational measures must be taken against unauthorised or unlawful

processing and the accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, the personal data. The customer will also want to know where its data is going to be stored and processed. Under the so-called 8th Principle in the DPA, personal data may only be transferred outside of the EEA if certain conditions are met (for example obtaining the consent of the data subject, or where the transfer is pursuant to a contract incorporating EU-approved clauses). In a traditional outsourcing situation, the customer generally knows where its data is going and where it will be stored and processed. In the cloud environment, particularly in a public cloud, it may be more difficult to tell where the data is at any given point in time. Possible solutions can include requesting provision from the cloud provider of a European Cloud offering. In this scenario, the data would never leave the EEA so therefore there is no issue in respect of the 8th principle. Alternatively, the cloud provider could sign up to the EU-approved clauses for transfers of personal data outside the EEA to ensure compliance with the 8th Principle. Conclusions Although there are valid data protection compliance and other data security issues to consider, there are various ways a customer can seek to manage these risks. The cloud can provide potential advantages with careful planning, due diligence and the appropriate legal protections in place. A consolidated cloudbased hosting solution can also offer significant cost-savings and other service benefits, including access to enhanced data security measures, business continuity and disaster recovery services. Ivan Waide and Jonathan Wilkinson are both specialist IP & Technology lawyers at A&L Goodbody. A&L Goodbody has quickly established itself as one of the leading corporate law firms in Northern Ireland; consistently ranked at the top of its market by international publications.

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PROFILE

Networking in the pit lane Enda McShane, chief executive of Belfast-based Velocity Worldwide, tells Ulster Business how innovation and diversification have enabled his firm to network with some of the world’s leading brands.

etting your business in front of a global audience isn’t an easy task and developing relationships with large global brands can take years. However, this hasn’t been the case for Belfast-based Velocity Worldwide, thanks to its unique approach to business development. The company, which describes itself as a global digital customer engagement firm, recently undertook a multi-million dollar sponsorship of the US-based Wayne Taylor Racing team, one of Grand-Am Racing’s top competitors. The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, owned by NASCAR, is one of the largest endurance racing contests in the world, with over twenty-one million followers internationally. The sponsorship has meant Velocity Worldwide is literally ‘networking in the pit lane’ with businesses like General Motors and Toshiba; businesses it might not otherwise have had access to in the short term. Velocity Worldwide helps global brands understand what their customers have to say and using market analysis helps them develop successful strategies, which engage customers on a one-to-one level. Enda McShane, CEO, explained: “Through this sponsorship deal we are demonstrating that indigenous companies like ours, which has grown and developed in Belfast before expanding globally, can compete successfully on the world stage. “Grand-Am is one of the most competitive, dynamic and exciting motorsport series in the

32 MARCH 2013

world and, most importantly, a proven businessto-business networking platform. During the recent Rolex 24 race at Daytona, our racing team were working hard to try to win the race while on the other side of the track we were networking with businesses including Sunoco, Toshiba, General Motors and representatives from firms such as Mazda, Nissan and even the Crown Prince of Bahrain. “The brands that are associated with motor sports in America are huge and we expect to do lots of deals around the track over the course of the season.” Following Velocity’s success at the first race in January, where the Wayne Taylor Racing team finished a credible second place, the firm is now working on developing a partnership with Toshiba, also a sponsor of the Wayne Taylor Racing team. The sponsorship was an innovative and courageous strategy for Velocity, with no other firm from the UK having sponsored any team in the series before. According to McShane, the firm is breaking the mould, firmly positioning itself among the other major sponsors in the sport: “We recognised that the potential revenue and visibility from having our brand in the pit lanes around these races is phenomenal. For Velocity Worldwide this is an exciting time; we are doing something new, showing how a sports sponsorship can be a genuine business strategy and not just a vanity play.” Velocity Worldwide has recently launched a new digital product called Darius, which has

converged all traditional and digital marketing channels into a single platform. The platform enables brands to create, publish and measure content, helping these businesses to establish individual customer profiles and develop oneto-one conversations with customers. The product, which was built in Northern Ireland, is designed to help international businesses connect with their customers and build their strategies from the customer up – not the boardroom down. The sponsorship was a strategy to break into the American market in a controlled manner with the Darius product. Its success has meant the firm is now looking to expand in the European and Australasian market. Although Velocity Worldwide has offices in New York, Dublin and London, McShane is clear that Northern Ireland remains the choice location to keep the business’s headquarters, with further growth likely at the office. “We have truly amazing minds in Northern Ireland with a highly technical skillset and lower business running costs. Northern Ireland is a very competitive place to do business, with excellent links to key destinations in the Velocity Worldwide network,” he said. “I hope that we are sending a loud, clear and confident message. We are doing something completely different for Northern Ireland. I believe if you have a good enough idea, and the right amount of good people around you, there is no reason why firms from Northern Ireland can’t succeed on the global stage.”

TECHNOLOGY

2013 DANI awards to be held at CultureTECH Now in its third year, Naomh McElhatton explains the idea behind the DANI awards and why this year’s event will take place in Derry-Londonderry.

eciding to go out into business on your own can be one of the most exciting, yet nerve-wracking ventures. In 2010 I bit the bullet and DANI was created to help companies get their business online, through various online media platforms. Throughout the first year of trading not only did it become blatantly obvious at the lack of understanding businesses had when it came to marketing their business online it was also made evident at the lack of awareness within the sector itself. It was in the summer of 2011 that team DANI decided there had to be an event created to showcase and raise awareness of the work being carried out within this ‘new’ sector in Northern Ireland and from that the DANI Awards were established. When the DANI Awards launched back in 2011, I was unsure of the uptake of this new idea. It had a kind of ‘underground’ feeling to it. But thankfully passionate digital ambassadors like ourselves were keen as mustard to really start promoting the work being carried out in the digital sector within Northern Ireland and give our talented marketers, designers and developers a pat on the back for their achievements. Year 1 really was about testing the water and about developing a level of viability for the awards; year two was about scalability, which proved to be Titanic with a large increase in the numbers attending the event. Never did I imagine when we started the awards that three years later we would evolve Northern Ireland’s first Digital Industry awards encompassing the entire Creative Industries sector. 2013 will be a massive celebration of the Digital Industries sector and I am delighted to say that we are hosting the awards at CultureTECH on September 13, in St Columbs Hall, Derry. CultureTECH is a festival of digital technology, media and music which runs from September 9 to 15 in Derry-Londonderry. With an estimated footfall of 30,000 people this is going to be a very exciting event. Throughout the festival each evening you can relax and connect at informal meet-ups, live comedy events, dinner seminars, formal receptions and a very special edition of the DANI Awards. This year there will be a total of 16 categories including an outstanding achievement award given to an individual who has contributed to and advanced the growth of digital media and the creative industries sector. The variety of awards extend right across the Digital Industries which include, Web design and applications, Interactive content which includes gaming, publishing and digital arts, mobile, film, TV, animation, music and digital marketing. We will also be acknowledging the best start-up, breakthrough exporter and Digital Industries person of the year, which will be selected through nominations. For more information go to www.thedaniawards.co.uk.

4G or not 4G

any of Leaf ’s clients seem a little unclear what 4G is and certainly they’re unsure what it might be able to offer their business. Leaf will try and answer these questions. For Leaf 4G is just 3G, but faster, much faster – able to handle much more data and download it around five times faster, according to most tests. So, for Leaf customers this means a mobile device will be able to download audio-visual data at far faster speeds; you will be able to download a high definition movie in minutes, web pages will open in under a second and you’ll be able to watch streamed TV without buffering. Leaf understands there are some test networks that are operational in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and London. But 4G is scheduled to be in 16 cities by the end of 2012 when it will reach 30 per cent of the population. Among the first places to access the new service will be Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton. So, how will this new era of mobile phone technology affect businesses? Work patterns Leaf agree this is pretty obvious. While 3G allows for efficient email checking and sending, as well as texting and making and receiving phone calls, 4G is going to mean that much larger amounts of data can be sent to mobiles with ease allowing remote working to be commonplace. Leaf appreciate this has implications for remote workers, for instance, or for members of a business team who are on the road and need access to large amounts of information quickly. With a 4G-enabled device, whether it’s a phone, notebook or tablet, it will be possible to create the office experience while mobile. New range of devices We’re obviously going to see new 4G phones hitting the market. You don’t need to be a futurist to spot that one! But there’ll be much more than a new range of phones because what 4G can do is to create what is essentially a thin client device – one that can access data and applications in the Cloud, effectively blurring the line even further between the Work – Life balance. Kyle Johnston, Sales Manager Email: Kyle@Leafconsultancy.com www.leafconsultancy.com

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Neal Lucas meets... Neal Lucas, Managing Director of the leading Executive Search company Neal Lucas Recruitment, shifts focus to the third sector to meet with Carol Fitzsimons of Young Enterprise, a popular figure in the local business world. What process do you use for strategy formulation? I believe it is important that the process is informed by the stakeholders, so I seek input from those that are involved as service users and in delivery. Staff on the ground have a very high level of knowledge that is important to gather, so that your strategy is also embedded in the reality faced by our customers. The external environment is also a key consideration, which includes looking at Government policy and the implications for our work. What are (or have been) the major inhibitors to your strategy? Long term financial stability. There is huge demand for our work in Young Enterprise, and ambitions to extend the work we do further; however, this is constrained due a lack of funds. Much of our funding is on a one-year cycle which works against the ability to create a longer term strategic view. Balancing our ambition with the resources available is a major challenge. How do you communicate the strategy to employees and other stakeholders? I have an all staff meeting which brings all the team together, and I take them through the strategy, and what this translates to in terms of an operational plan for the year ahead. This then aligns into their annual objectives, so it should all link back to the strategic plan. These documents are also shared with staff and our regional boards, so that everyone has a good understanding of what we are working to achieve.

What key attributes of your own leadership do you feel have been important in delivering on the strategy? Continuous improvement is a key theme for me. Given our academic cycle, it would be very easy to fall into a ‘same as last year’ approach, but I have encouraged the team to take the approach of a ‘learning organisation’ and to challenge the status quo. The review and improve approach, is important to me, so that we continue to grow and develop our organisational impact, but this needs to be driven by everyone, not just me. This has been the other aspect, to engage those delivering on the strategy in the process of how it will be delivered, and to ensure they have ownership for achieving it on a day-to-day basis. What was your biggest challenge in moving from a management role in your previous job to the number one role in YENI? Realising that it can be a lonely role, as you don’t have a peer group of managers in the same way. For me, that is why it is important to also have a good mentor, an engaged board, and to develop a strong network of others who work at similar levels in other organisations. How do you define leadership? I don’t have a hard and fast definition, but I believe the role of the leader is to set the tone and culture for the organisation, and to be clear on the expectations of what the successful organisation will look like. Is there anything you would like to change about business in Northern Ireland? I see an interest in engaging with our work in

Young Enterprise, but I would like businesses to get much more actively engaged with us, as part of their longer term strategy to develop the transferable skills of young people, since these are ultimately their future employees. It is vital to link the worlds of education and business much more closely together, to focus us all on the long term success of Northern Ireland, in terms of building our entrepreneurial potential and knowledge sector economy. What personal traits do you feel have helped you get to where you are today? I aim to be honest with people and engage in two-way communication. I think this is vital in terms of building up genuine relationships that can make sure both organisations benefit.

FACTFILE

Name: Carol Fitzsimons Title: Chief Executive Company: Young Enterprise NI. Established: 1986 No. of Employees: 49 Previous Jobs: Head of L&D at gem; Assistant Production Manager, Desmonds. Hobbies: Scouting and baking. Proudest Moment in Career: We ended our 25th anniversary year last year with our strongest level of delivery ever, and I was proud of the team that we had built up in order to achieve this goal.

www.neallucasrecruitment.com – Neal can be found on Facebook and followed on Twitter (@NealLucasRec)

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PROFILE

Kirsty puts the focus on skills development Kirsty McManus, Assistant Regional Director CBI Northern Ireland is the first of the alumni to be profiled in our “Ulster Business School – Leaders In Business” series.

Kirsty McManus, Assistant Regional Director, Confederation of British Industry Northern Ireland, MBA, Ulster Business School

ompleting a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the Ulster Business School, University of Ulster four years ago has opened a variety of doors to exciting opportunities, including my current job as Assistant Director at the Confederation of British Industry. Crucially, since graduating I have established a strong relationship with the Ulster Business School and I am honoured to be actively involved in the advisory board for its newly established Centre for SME Development. At a national level, the CBI and Ulster Business School have worked closely with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills on growing and nurturing our medium-sized businesses. Locally we have created a suite of

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events that will focus on the unique needs of these future business leaders. As Assistant Regional Director at CBI Northern Ireland I am actively involved in the development of a wide range of policy work with particular interests in education, energy, employment law and skills, and I have the privilege to lobby and challenge government on behalf of leading local businesses. Getting Northern Ireland working is a key theme for CBI Northern Ireland for 2013 and beyond, and now is a good time to take stock and broadly outline how the CBI thinks we can boost workforce skills and compete on the global stage. Quite simply, developing our skills base is vital to growth. Local businesses spend hundreds of millions of pounds on training every year and the Northern Ireland Executive has spent millions to drive up standards and support personal development. As a result Northern Ireland businesses are staffed by some of the best skilled people in the world and we have dedicated teachers, lecturers and students, as well as committed employers and employees, to thank for this success. But our skills system is not perfect. The CBI believes the challenge for schools and politicians in Northern Ireland is to fully embrace the notion that we are in a fierce global race for jobs. How we respond to that challenge will determine our economy’s success or failure and

the education system is critical in helping us succeed. The answer lies in a dynamic collective response. The Leitch Review of Skills provided a wake-up call for business and government. Its call for a ‘radically simplified’ demandled system where funding should be targeted according to employers’ needs has not been fully implemented in Northern Ireland. More widely, businesses need schools and colleges to boost Northern Irelands’ PISA rankings by continuing to focus on basic skills as well as employability skills. A major CBI review of the education system came forward with a set of proposals within the report ‘Ambition for all’. The report made clear that raising educational attainment to the levels of the best in Europe could add one percentage point to growth annually. Employers need to continue to prioritise training, even in tough times, and the CBI stands ready to share our expertise with businesses and government in order to help to develop a supportive framework to boost Northern Ireland’s attractiveness as a business location. Significantly, our close partnership with the Ulster Business School, whose spirit of innovation and excellence is second to none, has allowed us to develop innovative educational solutions, such as a suite of events that will focus on the unique needs of Northern Ireland’s future business champions.

Retail

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RETAIL

Online retail Vs the high street As an increasing number of us opt for the convenience of shopping online and some of our best known retailers go to the wall, Stephen McVey investigates what retailers can do to make sure they survive the biggest shift in consumer behaviour in a generation.

38 MARCH 2013

RETAIL

he decline of HMV, the last of the superstore music chains, has been described as the beginning of the end of an era. It followed hard on the heels of other big name casualties including Comet, Jessops, Blockbuster and JJB, all apparent victims of internet retailers muscling in on their business. There is now a debate as to whether any of the big retailers can maintain a high street presence and adapt to the biggest shift in consumer behaviour in a generation. With almost a quarter of shops in Belfast vacant, it appears that online shopping is going head to head with high street consumption – introducing the very real possibility that many retailers are only a mouse click away from being dropped out of the rat race. Aodhán Connolly, Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) believes the current trends will continue to develop. “One thing that is clear is that the recession has hit large retailers as much as it has hit small retailers,” he said. “There is a need for retailers to evolve because of the changing consumer behaviour and to be honest this change is the fastest that we have seen in any of our lifetimes and it will continue to change.” Mary McCall, the Managing Director of Treat Ticket, a UK wide group buying website headquartered in Newtownabbey, believes failure to stand out accounted for some recent failures. “There was nothing unique about what HMV were doing,” she said. “They were selling CDs, DVDs, posters and gadgets. I can pick these things up in Tesco when I‘m doing the grocery shopping. There was no other real reason for me to go in and visit. They weren’t the cheapest, they weren’t the shiniest. What was it that was unique about HMV?” An explanation of why some businesses failed Philip Graves

to adapt is offered by Philip Graves, a consumer behaviour consultant and author of ‘Consumer. ology: The Truth about Consumers and the Psychology of Shopping’. “Businesses run essentially on numbers. Five to ten years ago, when people were looking at the value of their business as a physical presence, they compared that to the cost to develop a website. If your history is in the high street, it would take extraordinary vision to look at it and say ‘actually I’m going to put a whole lot of energy to commensurate online with our existing operations’,” he said. “You’ve also got the problem that initially the website was seen as an IT function. So it was managed within that department as they were the ones who really understood it early on. But of course it should all essentially be a part of the same marketing operation,” he said. LEARNING CURVE Mary McCall highlights how the digital revolution has been a steep learning curve for everyone. “Lots of us have landed in this environment where transactions, shopping and communications are done online. We’ve had to learn how to do that because we are used to doing it in a traditional way. However there is a whole generation of people who are digital natives. Who do everything this way and have grown up with it. If we are going to be leading organisations, we’ve got to learn how to communicate with people in a way that’s appropriate for our target audience,” she said. She believes that a focus on the social experience of shopping is the right way to go. “I think a lot of stores are going to end up being a bit like the Apple store and the eBay store, where it is all about the experience. For me it’s like St. George’s market. Why do we go to St. George’s market? We don’t go to shop necessarily, you go to experience the atmosphere, but when I get in there, it’s so compelling that I find myself purchasing products,” said Mary. Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland has recently published a report on the role of his department in supporting Northern Ireland’s town and city centres. The Minister said: “The nature of retail has changed in recent years and the long term

challenge is how we move from retail lead towns and cities, to developing their value as multifunctional social centres that vitalise our high streets not just in daylight hours, but also to maximise our evening economy." The report highlights the sense of deep frustration felt by those struggling to survive and thrive in today’s difficult trading conditions and says there are “complex issues” that the department needs to help address. Aodhán Connolly is hoping for continued government support for initiatives such as business improvement districts (BIDs). “What is clear is that we need our towns to have that diverse retail mix. We need to make sure that our high streets are not just retail areas but retail destinations,” he said. “There has to be a stand taken and an investment by local government and by businesses. Things like BIDS work so well because it’s everyone working together and building on the flavour of the town that is already there. Say for example in Newry, you could build on the historical canal connection.” Property expert Conor Devine, Principal at GDP Partnership, believes businesses should be given more assistance by the government, particularly where rates are concerned. “In Northern Ireland we need a complete review and overhaul of how we calculate our rates and create a system that is fair for all and also produces enough spend to cover costs. It’s shameful that the business community has had to endure these extremely high and unfair costs in the worst recession in generations,” he said. “Stormont needs to get a handle on the rating problem and very quickly. Rates is one piece of legislation that local government can actually change, yet they choose to ignore this, hoping the problem will sort itself out.” KINGS OF CONVENIENCE Philip Graves has identified the convenience of online shopping as one of the key reasons why big retailers are struggling to maintain a physical presence. “What the internet does is appeal to a part of our psychology, which is very deep rooted and orientated in most of our behaviour and that is – we are primarily motivated by what is easy,” >>> he explains.

“Customers haven’t changed. THE THINGS They value are still the same things they have always valued.” MARCH 2013 39

RETAIL

Another one bites the dust Recession and the rise of the internet have sent a number of well-known retail brands to the wall in the last decade. Here are some of the most high profile failures.

The last of the record store giants following the demise of Our Price and Zavvi, HMV entered administration in January 2013 amid falling profits. Hilco is buying the company’s debt and taking over the brand.

Mary McCall

“The high street is not going to die. It’s just going to change.” “We are prepared to trade off instant gratification; we are prepared to trade off the kinaesthetic interaction we have with the product. We are prepared to forego all of that for something that is made significantly easier. It is why we download and listen to tracks on a MP3 player and not on CD. The quality is not as good but we can get more music, more quickly and it is easier to deal with it.” Graves adds: “When you look at aspects of physical shopping from a psychological perspective, it is both inefficient and ultimately quite unrewarding. If you get disappointed because you can’t find what you want, those sorts of things stack up in your mind at an unconscious level and you become frustrated. That is not something that the online environment is encumbered by, because you have got everything there and you can find it quite easily.” Mary McCall believes her deal-focused business can provide support to businesses that are coming to terms with these shifts in consumer behaviour. “Our work is involved in helping businesses understand that they should view the internet as their friend and not their enemy. We are a promotional platform that local businesses can use to access an active mass digital and mobile consumer base that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to communicate with. Social Media still only allows you to communicate with your own audience in a passive rather than active way. The key is to combine active purchasing with social

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media and a ‘real’ respect for and commitment to consumers and business partners alike.” EVOLVE TO SURVIVE Looking to the future, Mary believes the high street will survive through evolution. “The reality is there is still a place for the high street. There absolutely is, but how it’s going to change is going to be really, really interesting. The long and the short of it is there is going to be some goods and services that can’t be dispatched or sold over the web. People are always going to want products that are perishable. For anyone to say the high street is dead – that’s nonsense. The high street is not going to die. It’s just going to change,” she said. Philip Graves explains that, despite so many changes within consumer behaviour, individual customer needs remain the same. “Customers haven’t changed,” he said. “I think that’s a really important point because what they value are still the same things they have always valued. It’s just that the internet has provided a route of access that is better, in a lot of cases, than the high street. “What businesses need to do is genuinely understand what drives consumer behaviour. The fact that on one hand they really like easy options, the easier you can make something the better, on the other hand we have got complex desires that we satisfy through consumption. It is important to note there are times when these desires can be better satisfied through a bigger experience than the internet is currently capable of offering.”

The camera retailer and photo developer also entered administration in January after years of financial difficulties. The business had changed strategy several times after the arrival of digital cameras, but to no avail.

Problems with cashflow saw shares in the sporting goods retailer suspended in September 2012. Sports Direct bought the brand, website and 20 stores, but closed over 100 more.

The white goods and electrical store started to suffer problems when consumers cut back spending at the start of the recession. It entered administration in November 2012 and over 200 stores closed.

The film rental business lost revenues amid poor strategic planning and the rise of online rivals like Netflix and Lovefilm. Saved from bankruptcy in 2010 it finally went into administration in January this year.

The book seller closed its doors in December 2009 having failed to cope with competition from online retailers such as Amazon.

RETAIL

Premier Electrics: The mid-Ulster company which is lighting up high streets all over Europe

hink of the most famous commercial real estate in the UK and Ireland, like Oxford Street, London, Princes Street, Edinburgh, Argyle Street, Glasgow, Henry Street, Dublin and Piccadilly, Manchester and the thoughts of the shopper turn to the big name neon lights, fronted by Primark, Debenhams, Top Man, Top Shop and Marks and Spencer. Yet, under the radar, one Bellaghy-based business has been quietly working hard to forge a name for itself as the electrical fit out firm of choice in Ireland, the UK and increasingly beyond. Premier Electrics is a name synonymous with quality and delivery. From humble beginnings 20 years ago as a one-man business it has seen strong growth in the past number of years fuelled by an export drive that has seen it secure extensive business in countries like Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium and Holland. Fresh from a major project completion for Primark in Frankfurt, Germany, Company Manager Tony Shivers believes that Premier’s team’s international reputation for a ‘can-do’ attitude and attention to project delivery has been a major factor in the firm’s success. Premier Electrics was established in 1993 by entrepreneur Mark Scullion, and has steadily built up a reputation for efficiency and excellence thanks to significant and ongoing projects with key retailers such as Primark, M&S, Argos, Arcadia Group, Debenhams, Asda, John Lewis, Zara, Tesco, H&M, Iceland, BHS and Footlocker. Alongside a host of retail names the Bellaghy company has delivered new bar fit-outs in The Dorchester Hotel and, closer to home, Mary’s Bar and Restaurant in Magherafelt. While renowned for their excellent record for installation and electrical fit-out the company also boasts a burgeoning maintenance division which last year accounted for almost £2m of the firm’s overall £31m turnover. “We are delighted to have a strong order book and we envisage our maintenance division will grow substantially through new business which we will be targeting this year primarily in Ireland,” said Tony Shivers, Company Manager.

MARCH 2013 41

RETAIL

EUROSPAR invests £1m into new innovative marketing campaign

Director Chris Roche with Bronagh Henderson, Brand Marketing Controller, Henderson Group and an actress from the shoot.

enderson Group, owners of the EUROSPAR supermarket franchise in Northern Ireland, has invested almost £1m into a new innovative marketing strategy for the brand called ‘Easy Street’. Complete with a new media campaign that will span television, outdoor advertising and consumer leaflets, the new strategy is aimed at educating shoppers

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on the benefits of shopping at the ‘supereasy’ supermarket. EUROSPAR is a modern supermarket concept that has the variety and quality a consumer will come to expect from a supermarket, with the customer service, community spirit and convenience of a local shop. Unlike other larger multiple formats,

EUROSPAR is able to offer shoppers a large range of products across everyday brands, local suppliers, butchery and in store bakery, without the hassle of expansive aisles or having to park miles from the front door. The new advertising campaign will also highlight the value for money offers available in the store, making it ‘easy’ for consumers to get more out of their weekly trolley shop. Bronagh Henderson, Brand Marketing Controller from Henderson Group explained: “We know that there is a huge consumer demand for an easier supermarket shop. To be able to shop locally, at a supermarket that is family owned with great customer service, ticks a lot of boxes for people. “Through the advertising campaign we want to let our customers know that doing your weekly shop doesn’t have to be a hassle – like washing the car or clearing the table. The size, layout, range and parking at EUROSPAR take the hassle out of your weekly shop. In fact, shopping at EUROSPAR is like living on Easy Street! ” For the TV advertisements, which launched on 28th January, the Group invested in director Chris Roche, who is well-known for highimpact, world-wide commercials. His accolades include the Miramax Scriptwriting Prize, and he has worked with brands including McDonalds, Pringles, Coca-Cola and Twix.

Henderson Group Be part of the bigger picture...

At the Henderson Group our number one priority is our retailers. Therefore, if you want to put your business in the frame for a successful 2013, and are looking...

to drive retail sales improve margin benefit from innovative marketing ideas; and receive business advice and support... Then please contact a member of our sales team on 028 90337866 or email joinus@henderson-group.com

RETAIL

We need new investors Attracting a more diverse range of buyers and securing development finance remain key challenges for the investment property markets, writes Robert Ditty, Investment Director, Osborne King Commercial Property Consultants.

oody’s decision to downgrade the UK’s credit rating from AAA to AA1 last month will no doubt have an impact across all markets, however, the immediate effect on the Northern Irish property market may be increased cross-border trade as sterling continues to weaken against the euro. While this would benefit border towns such as Newry, Enniskillen and Londonderry, what is the outlook in 2013 for Northern Ireland’s investment property market? The value of investment transactions in Northern Ireland in 2012 was approximately £90m (excluding Castlecourt – £138m) compared to £30m in 2011. Significant deals included Hermes’ acquisition of the 50% balance share in Castlecourt Shopping Centre from Westfield totalling £138m; LaSalle Investment Managers’ acquisition of two food stores in Lisburn and Londonderry let on longterm leases to Tesco and Sainsbury’s respectively for £48.6m and CRBE Global Investors’ acquisition of the Tesco food store in Limavady for £6.25m. Institutional investors remained active in 2012, however, only a limited number have so far acquired assets in Northern Ireland including Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, LaSalle Investment Managers, CBRE Global Investors, Metric and USS. These institutional investors continue to focus their sights on the retail

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sector with no significant acquisitions in other property sectors to date. Meanwhile, private, cash-rich, local investors continue to remain active typically acquiring assets with lot sizes up to £2m across a range of property sectors. The outlook for 2013 remains positive with institutional investors remaining focused on specific property sectors and only buying property assets meeting strict investment criteria. We anticipate sales totalling c. £100m for the year. Osborne King has been involved recently in the first major property investment transaction of 2013; the sale of Sainsbury’s Ballymena, a 60,777 sq ft food store let on a long-term lease and acquired by LaSalle Investment Management on behalf of the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC). This is LaSalle’s third major acquisition within the last 12 months bringing its total acquisitions for the three deals to over £66m. So what is next for 2013? We anticipate institutional investors continuing their selective approach to acquisitions, buying only prime Northern Ireland assets. In addition, we anticipate a number of the banks continuing with large portfolio debt sales across Ireland and the UK. For example, Lloyds’s recent sales have included Project Pittlane resulting in a

purchaser, Apollo/Centre Bridge & Carval, acquiring approximately 550 properties for around €220m representing roughly a discount of 90% on the original loan price of €2.2bn. Project Harrogate, another Lloyds’ debt portfolio, was acquired by Oaktree, the sale price of £260m reflecting a blended discount of 58% against loan value. Put simply, the main challenge facing our property investment market in 2013 is the need to attract a wider range of buyers and secure new forms of finance to help stimulate our investment market and the development pipeline. In particular, our office sector will shortly enter a phase of massive under-supply. The lead-in time for new office development to allow Belfast to compete for new FDI contracts is roughly 12-18 months. A dearth of development finance coupled with limited investor demand for offices is a real problem facing the property market and Government in terms of assisting the delivery of new jobs through inward investment. Northern Ireland plc still has many positive attributes, including a highly educated workforce, excellent connectivity and low occupational costs. These factors, while all positive, are not enough to provide new investors with a compelling case to invest. New property development is necessary in order to revitalise a property industry that has simply stalled at present.

OPINION

Why science is coming to the fore in key economic sectors In the first of a series of articles by members of MATRIX, the Northern Ireland Science Industry panel, Dr Bryan Keating outlines the priority areas of the economy where science is already having a big influence.

he sheer volume of coverage given by the media and social networking sites to the horsemeat issue highlights the scale and complexity of the food processing industry. However, despite the plethora of distasteful jokes, Northern Ireland’s science industry is taking the matter very seriously and is playing a key role in exposing the extent of the horsemeat scandal around the world. Queen’s University’s Institute of Global Food Security has been at the forefront in examining the complexities of the global food supply chain and its Director, Professor Chris Elliot, has been providing expert opinion on the state of the food industry to media around the globe. These events serve to highlight the importance of the consumer’s trust in the food industry. Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector makes a significant contribution to the local economy, with a turnover of approximately £4bn in 2011. This accounts for almost 20% of the total Northern Ireland manufacturing sales, employing approximately 50,000 people of which 18,000 are in food processing. We need to be confident in our standards so our local companies can continue to win orders from some of the most exclusive retailers worldwide. Another aspect of Northern Ireland’s agrifood industry that has caught my attention this month is poultry litter. Normally poultry litter has been disposed of by spreading it on agricultural land but the high phosphorus content has been affecting the nutrient content of our water systems. An alternative solution to this dispersal method needs to be in place before the next Nitrates Action Programme is agreed with the European Commission in 2014. As the poultry industry is worth about £691m (2011) to the Northern Ireland economy this is a matter of some importance. To address this issue, Invest NI, on behalf of DETI and DARD, is running a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) to engage science-based companies to develop innovative, economic and sustainable solutions to the disposal problem. Successful companies will know the outcome of the competition by mid-April. Northern Ireland’s science industry is evergrowing, but there is a still a huge job to do to encourage our young people to take up more STEM subjects. Over the past few years, the

46 MARCH 2013

Dr Bryan Keating

term has grown legs with numerous activities organised to promote science and science-based careers. The BT Young Scientist competition and exhibition in Dublin was one of the more inspiring events I have attended recently. The enthusiasm from young people from across the island was palpable. Thirty-one separate projects from schools in Northern Ireland reached the final but in fact these projects came from only thirteen schools – we must ask ourselves why so few schools participate and what can we do to make it more attractive for schools, teachers and students? Having young people skilled in science and engineering subjects really impacts our economy. Wrightbus, which recently announced an order for 179 of its StreetLite buses, employs approximately 1,000 people in the bus division and 400 in related companies. The bus, which was entirely developed by the Ballymena company, demonstrates that we are world class in the engineering field. During the coming weeks the MATRIX Sustainable Energy report will be published. It has long been recognised by government, academia and industry that sustainable energy technology is a burgeoning market, particularly as the demand for lower carbon technologies increases. This report is the culmination of an intensive six-month study by a panel of industry experts led by David Surplus into the future

global market opportunities which could be expounded by Northern Ireland’s science, research and technology capabilities. The report will make recommendations and identify specific actions required on the part of all stakeholders to exploit the associated economic potential. With approximately 500 Northern Ireland based companies involved in sustainable energy, this is a potential area of growth. This is not the only area of growth. Northern Ireland has a vibrant science and technology sector including Advance Engineering and Materials, ICT, Health and Life Sciences. MATRIX, the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel is helping to champion the role of science and technology as one of the key drivers of economic growth in Northern Ireland. We can’t ignore the poor economic conditions worldwide and the growing competition from an ever increasing global marketplace, so the challenge for our local companies and academia is to become more specialised, to prioritise and to collaborate more in order to remain unique, competitive and relevant. Dr Bryan Keating is Chair of MATRIX, the Northern Ireland Science Industry panel. He has more than 30 years experience as a director and as an investor in a number of high-tech businesses. Further information on MATRIX can be found at www.matrix-ni.org.

SUCCESS WITH PEOPLE YIELDS SUCCESS IN BUSINESS Breege McManus of BMM People Development, Newry, talks to Ulster Business about the growth in demand for corporate coaching in an increasingly results driven business environment.

aving spent over a decade in Dublin in the field of Corporate Learning and Development before launching BMM People Development, Breege McManus is quite rightly considered an expert in her field and has been selected as an associate to some of Ireland’s leading coaching and training organisations. Having launched her own practice in Newry in 2011, Breege is a ‘people development specialist’ dedicated to raising the profile of corporate coaching and the value it can bring to businesses. “I want to highlight the value corporate coaching and people management can bring to businesses. This kind of coaching is a serious business tool that can yield tangible bottom line results,” she explains. According to a study published by Harvard School of Business* lecturers Kotter and Heskett, companies using performance enhancement coaching show improved Revenue Growth of 520%, Employment Growth of 246% and Net-Income Growth of 755% compared to companies without

“Corporate Coaching is a serious business tool that can yield tangible bottom line results.” it. The Manchester Study: Maximizing the Impact of Executive Coaching shows a Return of Investment of of 5.7 times the investment. Breege says: “Now more than ever, organisations across Ireland are focused on results and have identified the need to develop their team members to stay ahead of

the competition. Business leaders are slowly recognising that corporate coaching can support their organisations to achieve better, more sustainable results through people development.” Breege is a selected associate for Harvest, Pinpoint, Pathway and Kingstown College, Dublin and delivers training to clients throughout the North and South of Ireland including leading organisations in the health, retail, charity and telecoms sectors. These include the Irish Health Service Executive; Brown Thomas; eircom; St Vincent de Paul; Chief State Solicitors Office, Barnardos and FAS (Irish National Training and Employment Agency) across a range of programmes e.g. performance management frameworks, management and leadership development programmes, talent management, employee engagement, sales, recruitment, coaching and facilitation including psychometric science among others. BMM has recently announced a unique partnership with Kingstown College, enabling Breege to be the only coach outside of the college to deliver the Advanced Diploma in Personal and Executive Coaching accredited by the European Mentoring Coaching Council (EMCC). The Diploma grants participants a professional accredited coaching qualification and it is the only coaching course in Ireland to attract the EMCC’s prestigious quality assurance award. According to the EMCC, coaching is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. “In this landscape, it is crucial that businesses choose to engage with a coach/ mentor who has obtained a professional qualification to reflect their ability,” Breege adds. *Source: 1992 Kotter and Heskett Harvard Business School ‘Corporate Culture and Performance’.

Breege is an accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), The British Psychological Society (BPS), The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and is a TAP partner.

For more information about one-to-one coaching, corporate coaching services for large organisations or professional training please contact BBM People Development, The Bath House, Canal Street, Newry. • Mob: 07740 288424 • www.bmmpeople.com • email: breege@bmmpeople.com • Linked In & Twitter

AER LINGUS VISCOUNT AWARDS

Viscount Awards: Final call for entries Only one week remains for Northern Ireland’s most entrepreneurial and innovative businesses to enter the 2013 Aer Lingus Viscount Awards and see their achievements recognised in front of their peers, competitors and media across the province.

Winner of ‘Large Company of the Year’ at the 2012 Aer Lingus Viscount Awards, The Wright Group. Pictured are: Cabin Crew member Alison Morton; Declan Kearney, Director of Communications at Aer Lingus; Claire Coulter from The Wright Group and event host, BBC’s Sarah Travers.

n 2012 the Awards engaged with over 100 companies and received entries from a diverse group of businesses, ranging from agri-food to manufacturing and construction to the services sector, all distinctive in their underlying ethos of utilising a robust export strategy to enhance their ability to ride out the recession. The Awards, which are open to every business in Northern Ireland, are free to enter and applicants are invited to enter as many categories as are applicable to them. A total of seven awards will be up for grabs with nominations being invited in the following seven categories: • Most Innovative Company; • Entrepreneur of the Year; • Company of the Year (small, medium and large business categories); • Exporter of the Year; • The Aer Lingus Viscount Awards for Overall Excellence. Each entrant will be required to demonstrate how they have significantly contributed to the growth of trade relations between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain and beyond, over the last year. Our distinguished panel of judges including Valerie Abbott, Commercial Manager of Aer Lingus Northern Ireland; Symon Ross, Editor of Ulster Business; Tracy Meharg, Managing Director of Innovation and Capability Group,

48 MARCH 2013

Invest NI; Adrienne McGill, Business Editor, News Letter; Gary McDonald, Business Editor, Irish News; Alan Taylor, Managing Director, Arthur Cox and Roseann Kelly, Chief Executive of Women in Business will meet in late March to discuss the nominations and agree a shortlist of final candidates. Due to the quality of the entrants and the rigour of the judging process, only the best finalists will be shortlisted and flown to London by Aer Lingus to attend the Awards ceremony, which will take place in the prestigious surroundings of the RAC Automobile Club, Pall Mall, on 23rd of April 2013. Valerie Abbott, Commercial Manager of Aer Lingus in Northern Ireland said: “With the Viscount Awards we aim to honour those businesses that are at the cutting edge of innovation and entrepreneurship and those people who have managed to combine dynamism with the remarkable ability to look outwards and create the fluid alliances across the world that make profit for their companies in these challenging economic times. “We urge every business to enter the competition to gain the recognition they deserve and to benchmark themselves against the best companies in Northern Ireland. “A struggling domestic economy has forced our firms to look towards the rest of Great Britain and far beyond for business and they have found fertile territory across the world for their goods and services.

“For many of our businesses here, London and Great Britain are crucial markets with London being regarded very much as a second home and we are delighted to be able to celebrate those companies that carry out their daily business on both sides of the Irish sea. “The response of the business community to last year’s awards was incredible and we are confident we will uncover even more business talent present here in Northern Ireland. If your business is doing well, you have every reason to shout about it.” Roseann Kelly, CEO of Women In Business, said of the Awards: “We are especially looking for companies which have demonstrated strategic excellence, innovated effectively and have delivered positive results over the course of the last year. Essentially, those companies that have innovated to survive the downturn through leadership, export strategy and best business practice and can show their entrepreneurial excellence.” The Viscount Awards were prompted by the growing number and increasing significance of Northern Irish business personalities who have effectively utilised the opportunity provided by the east west economic business links that have been established over the last sixty years. The relevance of the awards is to recognise these people at the highest level, and the resulting profile gained by winning companies over the last four years of the awards, is further reward for their business excellence. Last year Wright Group won ‘Large Company of the Year’ at the awards ceremony in London. Marketing Manager, Claire Coulter, said: “These awards reflect the hard work and dedication of the whole team at Wrightbus and show by example how Northern Ireland can be a global business success by placing entrepreneurship at it’s core and by making use of the important links we have with Great Britain.” At the same ceremony, Premier Electrics won the ‘Exporter of The Year’ Category. Managing Director, Mark Scullion said: “Premier Electrics are absolutely delighted to be recognised in an awards ceremony sponsored by Aer Lingus, one of the biggest brand names in the UK and Ireland. “It is particularly gratifying given the quality of our fellow finalists, which, coupled with the makeup of the judging panel, makes the award one of the most prestigious in business today.” If you want to join the best of Northern Irish business please visit viscountawards.ulsterbusiness.com/ Closing date for entries is 5.30pm on Friday 15th March 2013.

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Sponsored by

TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

Extreme NI Adventure tourism and extreme sports are increasingly popular and can mean big business for those destinations smart enough to get their product right. Lucy Gollogly asked how Northern Ireland measures up.

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Coasteering is one of the adventure activities growing in popularity in Northern Ireland

ugged landscapes, wild seas, sandy beaches and majestic mountains – Northern Ireland is perfect for thrillseeking tourists, and businesses here are waking up to the potential of adventure tourism. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and Outdoor Recreation NI’s third annual Adventureland Weekend will try to tempt the uninitiated with over 70 cut-price activities on March 23 and 24. The event will showcase some of the huge variety of activities available, including coasteering and wet bouldering (basically throwing yourself off rocks into the water below – under expert supervision of course), surfing, climbing, zorbing, zip-lining and hovercrafting. Although that marketing push appears more aimed at locals rather than tourists, the global adventure tourism market is big business. It was worth an estimated US$89bn (£59bn) from 150 million trips taken in 2010, according to the US-based Adventure Travel Trade Association. The impact of the union flag protests on tourism has yet to be determined, but the NITB estimated in 2011 that adventure tourism was worth around £100m a year in revenue for tourist businesses, with £55m of that coming from overseas visitors. And according to the Republic’s Fáilte Ireland, activity tourists spend 33% more than the average visitor. One of the world’s fastest growing adventure sports, mountain biking, is due for a boost here when over 70km of sustainable mountain bike trails open in Rostrevor and Castlewellan, Co Down, in the next few weeks. The £1.9m project, which is expected to attract 22,500 visitors to the Mournes in its first year, is the work of one of the word’s top trail designers, Dafydd Davis MBE. Trails are also being developed in Davagh Forest in the Sperrins and Barnett’s Demesne in Belfast. Local businesses have been attending information seminars to get advice on how best to cater for this lucrative niche market (think secure bike storage and clothes washing facilities). And with mountain biking worth tens of millions a year to the Scottish and Welsh economies, it’s hoped the new trails will attract people from all over the world. Rostrevor mountain biker Rowan McMahon says the trails in Kilbroney Forest Park are already a big hit, despite not having been officially opened. “It’s not going to just attract people from Northern Ireland and southern Ireland – it’ll attract people from across the water as well, without a shadow of a doubt,” he says. McMahon believes Northern Ireland’s stunning landscapes mean it is well placed to compete as an extreme activity destination. And he says enthusiasts aren’t put off by our wet weather. >>>

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TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

“WE GO OUT AND RIDE OUR BIKES EVEN IF THE RAIN IS COMING SIDEWAYS AT US.”

MountainBikeNI.com

“A tourism product that is dependent on weather doesn’t really work that well. But you put adventure tourism into that – people don’t care. We go out and ride our bikes if the rain is coming sideways at us – it’s irrelevant.” The accountant is also the co-owner of the Portadown based 26 Extreme, which organises and manages extreme running, cycling and adventure sport events. He says he sees “endless potential” for the adventure tourism sector in Northern Ireland. “Adventure tourism is big, it’s massive. That’s primarily why we set 26 Extreme up. If you wanted to run a marathon, north or south, prior to 2009, you had to run it on the road. Trail running is massive in America and Europe but there were no off-road alternatives anywhere in Ireland.” He says the company is attracting international entrants to their events – around 30% of the entrants to its Mourne Way and Causeway Coast marathons are travelling from outside the UK and Ireland to take part. “We have a contract to stage another race up at the Giant’s Causeway in May which is being solely sold to the North American market. These are people who have an awful lot of money,” he adds. Another huge draw is surfing, and the north coast is considered to be one of the British Isles’

52 MARCH 2013

premier spots. Irish National Team Surfer Martin “TK” Kelly is the owner and head instructor at Portrush Surf School (www.tksurfschool. com), one of several schools in the seaside resort. Although he says the majority of his clients come from Northern Ireland, he has also had many customers from the Republic, North America and France. He says the feedback he gets from international clients on Northern Ireland as a surf holiday destination is excellent: “Everyone loves it. They think the coastline is gorgeous. They’re surprised that it isn’t as cold as they thought it was going to be. With the good wetsuits these days, nobody’s cold. Everyone always takes a really positive experience home with them.” He says the north coast’s wide, sandy beaches, excellent surf conditions and nightlife options mean it can compete with world-renowned surfing spots like Cornwall. “It’s growing rapidly and as for the potential of it – it’s still going to grow,” says Kelly. Coasteering is growing in popularity among the truly adventurous, and is said to be addictive if you’re brave enough to give it a try. Stephen Brown runs Coasteering NI, based in Whitehead, Co Antrim. He says most clients are from Northern Ireland, but that is beginning to change.

“We are getting more and more people from the Republic of Ireland and we’ve had a few stag parties over from London. And last year I worked with Polish people, people from the States, Australia, New Zealand, Wales, Scotland, and Italy – so there’s quite a wide selection of people. “The percentage (of overseas tourists) is still quite low overall but we certainly expect to see that rising,” he says. Brown believes the NITB is aware of the potential of adventure tourism and says the development of the Outdoor Recreation NI website, a portal for the different activities on offer, has been particularly helpful. However, he says some tourism providers need to adapt to the growing market. “I contacted a lot of hostels in Northern Ireland last year about offering a service where we would pick guests up at the hostel and take them coasteering for the day. I didn’t get a response from anybody. We’re offering them a product that’s of interest to their customers – but there was no interest from them. “So it’s hard in terms of getting providers, whether it’s accommodation, catering or activities, to work together more. And I think the Tourist Board need to do more to facilitate that, but that said, you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. All the businesses need to realise that they need to work together.”

TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

Odyssey Arena provides star studded corporate entertainment

dyssey Arena, Northern Ireland’s premier entertainment venue, knows the value of corporate entertainment. For the past 12 years the venue has hosted a wealth of memorable concerts and live entertainment which annual corporate suite holders have enjoyed with key clients. Commercial Executive Clare Tarbuck provides an insight into the value of Corporate Hospitality: “At Odyssey Arena our annual suite partners believe in nurturing client relations. Corporate entertainment can be extremely valuable in relation to both existing and potential clients. Companies need to impress prospective clients and show them that their business is set apart from other competitors. Treating clients to entertainment at Odyssey Arena is the ideal way to do this. Clients will enjoy a memorable night out and have the chance to talk business in a more informal setting.” Clare continues: “At Odyssey Arena we provide a first class corporate service from beginning of booking right through to a dedicated concierge to meet guests and hospitality waiting staff to look after guests in the private suite. This enables the client to relax and enjoy the evening with guests.” Clare knows that entertaining and networking works having spoken to a current client, Gary Ennis, Managing Partner, Lockton Companies LLP. He explains: “We are in our second year of a Corporate Partnership with the Odyssey Arena and we are firmly of the opinion that it is a success and a great investment. We have two key goals for the Odyssey deal. Firstly we were looking for a brand promotion opportunity. At Lockton we had enjoyed six consecutive years of growth but our brand recognition was still something for us to work on. The Odyssey Arena gives us high visibility branding and we have benefited not only from the tremendous footfall at events but also the added bonus of incidental exposure on media such as Sky Sports. “Secondly the Suite offers consistent high quality entertainment for our clients. The suites have recently been refurbished and they are very plush. The whole entertainment experience is a bit “special” and has been a huge hit with clients. We have also been able to offer our staff access to events that are otherwise “sell outs”. “On both goals the Odyssey has delivered and in the current economic climate we view the partnership as value for money. The “icing on the cake” is the Odyssey team. Clare and the team are attentive, enthusiastic and always surprising us with innovative ideas on getting the best use out of the box.” With a fantastic line up of events announced for 2013 including, Eric Clapton, The Who, Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys and Jessie J to name but a few, Odyssey Arena has everything to keep their clients entertained. For further information on annual corporate partnerships or event packages contact, Commercial Executive, Clare Tarbuck on 028 9076 6000.

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Go British Airways ‘On business’ Brenda Morgan, British Airways Partnership Manager for Northern Ireland, writes about the benefits of signing up to the airline’s global loyalty programme, ‘On Business.’

“A

t British Airways, we have been providing Northern Ireland passengers with the important air connection between Belfast City and London Heathrow since July 2012. This is a key route for British Airways and a vital artery for the flow of business and commerce that is essential to sustain and grow our economy. With an offering of up to seven flights a day from Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow, the route has become essential for business passengers. Not only does

it provide direct access to London, but the route also offers Northern Ireland travellers connectivity to British Airways global network of almost 130 destinations worldwide from London Heathrow. At British Airways, we recognise the often extensive travel requirements of many businesses that are continuing to operate under testing market conditions. We want to reward our loyal business customers and make their travel budgets go further. Our global corporate loyalty programme, On Business aims to maximise the growth and reach of small and medium sized companies across Northern Ireland, helping to sustain their profitability. British Airways passengers benefit from a generous baggage allowance of 23kg as well as free online check-in and seat selection 24 hours before departure. For passengers catching an onward connecting flight at London Heathrow, both they and their bags are also checked through to their final destination at checkin at Belfast City Airport. This means there is no need to collect bags or check in again at London Heathrow significantly reducing journey time as a result. Signing up to On Business is free and companies will immediately see the benefits by earning points on every qualifying flight taken. These points can be redeemed for reward flights with British Airways or one of our eligible

“At British Airways, we recognise the often extensive travel requirements of businesses that continuE to operate under testing conditions.” 54 MARCH 2013

partner airlines, as well as upgrades and reductions on hotel accommodation.” Fiona Bell is Corporate Travel Manager for software company KANA, whose company is signed up to British Airways On Business: “KANA, formerly known as Lagan Technologies has been benefitting from the British Airways On Business programme since October 2007. For each and every British Airways flight flown by one of our staff, the company is rewarded On Business points which we can convert into free flights. This is particularly invaluable for travel between Belfast and our Corporate Headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. “Over the course of a year, British Airways On Business has afforded us substantial savings and, therefore, goes towards helping that all-important bottom line. I would highly recommend this scheme for any SME who has two or more travellers. It certainly works for us and we thank British Airways for their support!” Last year, British Airways On Business members saved over £13m on flights. Companies who sign up for our loyalty programme before 31 December 2013 will also receive 3,120 bonus On Business points equating to two reward flights to London. To take advantage of the offer, simply quote the key word OBBEL1 in the enrolment form on ba.com/onbusiness.

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24/12/2012 12:53

TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

The search for priorities in our tourism industry As Northern Ireland prepares for the new tourist season of 2013, Ulster Business has been reviewing the state of the sector and sounding out the priorities for development. Here, John Simpson examines the changing nature of this potentially key sector of the economy

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TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

ourism ranks high as a priority in the published ‘economic strategy’ of the NI Executive. The strategy offers clear specific targets for the tourist industry. “We have set a collective goal for the tourism sector ‘to double the income we earn from tourism by 2020’. We recognise the ambitious nature of this goal and there is a continued need for public investment in many areas, and across a range of partners, to deliver a distinctive world class tourism product throughout NI.” This formal goal converts into an expectation that, if successful, these developments might promote nearly 10,000 employment opportunities and increase the gross revenue attributed to tourism from just over £500m in 2012 to nearer £1bn in 2020. The number of visitors may increase by more than one-fifth. Tourism received significant new stimulus in 2012. The advertising strap-line, ‘ni2012; our time; our place’, was catchy and cleverly attracted positive headlines. The official tourism barometer, published by the Tourist Board, referring to major golfing events, the opening of Titanic centre and the opening of the Giant’s Causeway Centre, modestly suggests that there was ‘much to be positive about.’ During 2012, whilst tourist activity as measured by hotel bookings and visitor numbers to major locations increased, the total number of visitors from outside Northern Ireland was smaller (except for visitors from outside Europe). An analytical framework Tourism is about much more than visitor numbers. The number of visitors is a key building block but the source, motivation and spending power of different types of visitors is an explanatory variable which must be influenced, incentivised and motivated by the subtleties of marketing skills. In the tourist sector, ambitious plans must be tempered by an assessment of the difficulties in generating or incentivising demand from an increasing flow of visitors. The Northern Ireland tourist market is diverse and segmented. Advice is needed on the relative merits of the segments in terms of their potential to generate worthwhile increments to local value added and the sensitivity of the response to any market inducements. What will bring increasing numbers of visitors who will spend larger sums on their visit? Which groups of visitors would be likely to respond to more extensive, or targeted, marketing campaigns? There is no articulated model of how the Northern Ireland tourist market place might, most successfully, develop if (for example) total tourism revenue is to double in the next eight years. There are possible supply-side constraints. Would accommodation capacity be large enough

tourism key facts • Visitors from outside Northern Ireland, 2011 Number Visiting friends & relatives

950,000

Business trips (excludes.RoI)

277,000

Holiday or leisure

519,000

Others

128,000

Total

1,874,000

2010 Total

1,880,000

2. Where do visitors come from and how much does each visit cost? Number

Spend p visit

Great Britain

970,000

£222

Republic of Ireland

390,000

£151

Other European ctys

266,000

£282

North America

150,000

£307

Elsewhere

98,000

£429

Total + average

1,874,000

£233

3. How long is the average stay and what is the average cost per night? Ave. stay (days)

Spend p night

Great Britain

4.7

£48

Republic of Ireland

3.1

£49

Other European ctys

8.4

£34

North America

5.8

£52

Elsewhere

8.6

£50

average

5.2

£45

4. What is the make-up of visitor spending?* Total visitor spending, 2011

£436m

Accommodation

22%

Food and drink

35%

Entertainment and sightseeing

Souvenirs and presents

Other shopping

14%

Transport

11%

Other items

*For visitors from outside Ireland and excluding travel costs to get to N.Ireland

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TRAVEL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY

to cope with peak demand? Alternatively, what steps might be put in place to spread demand during a year to ease peak demand pressures. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) supports Tourism Ireland in the attraction of visitors from outside the island of Ireland. Tourism Ireland (which operates with Northern Ireland representation on its Board) has a shared remit on a global basis. In parallel, NITB has the responsibility to attract visitors from within the island of Ireland. This division of responsibilities was an inter-government agreement and, with some hitches, has been developed agreeably. economic framework In 2011, the best estimate of the NITB is that just under 1.9m visitors came to Northern Ireland [see table 1]. The largest generic group, of about half of all visitors from outside NI, were people who came to visit their family relatives or to see family friends. Visitors who arrive for a holiday or short leisure break make up about a quarter of the total. The holiday or leisure group of visitors is likely, logically, to attract greater marketing effort. Are these the people who can be persuaded to come more frequently and/or stay for longer? The net benefit for the local economy will be stronger if they increase the increment to local spending. This linkage emphasises the logic of the efforts by the NITB to promote local, national and international events which appeal to people from across this island and from outside. Big sporting and cultural events – such as the recently announced stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race - offer a solid marketing base. In parallel, attracting large national conferences is potentially a method of extending the conventional ‘holiday season’. There is little surprise in the statistics that confirm that most visitors come from neighbouring countries. Over 70% come from Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland [see table 2]. In terms of revenue generated, visitors from further afield tend to spend more per person. The North American market

generates over 150,000 visitors each year and their spending is over £300 per visit. A smaller group of nearly 100,000 people each year come to Northern Ireland from more diverse, non-EU and non-North America places. This is a valuable contribution to tourist revenue although its promotion is more difficult. Northern Ireland offers competitive charges which, on average, appeal to some groups of visitors. The average tourist spends just about £50 per night [see table 3]. Even if that figure is corrected to allow for the lower spending of those visiting family relatives, the implication is that for those who pay for accommodation, most people spend less than £100 per night. There are critical judgements to be made in deciding on the socio-economic structure of potential tourists. Northern Ireland has some scope for the high spending, 4-5 star hotel guests, who hire cars and spend heavily on expensive leisure pursuits. Increasing this sector of the market is a natural ambition and a point of careful focus for the NITB. Generically, perhaps the priority to build an appreciable increase in activity should be more orientated to the middle income earners who can be attracted by keen value for money and competitive services in accommodation, food and leisure activities. Tourist spending has a wide ranging impact on the economy [see table 4]. From a sample of visitors from outside the island of Ireland, there is confirmation that tourism has a multisectoral impact. Excluding the travel costs in getting to Ireland, a review of spending during the visit confirms that a large proportion, 57%, goes on accommodation and food. For tourists it is notable that spending on food and drink is itself larger than accommodation costs. A reputation for good quality food and drink is a strong selling point. In the average tourist budget there may be some surprise that 21% went to shopping, including souvenirs and presents. With an average total spend per person of under £50 per day/night Northern Ireland still seems a very competitive market for visitors!

“Having created much better choice and quality it is crucial that we see continued progress in a number of areas over the next five years.” 58 MARCH 2013

Northern Ireland Tourist Board CEO Alan Clarke says the organisation has sharp well-focused ideas on promoting tourism:

“W

e are on a journey to re-position tourism at the heart of our economy. Events and attraction openings in 2012 proved how tourism can be a uniting force, bringing the public and private sectors together and supporting jobs and revenue across accommodation, transport, attractions, shops, pubs, restaurants and many other sectors. “The tourism industry is also leading a change in perceptions about Northern Ireland as a place to visit, study, live, work and invest which is also critical to inward investment, exports and education. “The huge increase in choice and quality of products and attractions in recent years, from the Giants Causeway visitor centre and Causeway coastal route, Titanic Belfast, the MAC, the Lyric, and the Ulster Museum to the Walled City and the Mournes and St Patrick driving routes, has delivered world class things to see and do and, moreover, gives visitors greater opportunity to contribute to our economy by spending more during their stay. “Having created much better choice and quality it is crucial that we see continued progress in a number of important areas over the next five years. We must help the tourist market from Great Britain return to growth and ensure that this growth really delivers for Northern Ireland. Likewise we must realise the full potential of tourism from our closest to home market, the Republic of Ireland. “In addition to this, we need a long term events strategy that sees Northern Ireland delivering one major international event, such as MTV or the Irish Open, every year. National park designation, or similar, could bring international stand out for rural tourism here, as would the creation of a ‘one stop shop’ approach for the delivery of tourism businesses support which is still too fragmented. “It is crucial that we continually learn from best practice and from our competitors to offer a differentiated experience to the visitor. The Northern Ireland brand is centred around our unique ‘stories’ which makes the integration of tourism with culture, arts and heritage as economic sectors particularly important. ”

Corick House Hotel: a perfect blend for business

ust like you, Corick House Hotel is at heart a business, and they endeavour to provide their corporate clients with an exemplary professional service. Whether your event is large or small, the hotel has the capability of making it exceptional. Centrally located whilst remaining secluded in the country, the venue is ideal for business lunches, conferences, training, team building and residential retreats. The team at Corick House Hotel offer a vast range of experience and will ensure your every need is met. Offering a range of seating plans, refreshments and rates which can be tailored to suit individual needs, there is no request too big or small. The hotel is situated in Clogher Valley and showcases how the old and new can blend together effortlessly, offering visitors a high quality and luxurious experience where style and elegance meets country hospitality. Give yourself the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the business world for a step back in time in this 3*, award winning hotel. For those requiring residential conference facilities the hotel boasts 43 luxurious bedrooms and suites, nine of which are situated in the original Georgian house, and the remainder located in the new wing of the hotel. All rooms have been individually designed and decorated to an exceptional standard, giving a classically luxurious edge, with stunning views of the gardens, valleys and countryside. Each room is fully equipped to ensure maximum comfort during your stay. For further information or to make a booking please contact the Conferencing and Banqueting Team on 028 8554 8216. *Spa facilities are due to open Spring 2013.

TOURISM ROUNDTABLE SPONSORED BY PwC

Tourism: where do we go now? Business advisors PwC recently brought together some of the leading players in the tourism industry to discuss how Northern Ireland should build on the success of 2012 to create a sustainable long term strategy for tourism.

Roundtable participants Howard Hastings – MD of Hastings Hotels Steven Curragh – Partner at PwC. Niall McKenna – James Street South Restaurant, Chef de Nome. Ciaran Rogan – Head of Marketing at Translink. Paul Terrington – Regional Chair of PwC in Northern Ireland. Kevin McAllister – Partner at PwC. Kathryn Thomson – Chief Operating Officer, Northern Ireland Tourist Board. Tim Husbands – Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast. Rachael Downing – Director of Business Tourism for BVCB (Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau).

Steven Curragh: 2012 is behind us, and I suppose my first question is did it meet, or exceed, our expectations? Kathryn Thomson: For us 2012 was part of a much longer term strategy. If you look at it as a year in itself I think there were some huge successes. There was the opening of Titanic Belfast which smashed all of its visitor projections; the opening of the new centre at the Causeway, which had traditionally been the number one visitor attraction in Northern Ireland; we had the hugely successful Irish Open and made European Tour history by virtually having a sell-out event. But in terms of that longer term strategy two of the key things that 2012 did was change perceptions and reposition Northern Ireland as a positive place not only to come on holiday, but to live, work, study and invest. There has been the start of a longer journey around civic pride, making people from Northern Ireland feel proud of where they are from. Tim Husbands: I would agree with Kathryn. We are 11 months into the first year and we have just passed the 700,000 visitor numbers and we will do 750,000. 2012 is a platform for growth and I think if we are learning anything after the success of Titanic Belfast, it’s the fact that product is absolutely key in developing tourism. Titanic Belfast was built to reclaim its heritage, which is in line with the civic

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pride issue, and to introduce a new tourist to Northern Ireland. Our figures reflect that: 65% of our business is from outside of Northern Ireland. 30% of that is from the Republic, but it is still a key movement of visitors that haven’t been seen before. Rachael Downing: Occupancy levels were very strong in 2012 and I think that is always a good indicator. It peaked in August to about 89%. We haven’t seen those levels since 2007 when we had a third less hotel bedrooms in the city. Those visitor numbers were felt right across the city, beyond hotels. In terms of the Welcome Centre, our visitor numbers were up about 32% on the previous year. I do have to say that challenges remain around the midweek economy. Leisure and the weekend economy has been extremely successful as part of the 2012 campaign and I think our next challenge now is what are we going to do about the midweek economy and in particular business tourism. Niall McKenna: I agree. 2012 started very, very well. I could see a massive change in the type of customer that we were getting in the restaurant just in one year. The quality of customer and the quality of spend was definitely up. Regarding the golf, we had American, French, and a lot of Swiss tourists. We were looking very positive, very strong and then it sort of tailed off as the flag protest came in and devastated us. It really did hit us hard. TH: Research we carried out during the summer showed 58% of people coming from out of state

were only coming into Belfast because of Titanic Belfast, which is great, but the challenge is then to make sure that you share that wealth around the city and then further afield. NM: At the moment Belfast is a one night stop and that is Saturday night. The key thing is getting people in during the week, getting Thursdays back, getting Fridays back and getting people staying in Belfast after work. The biggest night in London is a Thursday night. Howard Hastings: There’s a a growing acknowledgement I think by Government of the importance of tourism. I think the proof is that the First and Deputy First Ministers are so visible at many tourism events now, such as the Titanic, the Giants Causeway and the Irish Open. The Irish Open was an eye-opener as to the sort of people that could be attracted into the province by big events. Invest NI got leads out of that that they might not otherwise have done. So tourism’s wider benefits to society I think began to be felt during 2012. SC: Look at the numbers for 2012 which were very successful whatever way you look at it in terms of beds or nights occupancy or spend. Northern Ireland really came into its own and was very clearly differentiated and developed and rightly earned a reputation as a ‘must see’ place in its own right. That’s what will make the tourism product sustainable. You can have any number of events which will get a number of people into places but it is the sustainability which I think was cracked in 2012.

TOURISM ROUNDTABLE SPONSORED BY PwC

Kevin McAllister: How do you measure the legacy so that the people who were at the Irish Open come back and they play these courses? Ciaran Rogan: The Irish Open didn’t happen in isolation. The World Cross-country Championships were held in Belfast a lot of years back, we have had the Underage World Rugby Championships, there is a heritage of sporting events which have gradually been getting bigger and the Open to a degree was a culmination. The World Police & Fire Games this year is a further development and that is the legacy, that Northern Ireland becomes the place that can actually host these events and host them well. Symon Ross: What role do big events play in NITB’s strategy going forward? KT: Events are an absolute critical part of our strategy. One of the issues you talked about is being quiet at certain parts of the week and certain parts of the year and events are great for out of season. They also create regional spread, not just in Belfast but across Northern Ireland. Some of the big events we host are really great in terms of repositioning. We are seen as being capable of hosting these events and it says a lot about our society, about the capability of our society, what kind place that it is. It is an opportunity for us to sell Northern Ireland. At the Irish Open inward investors were able to experience being there and they got a sense of what Northern Ireland would be like to bring business here. We are working to secure at least one major event a year. Paul Terrington: Are we happy that events are being coordinated to really maximise the power that we have in the region? KT: Last year taught us a huge amount about partnership and the fact that you have to work together. It was decided that the Irish Open would come here in January and we had to deliver it in June. That really focused everybody, Tim Husbands

there wasn’t any time to fight about who was going to do what, we had to work together and that helped build relationships. CR: Once those partnerships are in place, it becomes easier to do it the next time, they are in place. In Translink we tend to have the same people working on events the whole time. You become part of a machine and you roll on the next event. HH: The events help to bring society to an awareness of the visitor economy. There was a huge appetite for people to volunteer for the Olympics and Paralympics and we have a huge appetite to volunteer for things like the Irish Open, the World Police & Fire Games this year. Not only have we invested financially in some of these things we have actually got society investing emotionally in the big events and that’s part of what I think creates the resilience to say that, amid the flag protests, we are not going back, we are moving confidently on as a visitor economy and as a society. SR: Is there a pipeline of events beyond 2013?

HH: Well we have announced the Giro d’Italia in 2014 which will be as big in its way as the Irish Open. The golf attracted great coverage in North America, we are seeing the rewards of that and we have to target events that will dial up those particular markets. I suppose from an out of state tourism point of view we still have a huge opportunity in the Republic of Ireland, we still have a huge opportunity in Great Britain. There is low hanging fruit to be had and so there are criteria for what we should be bidding for. The Executive have indicated that they have an appetite to let us go after those events. RD: If I could extend the event conversation to conferencing, this year we are on track to secure conferences for Belfast worth £27.3m. That is 70% more conferences we will have won this year versus last year. Next year we want to grow that by a further 40% so we have a constant pipeline, we have got events on the books planned for up to 2020. The Waterfront extension and the £20m invested in that will be a game changer for us in that particular segment. HH: The beauty of the business sector is that we can play to the off-season, which tends to be the corporate conferencing season anyway. One of the reasons that there aren’t more hotels being built at the moment is that there isn’t the all year round occupancy. If the business tourism is delivered then you will see that people will be prepared to invest. SC: That’s where you want to get that complimentary mix of events, tourism and of course the cruise ships. NM: The cruise ships are brilliant for us and so are conferences because they spend money and they really enjoy spending the money. TH: I think the MTV Awards and some of the major conferences that we have hosted and the extension of the Waterfront is an indication of >>> the kind of business that we need to be

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going out after. It is international business that we want because they are going to spend more.

Kathryn Thomson and Kevin McAllister

SC: City Airport CEO Brian Ambrose has said that if you can get people in through the airport on business and they can see Northern Ireland they will come back as a leisure visitor. KT: I think that is really important because I think our biggest challenge is getting people here in the first place. We know from all of our visitor attitude surveys that for over 60% of people that visit we are either meeting or exceeding their expectations. NM: I have said this many times but one of our strongest points in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, is our size. Transport is brilliant and it is such a small area we should really use that to our advantage. I was talking to the President of MTV and the one thing that he said was that he had done more business in Belfast than he done in the past four MTV Awards because he was never in a taxi, he walked everywhere. He said in Barcelona he was in a taxi for 1½ hour a day, and Belfast has opened his eyes to smaller cities. KM: Is there a challenge around the transport infrastructure there because there has been talk about the rapid transit being badly needed to move people around the city. CR: When you go abroad, the first thing you look for is a train because a train is the easiest transport for a visitor to understand. From the 24th March we will be reopening the line up to Derry in time for Easter and the City of Culture, that’s an excellent service and people understand that. But actually communicating a bus network to tourists can be quite difficult. Once that is done, the tourists will then use the network. NM: We had thirty fishermen take a private dining room when they were staying in the Europa. I asked where they were going fishing and how they were getting there and they said,

by bus. They had all their kit but said it was the easiest way. They were going off to Fermanagh to do their fishing and then they were coming back to Belfast. CR: It is about making sure transport is packaged with the other attractions and the other products which are on the ground. Whether that it is through integrated ticketing or information you can always do more. The example that is always cited to me is the tourist that goes to Switzerland, where you can use the railway network as a hub for cycling, walking, any kind of product at all. That’s just integrated packaging and that’s what we in Northern Ireland are getting better at. HH: I am excited by the restoration of the route to Derry/Londonderry, especially from Coleraine because it has the potential to enrich the visitor experience. It is one of Michael Palin’s Top 10 Railway Networks of the world. To be able to add, at such low cost, a key value added element to the route is really quite exciting. Ciaran Rogan

SC: How many cruise ships will we get this year? RD: Ten years ago there were three cruise ships and now there are 57. Titanic is absolutely crucial to that in terms of the feedback from cruise operators. There are greater opportunities to influence spend on the ground as passengers are less inclined to buy into pre-scheduled excursions. HH: From a statistical point of view, that cruise liner spend is not included in any figures that we produce because we only compile statistics that capture people who have stayed overnight in onshore accommodation. SC: What potential does that have for growth? HH: My understanding is, and you can correct me if I am wrong, Dublin has 80 cruise ships and they have been doing that for years and years, so the capacity may not be quite to our ambition. But famous cruise ship The World will be coming to Belfast this year for three days and then to Derry/Londonderry for a further two days. Other cruise operators love to see where this ship as been, so it’s a shop window. SC: Can I just take us to a slightly different area; we understand that the visitor numbers in the Republic for last year have been flattish. KT: This is one of our greatest frustrations, the collation of statistics for Northern Ireland is extremely complicated because they come from so many different sources but the figures that we get for the Republic of Ireland market comes to us from the Central Statistics Office and we haven’t had any statistics yet for 2012. Anecdotally we have a sense that the Southern market has been slightly stronger last year maybe than it had been the year before. SC: Has the number of visitors to Northern Ireland via the Republic fallen? HH: I would say it’s unlikely because last year

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TOURISM ROUNDTABLE SPONSORED BY PwC

saw the first full year of the Etihad and Emirates services which were extraordinarily popular going to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We get more Australians than Germans coming to Northern Ireland every year; they are more likely to have come through those Emirates services than Heathrow. In the summer season there are 300,000 seats from North America coming to the island of Ireland. There is no extra capacity coming to Northern Ireland but I think that via through traffic people coming to Northern Ireland will in 2013 take another step forward. KT: But it does raise the question of access. We only have one direct route that goes International to Newark which is a really critical route not just from a tourism perspective but also from an inward investment perspective. I think we would love to attract more long-haul routes because we know that people who come here directly rather than via Dublin or London will spend more and they will stay longer. SR: So what is holding that up? Is it demand? KT: We need to be able to demonstrate that those routes would be sustainable. Air Passenger Duty had been a substantial problem for us, but from January this year Air Passenger Duty has been abolished on the long-haul flight. That creates an opportunity for us now to attract others. HH: One of the areas that I suspect is most closely watched is probably one of the Canadian routes. If you go back five years we probably had about four or five services and so there is I think a pent up demand on those routes. SC: There is a natural linkage with Canada here when we talk about the Linenhall Library and people wanting to explore their roots. RD: The International Airport has said they want to increase passenger numbers to 12 million by 2030 but that the next few years will be bumpy. Consumer confidence is a big issue to make those routes viable, as is the emissions trading scheme, which is apparently a big issue in terms of aircrafts taking on new routes. TH: Over the course of the next 10 to 15 years, the most travelled nationalities according to the World Tourism Organisation are going to be the Russians the Brazilians and the Chinese. Obviously the airports are putting on shorthaul into Europe but my understanding is it is based on the numbers of people from Northern Ireland going in as opposed to actually bringing people back again. KT: We have got really good access to Great Britain but I think it’s direct European access that is critical, because all of our research shows us that visitors that are coming to Northern Ireland are coming here largely for short breaks for three to five days.

Niall McKenna, Steven Curragh and Howard Hastings

RD: We had the Secretary General from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation here at the Titanic and he said Europe is still the biggest source market for outbound tourism globally – 52% of all global travellers are from Europe. He believed that Belfast is really well positioned and that our proximity to London is a big bonus and should be exploited. TH: He said ‘look come on guys catch yourselves on here, you have got a great product, be confident, start talking positively about what you have, rather than what you don’t have.’ RD: And he said that the Chinese market is huge for tourism but that they will only visit once. Russian tourists are repeat visitors. Selfridges in London did a study and they found that Chinese shoppers spent £1072.00 per head, versus £62.00 per head for UK shoppers. HH: One of the biggest issues is Visas, because Visas are so hard to get from the new and developing markets. There are ten times as many Chinese visitors to Continental Europe and France as to Britain because you have got to give your passport away for six weeks and it costs quite a lot. The other area of UK wide competitiveness is VAT. The UK is only one of three of the Euro area regions that levy’s the full rate of VAT on visitor attractions and hotel bedrooms. One of the reactions in the Republic of Ireland to the downturn is to reduce VAT on hotel bedrooms to 9% from 13% where we are at 20%. SC: That leads on to what should Northern Irelands positioning be? Is a Chinese tourist ever going to say I am going to have my one worldwide holiday this year and it is going to be in Northern Ireland? Are we pitching ourselves at the right level or are the likes of the European tourist more appropriate to the positioning of the product that we have here? If the Russians want to go Harrods or Selfridges will they ever come through to the Lisburn Road?

NM: But then if you look at how many people live in China, if we get 0.01% of those people then we are full. TH: And there are some massive ‘Titanoracks’, they are into Titanic in a big, big way. PT: There has been quite a lot of conversation of what can Government do, but if we look at the private sector potential in this sector there could be difficulty in raising bank funding. The industry is one which requires significant investment. We are probably at a point where we have reasonable capacity, but if you look ahead, if all the things we have talked about are successful, demand will increase. What do we do about Banks and their attitude to the sector? HH: I think obviously that some of their reticence is they saw the hotel sector as part of the property sector. I think we have started to demonstrate that these are trading businesses that are standing on their own feet. Lending to things like new visitor attractions is not something that the local banks have ever done before because so many of those have been Council owned/run/funded and I suppose that the next stage of development for both Local Authorities and for banks is to look at where some of those projects can be run on a Service Level Agreement by private sector organisations. PT: If you look at Northern Ireland PLC there is a transition that needs to take place between the public sector and the private sector, and tourism has a key role to play in that. What is the impact of this kind of relationship in terms of jobs? SC: When you actually look at the jobs in the sector I have seen figures that range from 40,000 to 54,000. It’s hard to get a message across if you are not sure what your baseline actually is. KT: We have said we want to create another 10,000 jobs by 2020. Our politicians are very motivated by jobs and so it has been very >>>

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important for us to be able to articulate what we think the impact will be. The tourism sector in terms of the job numbers is at well over 6% of our economy at the moment but I think that probably understates the number of jobs that there are. The proxy that we use is that every additional £1m of tourism revenue we generate we can support another 25 jobs.

Rachael Downing

Paul Terrington

TH: I think there is a good story to be told about how many jobs there are in tourism and it’s an undersold story. When we went out to recruitment we did a whole day Recruitment Fair at the City Hall, we had 4,000 people coming through the door, the headline in the Belfast Telegraph the following day was ‘Only 200 jobs available at Titanic Belfast’. RD: Oxford Economics research has shown that 33% of all private sector jobs are through the tourism and hospitality industry in Belfast. That’s not counting the supply chain and the food producers. So that’s how important it is in terms of the current unrest and restoring confidence and getting the City back on its feet again. That’s what is at stake. HH: We still have a little bit of work to do with Government economists to get them to realise the value of investment in the tourism sector because of the long term nature of the business. If you build Titanic Belfast you are taking a 50 year view on the revenue streams you will be getting back. If you invest in a more traditional Invest Northern Ireland project you are looking at a five to ten year horizon. The jobs that are created are sometimes criticised because they are not above average earnings, but the net present value of those jobs because of their duration is actually much higher than some of the promoted jobs in other sectors. And when you get visitors coming and they are going to James Street South and Niall is reinvesting in local produce the multiplier effect of the tourism pound is much greater. NM: Last year we spent, over £120,000 on meat alone. That’s in one restaurant. That’s just me. Ciaran Rogan and Niall McKenna

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KM: What about the flags issue? We had someone come here from Atlanta and he rang two or three days in advance to say that the international tourism desk had advised not to travel to Northern Ireland. How do we manage that international communication? RD: The ‘Back in Belfast’ campaign is about changing the conversation locally and trying to get confidence locally and trying to get local people back into the City, because until we do that we can’t convince tourists to come. KT: The bigger challenge for us is the people who are coming up from the South and over from GB because they have been most impacted by the media coverage. It’s trying to reassure tour operators, trying to reassure people who are booked for business to keep coming. Niche markets and people that come here for specific reasons, they are not put off. We have done a lot of work over the last year with the other tourism agencies on the island and we know now much more clearly what segments are the best prospect for us. RD: If you look at conferencing, we are working hard to reassure clients and restore confidence. During the recent unrest, we implemented a tactical plan very quickly to contact pending conferences on the books that are considering

Belfast. Within a day, Minister Arlene Foster had volunteered to contact them personally to help alleviate any concerns and help us in securing the business. By the second day, the Merchant had sponsored ten free bedrooms to host our clients on a FAM trip. I visited the event organisers in London and despite some reservations from locals I spoke to, the clients themselves understood the bigger picture and all have committed to bring their event to Belfast in the future. The value of that pending business is about £5.7m and we are confident of confirmations in the coming months. SR: What niche markets are being targeted? KT: Golf is a great example because golfers will spend a huge amount of money and travel really far. All they are interested in is getting into the courses that they want to play. We have a great product in terms of Houses and Gardens and we have developed some driving routes and driving trails. By the end of this year we will also have 75 kilometres of brand new really high quality mountain biking routes across Northern Ireland. SC: I think the whole ancestry thing has huge potential. One of our clients is the Ulster Historical Foundation which has invested huge amounts in the search capability and I think the potential for that. PT: It is clear the events have helped not just how we are perceived externally but how we are perceived internally, which moves tourism from being a Cinderella sector and reinforces that we are actually serious about tourism as a key part of our economy. We have a source of competitive advantage here not just in the products that we have to offer but in our size. An ability to join together different parts of Government and the private sector. We can find lots of examples where we can say joined up Government isn’t working in Northern Ireland but the experiences that all of you have relayed is one where it has worked very well for tourism. Actually if we can keep that as a source of competitive advantage we should be able to maintain that momentum. I don’t see any reason that we can’t do that.

Tax & Accounting

TAX & ACCOUNTING

What’s in the case, Mr Osborne? Most people would agree that urgent action is needed in this month’s Budget to get the economy moving again. But does Chancellor George Osborne have any cards left to play?

his year’s Budget was never likely to be an easy one for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. But since the UK was downgraded by Moody’s, losing its coveted AAA rating, the pressure on George Osborne has been ramped up a notch. The UK’s fiscal position and the government’s apparently immoveable resolve to stick to its austerity strategy have, however, left many wondering if we can expect much of anything that will make a difference on March 20. We asked an economist, a tax expert and a business association for their views on what we should look out for and what they themselves would recommend. THE ECONOMIST Richard Ramsey, Chief Economist for Northern Ireland at Ulster Bank says: “The dominant themes of this Budget will likely be more of the same: a sober reminder of how bad the UK’s public finances are with tough talking on the need to get the deficit down. “However, the targets won’t be met and will be pushed further out. Now that we are almost within two years of the next election, politics are very much in play. It’s Six Nations time and we will see George Osborne kicking more fiscal pain into touch (the next Parliament). As with previous Governments, he will be laying more fiscal IEDs (tax hikes and spending cuts) for the next Parliament.

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“The Chancellor has been frustrated at the lack of success or progress on Enterprise zones so we may see more colour on this around the margins. “Throughout his tenure, George Osborne has consistently surprised with one measure – corporation tax. We may see an additional cut in the headline rate, over and above what has been announced so far. From a Northern Ireland perspective this is good news as if we were ever to get the corporation tax varying powers, the smaller the differential between the UK and Republic of Ireland headline rates, the lower the corresponding cut to the Block Grant. “I think one of the most important back stories to this Budget is what is happening with inflation. Remember, previous Budgets and Autumn statements have been used to announce 1% pay increases – below inflation, which should exceed 3% later this year. “The same goes for benefits payments. The next financial year, beginning April 2013, marks the first year that benefits and social security payments (excluding state pensions) have not been raised in line with inflation. “In addition, the higher the rate of inflation, the easier it is for George Osborne to capture more tax through fiscal drag. Gone are the days when thresholds were raised in line with or slightly below inflation. We are in the era of threshold freezes and/or lowering thresholds. So, more and more people will continue to swell the ranks of the higher tax (income tax) bracket.

The higher the rate of inflation also makes the cut in public expenditure larger in real terms. “What would I do? In my view, the UK public finances are in such dire shape that we should be taking a 1p increase in the basic income tax rate on the chin. Of course, this is politically difficult so close to the general election.” THE TAX EXPERT Glenn Roberts, Senior Partner at Deloitte in Belfast says: “It is possible that we will see the completion of the reduction in headline corporation tax rates to 20%, following the cut to 21% which is to apply from 2014. Whilst there has been considerable media interest in the taxation of international groups operating within the UK, substantive changes to this regime will require international agreement so immediate action is unlikely. We’re not expecting any concrete proposals in relation to a lower rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland. “The Autumn Statement confirmed that plans to change the IR35 rules would not proceed. However the intention is to include changes in this budget to bring officeholders engaged via companies within in the scope of the IR35 rules for PAYE purposes. This will impact non-executive directors engaged in this way. “We expect a new consultation to be announced at Budget Day, which is expected

TAX & ACCOUNTING

“The UK public finances are in such dire shape that we should be taking a 1p increase in the basic income tax rate on the chin.” to consider the introduction of anti-avoidance provisions which would prevent the use of partnerships to artificially reduce overall tax liabilities. “The personal allowance for 2013/14 has already been announced in the Autumn Statement at £9,440. This moved nearer to the Coalition Government’s flagship goal of £10,000 and it is possible that the Budget will include the announcement that the move to £10,000 will be completed from 2014/15. This will reduce the impact of the earlier decision to withdraw the higher age allowance for those reaching 65 from April 2013. “However, whilst the personal allowance has been increased considerably over recent years, benefitting most basic rate taxpayers, the lower earnings threshold for national insurance has not increased at the same rate and has been set at £7,755 for 2013/14. Some movement towards narrowing this gap would be welcomed. “Many of the changes that are planned for the 2013 Finance Bill have already been the subject of consultation over the last nine months, and we expect to see the final outcome of the consultation process on many of these topics, with possibly some relaxations in some areas. “The ability to set certain losses off against general income is to be restricted from 6 April 2013 to the greater of £50,000 and 25% of total income. There are still concerns that full relief should be available for all genuine business losses, and it is possible that we will Glenn Roberts

see some further relaxations in the Budget announcements. “GAAR – general anti-abuse rule – is expected to apply from 6 April 2013. Whilst the draft legislation has already been issued and is unlikely to change substantively, it is hoped that the HMRC guidance will be expanded to provide more examples and clearer guidance so that taxpayers are able to consider whether the GAAR applies to a proposed transaction. This is important, as the legislation is widely drawn, but the expressed target of the GAAR is to attack the most aggressive tax planning. “Also a new test for residency is being introduced from 6 April 2013. There have already been several rounds of consultation on this subject, and we expect to see the final version of the legislation in the Budget. The new rules will give a welcome certainty to the internationally mobile, who up to now have needed to use a mixture of HMRC practice and case law to determine their residence status.” THE BUSINESS ORGANISATION Wilfred Mitchell, Policy Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, says: “The Federation of Small Businesses wants a Budget for small firms, which will give opportunities for investment, growth and job creation and return confidence to small businesses. The FSB has called for incentives to take on new staff and for the Chancellor to announce a review of how enterprise support is delivered through central and local government to ensure support is focused and effective. “Small firms have ambition and want to grow but consistently cite finance and access to long term capital as key barriers. The Chancellor needs to put clear plans in place for the Business Bank. Not only should he set out the role the new institution will have in getting this finance to small firms, he should also show how the bank should help open up competition in the

Richard Ramsey

banking sector and encourage non-bank sources of finance. “To bolster efforts to increase competition, the FSB is urging the Government to ensure the Financial Conduct Authority focuses on this aspect of their remit with the aim of encouraging new entrants into the market, so that small firms have more choice. “The Chancellor must also ensure that the work being done to simplify the tax system is not watered down. The current proposal to allow small firms with a turnover of less than £77,000 to provide cash-based accounts is a major deregulatory step and one the FSB believes will increase compliance. The FSB would also like to see existing schemes for investment relief pooled together in a simple one-stop-shop so that small firms know where to go for capital to invest in their business. “Small Business Rates Relief should also be made permanent in England as some small businesses pay more in business rates than they do in rent. The FSB is also calling for a review on how business rates are calculated, moving the indexation from RPI to CPI in line with other areas of Government policy. “The FSB is recommending Government extend the National Insurance Contributions holiday to all small firms across the UK with less than four staff, rather than just start-up businesses. This could create 45,000 new jobs and add £1.3bn to the economy “It should also cancel the 3p fuel duty rise planned for September 2013 and to initiate a full review of fuel prices and motoring taxation.”

“We’re not expecting any concrete proposals in relation to a lower rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland.” MARCH 2013 67

TAX & ACCOUNTING

NI ‘left behind’ by UK government policy

former Bank of England rate-setter says Northern Ireland is being left behind by a UK government which is pursuing a one-size-fitsall fiscal and monetary policy approach that ignores the realities of the regional economies. Speaking to a gathering of business leaders organised by the private client investment firm Davy Northern Ireland, David Blanchflower said: “I take the view that the government is running a tight fiscal and monetary policy which it has placed great reliance upon and I believe that’s a real problem, particular for the regions – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. “A one-size-fits-all fiscal and monetary policy is too narrow, in my view, to help the regions, because it denies that there are regional issues. I’m also surprised at this point that the government has not been more pragmatic in doing something about that.” David Blanchflower, who has spoken of his worries about the UK economy and his fears for 2013 before, also said Stormont ministers should do more to lobby for measures that would help to stimulate growth and restore business and consumer confidence. “They should be jumping up and down,” he said. “They should be pressuring them to do more to get growth into the economy.” The former central banker said recently said he was fearful for the UK economy, warning that government cuts would inflict harm on cashstrapped families.

LEFT: Former Bank of England interest rate setter and economist David Blanchflower with Conor Cahalane, head of Davy Northern Ireland.

Tax medal awarded in memory of partner

wo years after the tragic plane crash at Cork Airport, the memory of one of Northern Ireland’s leading tax practitioners has been honoured by the awarding of the inaugural Chartered Institute of Taxation’s ‘KPMG Pat Cullinan Memorial Medal’. The winner was Claire Starkey, a Tax Adviser at BDO, who achieved the highest mark of all Northern Ireland candidates in the Chartered Institute of Tax Final Exams in 2012. Pat Cullinan, a native of Co. Tyrone and a tax partner with accountancy firm KPMG in Belfast, was killed in the tragic air accident which also claimed five other lives at Cork Airport on 10 February 2011. Speaking at the presentation of the award at KPMG’s Belfast office, Eamonn Donaghy, Head of Tax at KPMG Belfast said: “Pat is very much missed by his colleagues. He was the consummate professional – focused on KPMG’s Eamonn Donaght (left) and Patrick Stevens (right) of the Chartered Institute of Taxation present his work to ensure he provided the highest BDO adviser Claire Starkey with her award. standard of service to his clients but always willing to take the time to provide advice and assistance to his colleagues. This award is a very fitting tribute to his memory and a great testimony to the standard of tax advisers who practice in Northern Ireland”. Patrick Stevens, President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation added: “The Pat Cullinan Memorial Medal rewards hard work, dedication and excellence – all values demonstrated by Pat during his career. We are honoured to dedicate this medal to the memory of Pat.”

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TAX & ACCOUNTING

The asset finance team at Close Brothers Commercial Finance: Cecil Doherty, Gary Coburn, Harry Parkinson, Paul Close and Tony Neill.

Getting ready for business spring Are you prepared for growth? Paul Close, Head of Sales for NI at independent finance house Close Brothers Commercial Finance (Ireland), says that with Spring on its way, companies that are planning to take advantage of the green shoots of recovery should consider their financial strategy carefully.

esults from the latest Close Brothers Business Barometer* have revealed that more than a quarter of small to medium sized firms in Northern Ireland expect their business to successfully expand in 2013. This is a positive message. It has been proven many times over the decades that in times of extreme difficulty, innovation multiplies and there certainly are businesses that are thriving in the current economic climate. As the green shoots of recovery slowly begin to appear, now is the time for firms to truly find their point of difference and emerge ahead of their competition. The message we have been getting from our clients is that the potential for growth does seem to exist in an increasing number of sectors. However, in order to take advantage of this and to maximise the opportunities that are on the horizon, companies will need to prepare their financial strategy carefully. Just over one in ten companies have told us that they’ve been turned down for finance from their bank in the last six months. Almost a fifth told us that they hadn’t even approached their bank for additional finance because they were concerned the request would be declined or that their existing borrowing might be reduced or become more expensive. The approach to lending here continues

70 MARCH 2013

to be conservative, so where does that leave businesses with the drive and commitment to move forward? There is still a lack of awareness about the full spectrum of funding options that can be availed of. Our Business Barometer shows that 40 per cent of SMEs in Northern Ireland do not know what asset finance is. It’s surprising because this is such an effective method of helping companies purchase new equipment or commercial vehicles, for example, spreading the purchase cost over the duration of an asset’s economic lifespan. Part of FTSE 250 listed financial services group Close Brothers, Close Brothers Commercial Finance has been offering asset finance to the Northern Irish market for almost three years now. What we suggest is that companies use a blend of financial products that best suit their individual requirements and we are seeing an increasing number of firms move away from relying on one funding provider for all of their financial needs. So what makes Close Brothers different? We offer a wide range of bespoke asset finance products for each customer, including hire purchase, leasing or asset refinancing. Refinance is one of our key products. It’s a way of releasing cash from an existing asset; we

purchase the unencumbered asset at its current value, then the client leases it back from us over an agreed period of time. It can also be used to fund new assets without the need for a deposit. One hundred per cent funding can be secured by pledging unencumbered assets as additional security, which preserves valuable working capital. We believe it has an important role to play to complement traditional bank lending and support recovery. Access to appropriate funding will likely be an issue for some time yet but we are committed to bridging the funding gap by offering sustainable finance that is helping businesses achieve their growth expectations. The recession has been the most challenging of living memory and the recovery won’t be instantaneous but it will come. Businesses must be ready to face new challenges and ensure that they have the financial capacity to cope with the opportunities that lie ahead. * The Close Brothers Business Barometer is carried out independently by Lightspeed Research on a quarterly basis. It canvasses the opinion of SME owner managers on a range of issues affecting their business. For more information please contact Paul Close on 07500 038908 or email: paul.close@closebrothers.com

18 Boucher Way, Belfast BT12 6RE www.agnewcorporate.co.uk

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04/02/2013 09:47

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

Northern Ireland companies are one in a million for The Prince’s Trust

ive of Northern Ireland’s leading companies have collectively raised an impressive £80,000 for The Prince’s Trust through its Million Makers Challenge to help turn around the lives of disadvantaged young people in Northern Ireland. With initial seed funding from The Prince’s Trust, the five finalists competed against each other to run the most profitable mini enterprise over the past six months. Armstrong Medical, BTWShiells, Cavanagh Kelly, Cunningham Coates Stockbrokers and Harbinson Mulholland undertook a wide range of activities including movie premieres, bicycle races, afternoon tea, stock market challenge, a masquerade ball and a night at the dog racing to maximise profits to donate to the charity. Belfast-based property agents BTWShiells scooped the top prize raising an astonishing £36,000 through a Night at the Dogs in Drumbo, and a series of quizzes and raffles. Speaking at the final awards ceremony, Patricia Dorrity of BTWShiells said: “We are delighted to participate in this year’s Million Makers Challenge. The Prince’s Trust is a fantastic charity and we felt privileged to be able to contribute to their work in helping change the lives of disadvantaged young people. In fact, it was the life experiences presented to us by the Trust’s Young Ambassadors, describing how the charity helped them overcome adversity that inspired and motivated us to maximise our fundraising potential.” Ian Jeffers, Director of The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland said: “This year’s Million Makers teams have shown an impressive amount of creativity and commitment to raise £80,000 in just six months for The Prince’s Trust. Not only have the team participants developed many transferable skills such as leadership, motivation and decision making, but the money raised will make a significant impact on the lives of many disadvantaged young people throughout Northern Ireland.”

If you think your company has what it takes to be a Million Maker, then why not sign up for next year? For more information contact Arlene Creighton on Tel: 028 9075 8131 or email: arlene.creighton@ princes-trust.org.uk.

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Lucy Lewis from The Prince’s Trust (left) with Neil Workman and Larissa Wray from the winning team BTWShiells who raised £36,000.

Ruairi McGarry and Anna Devlin from runners-up Cavanagh Kelly Accountants are pictured with Arlene Creighton from The Prince’s Trust (centre). Cavanagh Kelly raised £14,980.

John Costain, David Harris, Nuala Mullan and Chris O’Neill from runners-up Cunningham Coates Stockbrokers who raised £14,500.

That’s about the only answer you won’t get from Agnew Fleet Manager. From mileage management to service reminders – we have the solution.

Want to know how to save time, money and take control of managing your fleet? Then Agnew Fleet Manager is the answer. It brings everything you need together – all at the touch of a button. Pair this with our competitive rentals and find out how Agnew Corporate is the complete fleet solution. Call us on: 028 9038 6600 Take control today - we’d be happy to give you a full demonstration of how Agnew Fleet Manager could benefit you.

18 Boucher Way, Belfast BT12 6RE www.agnewcorporate.co.uk

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04/02/2013 09:47

EVENTS

STEM – thinking beyond tomorrow

epresentatives from over 25 local companies joined Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subject teachers from local schools for a unique hands-on careers event at South West College, Dungannon recently. The event was organised by Southern Education & Library Board, South West College, Business in the Community & W5 STEMNET and supported by leading local STEM businesses including Action Renewables, Bombardier, Equiniti ICS, GEDA, Dunbia, B9 Organic Energy, AutoLine, Mallaghan Engineering, NI Waterways, the PSNI and Grenier. The event consisted of a series of speed networking opportunities where teachers were able to explore various STEM career areas, qualifications required and information on job opportunities within Northern Ireland and beyond. Teachers also had the opportunity to attend a series of practical STEM demonstrations, attend STEM lectures and visit information stands to collate information and discuss STEM qualifications and careers with local employers.

Members of the STEM organising team included Shirley Patterson, STEM Centre; Barry Lewis, STEMNET; Michelle Fulton, BELB; Malachy McAteer, South West College; Arlene Todd, W5 STEMNET; Aidan McCormick, CEIAG Sub Group and Claire Gordon, BITC.

BT Northern Ireland, a great STEM supporter, enlisted the support of apprentices to demonstrate alternatives entry routes available.

Sainsbury’s supermarkets outlined the variety of careers available for STEM students.

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Magherafelt’s Moyola Precision Engineering, who provide logistical solutions for aerospace, defence, automotive, IT and other industries.

First Trust Bank discussed STEM careers in the Financial sector with teachers at the event.

Dungannon company Dunbia, a leading supplier of top quality red meat products.

Executive Motoring By Pat Burns

Sponsored by

www.fleetfinancial.co.uk Extra comes as standard

MOTORING

Alpina arrives in Ulster

ou probably won’t have heard of Burkard Bovensiepen, but you will have heard of Alpina BMW. The range of finely engineered Alpinas are now available in Ulster for the first time through Bavarian Garages in Belfast, part of the Sytner Group. Ulster Business tested the 171mph D5 Bi-turbo that manages 48mpg... The Alpina philosophy is based on a combination of sports performance with limousine comfort, Alpinas are not cars that will shake, rattle or roll, but cover miles effortlessly not only at speed but with stylish comfort. The history of Alpina dates back to 1964, Burkard Bovensiepen was a student working in the family engineering business, Alpina, which at the time made typewriters. Young Burkard was a big BMW fan and in his spare time developed a set of twin Weber carburettors for his BMW 1500. This proved to be so successful that he was soon taking orders for the conversion from other BMW enthusiasts. Produced in his father‘s precision components factory, the engines produced with Alpina dualcarburettors received praise not only from the automotive press, but also from BMW and its legendary sales boss, Paul G. Hahnemann. This success story blossomed and in 1965 the Alpina tuning division was set up in Kaufbeuren where it remains today. The company logo, consisting of a pair of twin carbs and a camshaft was becoming a familiar sight on BMWs. In the late sixties, Alpina started racing in Touring Cars – with considerable success. Alpina’s first road car was the B6 2.8, launched in 1976. At the time, BMW only sold

76 MARCH 2013

4 cylinder 3 Series models, but this car featured the 2.8 six cylinder unit from the 5 Series. This set the trend for Alpina, developing BMWs with powerful engines but which were still comfortable to drive. Alpina’s ‘trademark’ blend of sporting character and limousine-like comfort has continued right up to the present and one of its current models, the D5 Bi-Turbo exhibits all the Alpina traits of speed and comfort but also surprisingly impressive economy. Alpina base the D5 on the 535 and not the M5. The brakes and suspension are based on the 7 Series while the twin turbo engine produces 350 bhp and a phenomenal 700Nm of torque at just 1500rpm. It drives through an eight-speed automatic transmission and BMW’s adjustable electronic dampers have been reconfigured for its combination of 20” wheels and non-runflat tyres. Incidentally, the wheels of the D5 still bear a great resemblance to the original Alpina wheels of the seventies. Alpina are of the opinion that the strongest wheels are those of twenty spokes set at 18 degrees and this style has been a feature of Alpinas for the past forty years. Look closely at an Alpina rim and you will notice the absence of a tyre valve. Alpina machine out one of the spokes of the wheel so the tyre valve can be hidden behind the centre wheel trim... It is this kind of attention to detail that set Alpinas apart. Inside the car is the smell of lavoline leather, the same as used on Rolls Royce. Alpinas have their own dashboard which includes a speedometer that reads up to 200mph as this diesel flyer can hit 171mph on an autobahn, making it quicker than an M5. The seats, mats

and dashboard all feature the Alpina logo. Underneath the bodywork is where most of the work takes place. The suspension features Alpina specified springs, with increased camber at the front for precise turn-in. The high performance Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres are non-run flat as these offer a more comfortable ride due to having a more compliant sidewall. To obtain the contradictory demands for comfort, everyday usability and dynamic handling, the D5 Bi-Turbo is equipped with electronically-adjustable dampers (Variable Damper Control). This system has been artfully calibrated by Alpina and features pronounced Comfort+, Comfort, Sport and Sport+ settings, allowing the D5 Bi-Turbo to switch from cultivated luxury to thoroughbred sportiness. The amount of traction control is reduced through the progressive settings... The combination of state-of-the-art engine and transmission technologies allow the D5 Bi-Turbo Saloon to achieve impressive performance figures: 0-62mph in 5.1s and a top speed of 171mph. The engine features direct injection and two turbochargers with variable turbine geometry. The D5 also has new exhaust manifolds fitted to improve both performance and a deep throaty sound from the exhaust, a rarity for diesel engines. Despite all this trickery, 48mpg is achievable making it a great choice for both private and business users. Faster than an M5, better specified, more comfortable and cheaper to run, it has to be a serious contender in the executive express market. Tony Gaffney at Bavarian Garages is the man to talk to.

At Fleet Financial,

we are proud to provide company vehicles to help Phoenix Gas keep around

160,000 homes warm every year

See how we can help your business succeed T: 028 9084 9777 www.fleetfinancial.co.uk Part of the Charles Hurst Group

MOTORING

Golf in seventh heaven

he mark seven version of the VW Golf has just launched. Given that the mark six Golf was still a great car with strong sales, the fact that the mark seven is quicker, quieter, more economical and cheaper than its predecessor means that the Golf success story will run and run. With prices starting at £16,285 on the road, the latest Golf is lighter, safer, more advanced, more spacious, more efficient and better equipped than previous generations of Europe’s best-seller, of which over 29 million have been sold – some 1.6 million of these in the UK. At present,the Golf is available here in three trim levels: S, SE and GT (GTI and BlueMotion models join the line-up later). Four petrol engines and two diesel engines are available, in either three- or five-door form. The petrol engine range starts with a four-cylinder 1.2-litre TSI unit producing 85 PS, rising via a 1.2-litre TSI 105 PS and a 1.4-litre TSI 122 PS motor to the 1.4-litre TSI 140 PS with Active Cylinder Technology, which is capable of 60.1 mpg (combined cycle) and 110 g/km (with DSG gearbox),

78 MARCH 2013

thanks to the ability to deactivate two cylinders under light loads. The diesel engines are a 1.6-litre TDI 105 PS and a new 2.0-litre TDI 150 PS unit. Both feature the latest common rail diesel technology for maximum efficiency. All new Golf models – both diesel and petrol – come with a Stop/Start system as standard, along with battery regeneration. Gearboxes are a mixture of five- and six-speed manuals, and six- and seven-speed DSG units, depending on the engines’ power and torque outputs. All Golf models come with seven airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag, five three-point seatbelts, ABS with ESP, XDS electronic differential lock and Isofix preparation for two rear child seats. The entry-level Composition Media system includes a 5.8-inch colour touchscreen, DAB digital radio, a CD player, MDI interface (for connecting iPod or MP3 player), Bluetooth telephone preparation and audio streaming and eight speakers. Also standard is ‘Climatic’ semi-automatic air conditioning, among a host of other features.

Moving from S to SE trim brings a further range of features, including standard ADC Automatic Distance Control with Front Assist and City Emergency Braking, which can even bring the vehicle to a complete halt if necessary, a Driver Alert System, PreCrash preventative occupant protection, Driver Profile Selection, rain-sensitive wipers, an automatically dimming rear-view mirror and dusk sensor (automatic driving lights). The GT model comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, ‘Cherry Red’ rear light clusters, heat-insulating dark-tinted rear glass, electrically foldable door mirrors with puddle lights, and front and rear parking sensors with visual display. Inside are gloss black inserts, Alcantara and cloth sports seats, LED reading lights, ambient lighting and the Discover Navigation media system with 5.8-inch colour touchscreen. The name is the same but underneath the new Golf has been brought right up to date with the latest technological advances. Volkswagen’s only problem will be trying to improve on it for the mark eight version...

MOTORING

Fresh face on Grand Vitara

uzuki launched the first Vitara 24 years ago, creating the world’s first compact SUV and tapping into a

new market for vehicles that combine true off-road capability with responsive, fun-todrive on-road ability. The new 2013 model

is aiming meet the demand for a SUV that is great looking, versatile and is rewarding both on and off-road. Changes cover the vehicle design throughout, equipment and aim to reinvigorate the Grand Vitara’s appeal in the competitive mid-sized SUV sector. At the front of the car the bumper and grille have been re-styled with a more angular design and the foglamp and headlamps have been revised. There’s also new 17” or 18” alloy wheels. By customer demand, a temporary use 16 inch spare wheel mounted on the boot door has now been included as standard, eliminating the need for a puncture repair system. Under the bonnet, 1.9 DDiS models have had the emissions control system revised, resulting in a CO2 decrease from 179 g/km to 174 g/km – which means the VED band for the 1.9 DDiS engine has been reduced by one band to H. An additional benefit of this is an improvement in combined fuel economy to 42.8mpg from 41.5mpg.

MARCH 2013 79

MOTORING

Panda spotted in Ulster...

t may not be the most common sight on Ulster roads, but surprisingly the Fiat Panda is Europe’s best-selling supermini. The latest mark three version is bigger, roomier, safer and more fuel efficient than its predecessors. With five doors and flexible interior, the new Panda builds on a reputation for convenience and durability.

The engine options are headed by Fiat’s award-winning TwinAir Turbo. This 875cc unit has one of the lowest carbon dioxide emissions of any petrol engine in the world. With 85hp, 67.3mpg economy (Combined Cycle) this engine has ensured Fiat’s position at the forefront of modern engine development. The new Panda is also available with a

Citan: First small Mercedes van launched

1.3-litre MultiJet2 turbo diesel. This second generation, compact unit features faster injectors than its predecessor, making it quieter, more economical and cheaper to run. It can manage a remarkable 72.4mpg (Combined Cycle) in the new Panda with CO2 emissions of just 104g/km. The TwinAir Turbo and MultiJet will come with Start&Stop and a Gear Shift Indicator, which suggests to the driver when to change gear in order to achieve the best economy. As well as new engines, the Panda has revised dimensions that make it longer, wider and taller than the car it replaces, with more space for passengers and their luggage. There is all-new suspension and a body that’s significantly more rigid than its predecessor. With up to six airbags (four of which are standard), ABS anti-lock braking, optional ESP (Electronic Stability Program), and an active anti-whiplash head restraint system standard equipment throughout the range, the Panda is one of the best-equipped cars of its kind in safety terms. There are 14 storage compartments including an open one on the dashboard. The rear seat bench can be specified to slide backwards and forwards. Other options include a front passenger seat that folds into a table, while access to the interior has been further improved.

consumes less fuel or produces fewer emissions. The Citan is available in three lengths, Compact, Long and Extra Long with load volumes of up to 2.4 m3, 3.1 m3 and 3.8 m3 respectively. It is also offered in Dualiner and Traveliner variant, both equipped with a second row of seats capable of carrying five people. With a number of option packages available the new Citan can be fine tuned to the individual customer’s requirements. Driver’s Pack includes: electric folding mirrors, centre armrest with stowage compartment, air conditioning and rear reversing aid. Safety Pack includes: Driver and passenger thorax bag, passenger airbag and fog lamps.

he new Citan compact van marks the entry of Mercedes-Benz into the small van market. Packed with clever features, an efficient diesel engine in three power outputs and a choice of three wheelbases, it’s backed up by competitive finance packages allowing customers to run a Citan for as little as £6.95 per day.

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This is a van capable of carrying loads of up to 735 kg and a volume of up to 3.8 m3. Prices for the Citan start from as little as £13,095 for the 108 CDI Compact, while the Citan BlueEFFICIENCY sets new benchmarks in efficiency – achieving up to 65.7 mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 112 g/km. No other urban delivery van with a combustion engine

Appearance Pack includes: body coloured bumpers, mirrors and trim, 15” 7 spoke alloy wheels. Cargo Pack includes: Split cargo retention grill (replacing standard solid bulkhead) reinforced tyres and folding co-drivers seat. Flexibility Pack includes: stowage compartment in instrument panel, centre armrest with stowage, three person bench seat with folding retention grille.

It makes Business Sense to fly with easyJet Ali Gayward, easyJet Head of Northern Ireland

easyJet introduced itself to the travelling public here in September 1998 with flights from Belfast International Airport to London Luton. Since then it’s been progress all the way for what is now Northern Ireland’s largest airline. Consistent growth, investment, employment and affordable fares have been just some of the main ingredients of success as easyJet connects local people with family, friends and clients across Europe. 80% of all travel from Northern Ireland is to major business markets in the rest of the UK, and easyJet has led the way in meeting the demand by providing flights from Belfast International Airport to key centres including Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester and four London airports – Luton, Stansted, Gatwick and Southend. Ali Gayward, easyJet Head of Northern Ireland, said: “Belfast is a key base for us and there are a huge number of variants we have to consider when planning our route development. As well as delivering affordable access to the key airports, our success is also due to great flight times, on-time performance and frequencies. “We’ve come a long way from the airline that initially concentrated on serving the leisure market and, while this is still a strong part of our offering, we have worked hard to listen to the changing needs of business travellers

who are looking to make their travel budgets stretch more. The recent introduction of allocated seating is proving extremely popular with all passengers, especially those travelling on business. Flexibility is hugely important for our business passengers and our Flexible Fares, from £79 one way, allow passengers to make unlimited free date changes from one week before to three weeks after the original travel date, and include one piece of luggage, up-front seats and speedy boarding. It makes organising business trips so much easier and factors in the ‘unplanned events’

without adding to the bottom line. “We also help our Northern Ireland passengers save valuable time through our unrivalled London offering. Quite simply, booking one-way fares with easyJet means that you can fly into any one of our four London airports and return from another – offering much easier access to all parts of London than, for example, Heathrow.” easyJet recently appointed a team in Northern Ireland to develop relationships with business travel agents and, with flights now available through all the major Global Distribution System (GDS) and Travel Managment Companies (TMCs) across Europe, corporate clients have easy access to easyJet’s flights and products. Ali added: “While many of our business passengers are from small businesses and book flights directly online, there are still many corporates and public bodies who use the services of corporate travel agents. To now have access to our fares and products means that they too can make savings which, in the case of, for example, government departments, significantly reduces the annual cost to the public.” Certainly with access to over 600 routes and a leading presence in Europe’s 50 primary airports, combined with the great schedules, frequencies and industry-leading punctuality, flying on business with Northern Ireland’s largest airline makes perfect business sense!

APPOINTMENTS

JOHN MONAGHAN

NAOMI WAITE

NELLY TAKOVA

John Monaghan has joined Manleys as Operations Director. He will establish an infrastructure of operations processes to ensure quality standards and support consistent business growth. John has held senior editorial positions in CNS, News International and Trinity Mirror. Naomi Waite has been appointed Senior Account Manager at Manleys. Naomi has 12 years of award winning marketing experience in the food sector as a Brand Manager at Fivemiletown Creamery and as a Marketing Director at the Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland. Nelly Takova has joined Manleys as Marketing and PR Manager, a role in which she will also undertake market research, cross-platform media planning and online campaigns. Nelly has experience in developing local and international PR and marketing campaigns.

GORDON MILLAR

MATTHEW SMYTH

ELIZABETH MILLAR

Gordon Millar has been appointed Project Manager at Powerteam. Previous posts have seen him work as project manager and commissioning engineer. In his new role he will liaise with clients and sub-contractors, as well as making site visits, to ensure timely and efficient completion of projects within budget. Matthew Smyth has joined Powerteam as an administration assistant. Matthew’s previous experience includes six years working for a plant hire company and some years in a call centre. In his new role he will provide admin support for the busy Procurement and Finance Departments. Elizabeth Millar has been appointed senior HR officer at Powerteam. Elizabeth previously worked with Lagan Construction for over five years. As Senior HR Officer for Powerteam she will contribute to the development and delivery of the company’s HR strategy.

KATHRYN BROWN

PAUL DAVIES

ROSS HACKNEY

Kathryn Brown has been appointed as Senior Marketing Executive at TM2, a Belfast based clinical management software company. A Business Studies graduate from the University of Ulster, Kathryn completed the Ulster Bank Graduate Programme and has previously held a variety of roles at the bank. Paul Davies has been appointed Cash Originator at Barclays (NI). Paul is a Cash Management specialist delivering cash management advice and liquidity solutions for corporate customers. He has been with Barclays for over 25 years, 15 of which have been in Northern Ireland. ROSS HACKNEY has joined Connect Telecom as a Corporate Account Manager. Ross will be responsible for generating new business telecoms partnerships across Northern Ireland, providing complete business telecoms solutions across mobiles, landlines, systems, data services and vehicle tracking.

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APPOINTMENTS

Hannah McKee has joined Hastings Hotels as a Digital Marketing Executive. She has six years experience in the online marketing industry and is responsible for all social media and online activity for the Hastings Hotels Group and its six hotels.

HANNAH McKEE

SHARON LINTON

NICOLA FERGUSON

KEVIN GORMLEY

ERIC COSGROVE

COLIN CLEMENTS

ELLEN FINLAY

STEPHANIE PATTERSON

RONNIE FOREMAN

Sharon Linton has become Human Resources Manager at the Culloden Estate & Spa and Ballygally Castle. She has 15 years’ experience and is responsible for human resources at the hotels. Sharon worked in the manufacturing industry before joining Hastings Hotels. Nicola Ferguson has been appointed Human Resources Manager at The Everglades Hotel. Nicola has ten years experience in HR and previously worked for Fold Housing Association and Capita.

Kevin Gormley has been appointed Business Relations Manager with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in Ireland. Kevin joins CIMA from Kofax, where he was manager of Software & BPM Solutions. Prior to this he was Sales Manager at Ignition Team, a subsidiary of Singularity. Eric Cosgrove has been appointed as Head of Engineering for natural gas provider, firmus energy. He is responsible for the development, construction and operation of the firmus Gas Network. Eric joined firmus energy as a Town Engineer in 2005 and has 14 years’ experience in the natural gas industry. Powerscreen has appointed Colin Clements as International Sales Director. Outside of North America, he will have global responsibility for all Sales and Marketing activity for machines and parts. Mr Clements brings 20 years of equipment manufacturing experience to the company.

Ellen Finlay has been appointed Policy Officer at Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI). She previously worked as Policy Officer for the Women’s Support Network. Prior to this, she worked as Finance and Administration Manager for Democratic Dialogue, one of the first think tanks established within Northern Ireland. Stephanie Patterson has been appointed Learning and Development Officer at Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI). Stephanie is responsible for children’s services training. She designs and delivers training sessions on issues such as Child Protection, children’s mental health issues, autism, attachment theory and challenging behaviour. Ronnie Foreman has been chosen as the new chairman of the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund For Children. Ronnie has worked for and been a chairman of many major companies and is currently Chair of SiteServ NI.

MARCH 2013 83

PHOTOCALL

1. Helen Kirkpatrick MBE was announced as the winner of the 2013 Institute of Directors Lunn’s Award of Excellence at the IoD Annual dinner. Helen, the first female winner of the award, is pictured with speaker Bruce Dickinson, the IoD’s Mervyn McCall and Suzanne Lunn from Lunn’s Jewellers.

2. Progressive Building Society has announced its support for the latest local talent with the launch of its new spring advertising campaign featuring Derry based musician Best Boy Grip. Pictured with Best Boy Grip are Darina Armstrong, Progressive’s CEO and Declan Moore, Head of Sales and Marketing.

3. Thanks to a partnership between the Linen Hall Library and the Ulster Bank, the library’s acclaimed Theatre and Performing Arts Archive, which contains ‘treasures’ dating back to the 1700s, is now available in digital format for the first time. Pictured at the library are Stephen Cruise, Ulster Bank, Mary Trainor-Nagele, Arts and Business, and John Killen, Linen Hall Library.

4. Sixth form students from across Northern Ireland received a rare insight into life as an actuary at the inaugural Deloitte Belfast Actuary Experience Day. Pictured at the event are Karen Clarke, Actuarial Consultant, Deloitte, Oisin Turbitt from Christian Brothers Grammar School in Omagh and Catalina Rea of Saint Louise’s Comprehensive College, Belfast.

5. Peninsula Print and Design, the commercial printing business in Newtownards, Co. Down, has agreed a deal with Supplies Team Solutions, which could be worth over £500,000 over the next few years, for the production of leaflets, posters, stationery and other printed products. Maynard Mawhinney of Invest NI congratulated Gary Withers, MD of Peninsula.

5 84 MARCH 2013

PHOTOCALL

6. Noel Brady, MD of Consult Nb1 Limited, Dr Malcolm McKibbin, Head of Northern Ireland Civil Service and Peter Stafford, Chairman of A&L Goodbody are pictured at a recent Sales Institute of Ireland breakfast seminar at Belfast’s Hilton Hotel.

7. Marketing Director of Hastings Hotels, Julie Hastings, has joined the University of Ulster’s Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, working to develop relations between the University and the industry. She is pictured with the university’s Dr Una McMahon-Beattie.

7 9

8. Lunn’s Jewellers has become the first retailer in Northern Ireland to accept China UnionPay credit and debit cards, helping to boost business from the world’s second largest economy. Pictured marking the development is Geraldine Aiken, Danske Bank and John Lunn, MD of Lunn’s Jewellers.

9. Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Peninsula Business Services (Ireland) recently delivered a bite-sized networking and HR master class at Belfast’s Europa Hotel. The breakfast, attended by 80 companies from across Northern Ireland, briefed Chamber members on how to retain their talent whilst adding value to the bottom line. Pictured are the Chamber’s Oonagh O’Reilly and Peninsula Business Service’s Ryan Magee.

10. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers has attended a Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce board meeting at the offices of Wrightbus in Ballymena. She is pictured with Mark Nodder, MD of Wrightbus and chamber President and William Wright, founder of Wrightbus, inspecting the new London bus.

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PHOTOCALL

11. Belfast Harbour Chief Executive, Roy Adair, has been announced as the new Chair of Business in the Community. He takes over from Paul Rooney, a Partner at PwC, at an exciting time for the organisation, which encourages and supports responsible business.

12. Painter Neil Shawcross is pictured with Winemark director Michael Hunt and John Kearns, MD of Mils Selig at the launch of a creative project which aims to raise £40,000 to build four new schools in Madagascar, in conjunction with Belfast-based Adsum Foundation. 50 unique screen-prints of Shawcross’ work will be sold at only £400 as part of the project.

13. Students from six of Belfast’s biggest schools are taking part in a new Apprentice-style competition organised by Charles Hurst which will test the knowledge, skills and savvy required in selecting, buying, repairing and selling a used car. Launching the competition were Colin McNab of Charles Hurst, with Andrew Wallace from Business in the Community, Jordan Mullan from De La Salle and Anthea Harbinson from Girls Model.

14. Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has announced a new £5m NI Small Business Loan Fund designed to help bridge a gap where other funding options have been exhausted. The Minister is pictured with Seamus O’Prey, UCIT and William McCulla, Invest NI.

15. Belfast law practice, Cleaver Fulton Rankin has marked the latest chapter in its long association with Titanic Quarter, the recent opening of two new stages at the Titanic Film Studios. The firm’s Stephen Cross, Patrick Fleming, and Jim Houston are pictured with Titanic Quarter Ltd’s David Gavaghan.

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PHOTOCALL

16. Launching the ‘Achieve’ Student Bursary Fund at the City Hall were Lord Mayor of Belfast Alderman Gavin Robinson; Councillor Deirdre Hargey; Damien Duffy of Belfast Metropolitan College and Ian Jeffers from The Prince’s Trust. Belfast City Council has invested £300,000 in the ‘Achieve’ Student Bursary Fund which will support hundreds of young people in the city to take part in further education and training opportunities.

17. Faye Rogers of Harlem Café in Belfast presents a cheque for £3,500 to Noel Brady and Susan Smith from Simon Community NI. The money donated by diners at Harlem as part of Simon’s annual Streetsmart campaign will provide support to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

19 20

18. Lisburn-based Spirited Drinks who are the manufacturer of award winning Boozeberries and Ruby Blue super premium berry liqueurs, is being assisted by Invest NI to expand sales abroad. Maynard Mawhinney, Invest NI’s Food and Tourism Director is pictured here with Stuart and Barbara Hughes of Spirited Drinks.

19. Jeremy Baird, Managing Director Managemint is pictured with Nicholas Brennan, Managing Director of Morton Pinpoint. The two companies have now merged under the Morton Pinpoint brand.

20. Jennifer Kenna and Nic Stirk of Belfast based mobile software development specialist SLA Mobile are pictured preparing to represent Northern Ireland on the global mobile platform at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with their ‘Mobile More’ offering.

MARCH 2013 87

PHOTOCALL

21. Bassetts, the bathroom, heating and tile company, has continued to expand its network, more than doubling in size over the past five years and bringing the total number of branches to 13 in the region. The company’s MD Stephen Bassett and Bangor branch manager Martin Strutt were recently visited by Miss Northern Ireland.

22. The Chartered Institute of Marketing in association with The Chartered Institute of Public Relations recently hosted a lunchtime event at Titanic Belfast on how digital technologies have changed the way we now do business. Pictured at it are John Edmund, chair of CIM; Krishna De of Business Growth Media; CIPR chair Gary McKeown; and Murine Laffan, MD of RTE Digital.

23. Powerteam, which specialises in the construction and maintenance of electrical substations and overhead lines, has been awarded a RoSPA Gold Award for its approach to the prevention of accidents for the third year running. Pictured with the award are Alastair Dawson and Ivan McCartney from Powerteam.

24. Northern Ireland businesses could save 50 percent on their telephone costs by moving to ‘cloud telephony’, according to Rainbow Communications. David Beatty from Rainbow Communications demonstrates how businesses can now answer their office phone on the move.

25. ‘Women Into Business’, a programme delivered by the business network Women in Business NI, has hosted an event at the MAC for young women aged 16-24 years called ‘Get Ready to Get Ahead’. Pictured at the event is participant Sarah Loughran from Newry with Minister for Employment and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry and Women in Business NI CEO, Roseann Kelly.

88 MARCH 2013

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LIFESTYLE review

Barbecue Heaven

Colin McSherry, Bubbacue chef

Meat-lovers’ heaven Bubbacue has been pulling in the crowds over the past three months. The Ulster Business team decided to see what all the fuss was about while the pop-up is still around.

ringing the taste of slow cooking from the deep South of the US was never going to be a hard sell for BBQ joint Bubbacue. But even the team behind the pop-up restaurant on Callendar Street– who also own Boojum – must be overwhelmed by the success the place has had in the three months since it opened. A street normally known for being not much more than home to the back entrance of Marks & Spencer is now frequented by a mixture of office workers and food lovers keen to get their meat fix. Once you’re past the queue to get into Bubbacue (which moves fast enough) you’re into a laid back, rough and ready barbecue place where the friendly staff pour you your soft drink from a bunch of big bottles at the counter after you pay in a diner style. Tables are decked out in easy wipe checked table

Ulster Business /March 2013

cloths and oversize sauce bottles. There’s no messing about with the fancy stuff, they want to get you on to the main event. The emphasis at Bubbacue is placed on the long, slow smoking of pork, ribs, brisket and wings coupled with hearty American sides and desserts. In keeping with that American tradition, the expansive waist line, the sides in some case could be a meal in themselves, from slaw, mac and cheese, fries, corn bread and homemade potato chips. They were all developed to be the ultimate in comfort food that Belfast residents and workers needed on a dreary winter’s day. The relaxed atmosphere is meant to make customers feel comfortable and well-fed, like they would if they were at a leisurely family food gathering. It definitely succeeds. Having gone for the brisket platter (well I thought it was important to try as many sides as possible to get the full experience) I

can confirm that comfort food is a perfect description. But very high quality comfort food. The classic American BBQ uses smoke to flavour and tenderize meat, cooking it at a low temperature over a long period of time and it’s clear that Bubbacue has embraced the art of this relaxed American tradition. The chefs hand smoke brisket and pork for over 15 hours to achieve mouth-wateringly tender results – my colleagues who went for the pulled pork were equally impressed. It can surely only be a good sign when you’ve eaten half your own body weight in meat and side dishes and are completely full, that you leave wondering if it’s worth ordering something else to take away with you. If you’re not looking for frills but are looking for a satisfying lunch or dinner in the centre of Belfast I’d heartily recommend Bubbacue.

LIFESTYLE technology

The Gadget Guide Technology journalist Adam Maguire reviews some recently released and soon to be available gadgets.

REVIEW: SONY XPERIA Z

REVIEW: MICROSOFT OFFICE 365

fter a rocky few years, the phone-maker formerly known as Sony Ericsson has shown renewed ambition with its latest flagship handset. In the days of Nokia’s mobile dominance, Sony Ericsson was a serious contender. Like many, however, it struggled to cope with the smartphone revolution. Sony’s decision to buy Ericsson out signaled a new dawn, however, and a year later the Xperia Z is testament to its progress. Boasting a whopping 5” screen the device is quite a handful, but to compensate it is incredibly slim and light. It feels solid too, not least because it uses the increasingly popular unibody approach where there are no removable parts. Sony boasts water resistance as an added side effect of this approach - though that claim was not tested here. Users might find its size unwieldy especially for phone calls - but its impressive spin on Android OS and incredibly sharp display make it a joy to use for almost all other smartphone tasks.

ong a vital component of every business user’s computer, Microsoft Office has recently moved into the cloud in an attempt to capture browser, smartphone and tablet share alike. Word and Excel have remained the dominant force of office programmes but in a multi-device world, being able to access your work from just one place is no longer attractive. Microsoft’s answer is Office 365, which makes documents accessible and editable online from any web-connected device. Business and home users pay a monthly subscription for the service and, depending on the package, can have web-based applications only or old-fashioned desktop programmes with a web backup. What makes a product like this so attractive is its ease of use. The cloudbased element of it is automatic so documents become easily accessible anywhere without the need for USB keys or document-laden emails. The one downside, of course, is that users of the web-only applications may find themselves somewhat limited should they hit an internet blackspot.

The Sony Xperia Z is available on multiple networks

Microsoft Office 365 is available for small businesses for £3.90/ user/month

PREVIEW: HTC ONE

PREVIEW: NOKIA 105

ailed as one of the jewels of the recent Mobile World Congress, HTC’s new handset may be enough to spark some life back into a struggling company. Once a third-party phone maker with a generally unheard-of brand, HTC hit the smartphone market with a bang and captured a lot of market share in a short space of time. Almost as quickly, however, it ceded ground to Apple and Samsung and suddenly seemed unable to do anything right. Part of its mistake was to launch a constant stream of marginally differing devices, making it hard for consumers to know which was the phone for them. Realising this mistake HTC began to restore some order to its product catalogue last year, culminating in the flagship HTC One. Its slim, aluminium body is somewhat reminiscent of Apple design - though the companies recently entered a patent deal so lawsuits are unlikely. Beyond that it has a large screen, fast processor and an ‘UltraPixel’ camera, a HTC-invented definition that it claims can beat many 13 megapixel lenses.

hile most of the buzz around phones has been focused at the higher end of the market, Nokia’s fairly basic 105 has raised a lot of eyebrows for very different reasons. As part of the company’s aim to grow in emerging markets and, it seems, delight cheapskates everywhere, Nokia has taken the wraps off a phone that it says will sell for a mere £13. A simple phone and text handset, the Nokia 105 is about as basic as it gets - bar a few extra functions like an FM radio and torch. What really sets it apart from other bargain basement blowers, however, is the promise of a battery that can hold a charge for over a month. This is obviously built for users with unreliable electrical supplies, but it is sure to find a keen group of buyers in the Western world too.

The Nokia 105 will be released in Q2 2013

The HTC One will be available on EE from 15 March

March 2013 / Ulster Business

BUSINESS TRAVELLER

Gregg Radcliffe, co-founder, Ristretto How often do you travel, where to and why? Usually two or three times per year, one of which is normally a long haul, awkward to reach destination. All because of a cup of coffee! What are the three things you couldn’t do without when travelling on business? Probably just two things, my iPad to FaceTime the kids and a set of earphones so I don’t have to listen to my business partner Mark chirp on. Have you found a good way to work while you are on the move? I think working on the move is overrated! Sometimes you are better spending time looking around you to get new ideas and fresh inspiration! What would be your top tips for anyone embarking on a job that involves a lot of travel? Probably to do it when you are young because as you get older it becomes less attractive. Have you run into other NI business people when you’ve been overseas on business? Not usually. You meet very few people with skin as white as mine in the rain forests of Central America. Do you speak any languages and if so have they been of use on business? To my shame, no! What do you enjoy most and least about work travel? I really enjoy getting to know coffee growers and hearing more about their work. For some reason, perhaps it’s the bald head, but going through passport control the authorities seem to take a second suspicious look at me, which I don’t like. What location have you been most pleasantly surprised by? I was surprised at how beautiful the countryside is in Guatemala. What have been your best and worst experiences of travelling for work? Best experiences are the quick flights to London and worst experiences are the very long flights to Central America, particularly when you are not there for very long. What do you look for in a hotel when away on business? WiFi and good coffee, however I have only found one of these so far.

Business Books END THIS DEPRESSION NOW! By Paul Krugman (WW Norton) In End This Depression Now!, Krugman looks at whether the economic collapse in Europe would have happened regardless of the US crash, what the causes of the European crisis were and why it came as such a shock. He discusses how long the euro will be seen as a unifying currency when there are such stark differences between the economic situations of countries that have adopted it. This is Krugman at his best – direct, clear, never afraid to apportion blame at any level. THE ADVANTAGE By Emma-Sue Prince (Pearson) Employees know that to stand out, they need to be doing something different, something better. But what? The answers are in soft skills and this no-nonsense, practical guide tells you exactly what skills are essential and shows you precisely how to develop them for maximum advantage in the workplace. In this book, seven indispensable soft skills are examined across eleven chapters. You will be coached on how to develop new mindsets and new approaches to the skills you bring to the workplace.

BIG DATA By Viktor Mayer-Schönberger & Kenneth Neil Cukier (John Murray) In the age of big data, we can crunch an incomprehensible amount of information, providing us with invaluable insights about the what rather than the why. We’re just starting to reap the benefits: tracking vital signs to foresee deadly infections, predicting building fires, anticipating the best moment to buy a plane ticket. But there is a dark side to big data. Will it be machines, rather than people, that make the decisions? How do you regulate an algorithm? What will happen to privacy? Two of the world’s most-respected data experts reveal the reality of a big data world and outline clear and actionable steps that will equip the reader with the tools needed for this next phase of human evolution.

Where in the world would you most love to work? If you call sampling coffee work, then I would like to systematically visit everywhere that grows fabulous coffee. Where are you off to next? Costa Rica and Guatemala.

92 MARCH 2013

All titles are available at easons. To win copies of the featured books go the Ulster Business facebook page.

TRAVEL

Entrepreneurs target Hen and Stag parties

wo Northern Ireland entrepreneurs have invested a six figure sum into developing a new online .COM party brand which they expect to boost the Northern Ireland hospitality and leisure market. Jonathan Gallagher (28) from Co Fermanagh, and his Co Down business partner Sean Carty (28), have launched HenorStag.com because they believe there is a need to overhaul how the hen and stag industry is being marketed across Ireland to both our residents and those within the UK. With an estimated £5bn spent each year in the UK on hen parties and stag do’s the online entrepreneurs see major untapped potential to grow the market in Northern Ireland. Jonathan Gallagher said: “For years now the hen and stag industry has been operating behind closed doors with consumers finding it difficult to know exactly where to stay, Launching their new online websites ‘HenorStag.com and StagorHen.com’ from left Jonathan Gallagher play, dine or party. In the majority of cases and Sean Carty (2nd from Right) alongside recently engaged Mark Mooney and Victoria Clarke. bridesmaids and best men alike have been left with no option but to use a package company to organise their best friend’s hen or stag weekend. HenorStag.com is set to change all that for the better.” The two young businessmen have created two websites - one specifically for females and another for males. Both websites are completely free to use and can be reached via HenorStag.com or its brother StagorHen.com. Each website has been designed to show party organisers the thousands of possible options that are available right across the length and breadth of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Over the last five years the cost of a hen or stag party has rocketed by a staggering 50-70%. Back in 2008 the average stag do cost just £91 while today it averages £195. The new business venture was part funded by South West Action for Rural Development (SWARD), local delivery agent for Axis 3 of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 by the European Union and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’. Sean Carty added: “The real beauty of HenorStag.com is that everything is booked directly with the destinations and businesses of your choice, meaning zero commission and a better value Hen or Stag party for everyone.” The site’s main features include a clever Party Planner that integrates with Facebook, in-depth content and images on all of the party hotspots around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, hundreds of Hen and Stag friendly providers, a huge Ideas section and a quirky party store.

Hitting the high notes Passengers at George Best Belfast City Airport were treated to a free concert from the world famous African Watoto Children’s Choir. The choir, which was visiting Northern Ireland for the first time, is made up of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war, poverty and disease in Uganda. The organisation’s choirs have travelled internationally since 1994 as advocates for the estimated 50 million children in Africa, orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, war, poverty and disease. Accompanied by a team of adults, the choir presents Watoto’s vision and mission through their stories, music and dance. Watoto choirs act as ambassadors to raise awareness about the plight of the orphaned and vulnerable children of Africa. Photos and videos from their performance at the airport can be viewed on the George Best Belfast City Airport Facebook page.

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SPORT & HEALTH

Ministers move to boost organ donations

ealth Minister Edwin Poots is to bring forward a consultation on how best to maximise organ donation rates. The minister said there was sustained interest in the introduction of an opt-out system for organ donation – rather than the current opt-in scheme – and there was a need to step up debate on the issue through a public consultation. The consultation is to be accompanied by a strong message to people to sign on to the organ donor register as it stands at present. There are currently around 200 people on the active transplant waiting list for Northern Ireland and 15 people die each year while waiting. “The views of the transplant related charities, donor families, those on the waiting list and the health service community will also be sought. If the feedback on introducing an opt-out system is positive, legislation could then be introduced to the assembly,” the Minister said. “I recognise there will be divergent views on the best way forward. Public support would be critical for the success of opt-out legislation, but just having the debate on opt-out should serve to assist in raising the profile of organ donation and increasing the number of possible donors.” The Health Minister was accompanied First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness on a recent visit to Regional Nephrology and Transplant Service of the Belfast City Hospital. They were joined at the unit by former GAA star Joe Brolly. In November, Mr Brolly donated a kidney to his friend Shane Finnegan, but unfortunately, after nine days, doctors removed it after medical complications. The First Minister said: “The gift of an organ can changes lives immeasurably and I would encourage everyone to think seriously about the real benefits that organ donation brings. As an Executive, we want to improve people’s lives for the better. We are committed to raising awareness of important issues such as this and in line with other European countries, want the people of Northern Ireland to have the same life chances as those elsewhere.” The deputy First Minister said: “Joe’s awareness raising campaign has set out the benefits of a presumed consent option. The top ten organ donor rate countries in the world all have an opt out system. Spain has the highest with 34.3 donors per million population compared to our system which is under 17 donors per million population. I support the opt out system as the best way forward to increase organ donations. ”

GREEN LIGHT:

Environment Minister Alex Attwood, Irish FA President Jim Shaw and Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín at the announcement that planning permission has been granted for an 18,000-seater stadium at Windsor Park - a boost for sports fans across North Ireland. The development is the next stage of the Stadium Development Plan for the redevelopment of three regional sports stadiums at Ravenhill, Windsor Park and Casement Park, to which the Executive has pledged up to £110m of government funding. Planning permission was granted within 11 weeks of receiving the application - the fastest ever turnaround of an Article 31 major planning application.

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SPORT & HEALTH

Six private clinics in Belfast win top marks in care awards S

ix private clinics in Belfast came out on top this month in the internationally recognised WhatClinic.com Customer Service Awards. Based on information and feedback from millions of users over a 12 month period, the awards are given to private clinics all over the world from medical search engine WhatClinic.com, which aims to help people find the right private clinic for the treatment they want by providing access to information about services, treatment, pricing and availability. With more than 100,000 private clinics listed on the site, including dental, GP’s, beauty, cosmetic surgery, fertility, physiotherapy and oncology, only a small fraction, less than 1% met the high criteria required to qualify for an award, with six winners in Belfast. Four of the six winners were in the dental sector. Top winners in Belfast were; Dental World, Cavehill Dental Care, Crutchley Dental Surgery, Beechview Dental Practice, Cathedral Eye Clinic and the Ulster Spine Centre. The awards, now in their third year, are based on detailed analysis of clinic responses to enquiries generated from 12 million visits to the site in 2012. Patients who use the site to contact a clinic are encouraged to give honest feedback about their treatment, and clinic reviews are carefully moderated and verified by email and phone. WhatClinic CEO Caelen King (pictured) said: “We believe transparency around service, access to up to date information and genuine patient feedback are all key to fostering excellence in the elective, selfpay medical sector. We recognise clinics all over the world who reflect this belief. These practices in Belfast, with no less than four clinics in the Dental sector, have all grasped the importance of patients as advocates, and they have embraced the opportunity to listen and respond.”

WE CARE A LOT:

Sinead Polland, Director and Nurse Manager, Lucas Love Healthcare joins Maria Murray to call all Care Workers in Northern Ireland to join the company’s latest campaign aimed at recruiting 40 Carers in 40 days. The final day for registration will be World Health Day on April 7, 2013. Lucas Love Healthcare is Northern Ireland’s fastest growing, registered Nursing and Domiciliary Agency. If you are a Care Assistant or Care Support Worker seeking employment, avail of new permanent and temporary positions across Northern Ireland, join the campaign by emailing HealthTeam@ lucaslove.com

MARCH 2013 95

CLASSIFIEDS

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED ADVERT CONTACT ULSTER BUSINESS ON 028 9078 3200

96 MARCH 2013

Business Diary April 2013

DATE

EVENT

VENUE

CONTACT

28 March 19.00

Never Mind the Business NI – Quiz night and fundraising event for Action for Children

Ramada Plaza Hotel 117 Milltown Road, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast, BT8 7XP

Aurora Events on 028 9268 9631 hello@auroraevents.co.uk

16 April 09.30 - 10.30

Handling Difficult Conversations – Issues such as irregular attendance, poor performance and bullying.

Labour Relations Agency Head Office, Belfast, BT1 2LG Cost: Free

Alan Wilson on alan.wilson@Ira.org.uk

16 April 09.30 – 16.30

Effective Minute Taking – Practical exercises in minute-taking with an opportunity to put it into practice.

Cosensa Head Office, Belfast, BT1 2GT Cost: £390

enquiries@cosensa.co.uk

17 April 07.45 – 09.15

IoD NI Business Boost – Succession Planning. Host: Kate Marshall of MaST Ireland

IoD Northern Ireland, Riddel Hall, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5EE Members: FREE Non-Members: £15

Lorraine Corry on 028 9068 3224 or visit www.iod.com

18 April 08.00 – 10.00

Intro Networking Event Organiser: NI Chamber of Commerce

Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast Members/Non-Members: FREE

www.northernirelandchamber.com/ EventDetail.aspx

23 April

Aer Lingus Viscount Awards – The awards honour those companies who have forged vital economic ties between NI and GB.

RAC Club, London Table price: £950 + VAT (table of 9 plus one free place) Single place: £100 + VAT

Anisa Musmary @ Carlton Baxter Communications on 028 9032 5533 or anisa@carltonbaxter.com

24 April 12.00 – 14.30

IoD New Member Lunch – sponsored by Director Development Ireland, an opportunity to meet other members and see the IoD NI facilities.

IoD Northern Ireland, Riddel Hall, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5EE Event is FREE of charge to all new IoD NI Members.

Lorraine Corry on 028 9068 3224 or visit www.iod.com

30 April 12.30 – 14.00

IoD Lunch & Learn – Succession Planning hosted by A&L Goodbody, addresses legal and financial issues of succession planning over a light lunch.

A&L Goodbody, 6th floor Lesley Tower, 42-46 Fountain Street, Belfast, BT1 5EF Members/Non-Members: FREE

Lorraine Corry on 028 9068 3224 or visit www.iod.com

If you would like to promote an event or conference please contact Stuart Hackney (stuarthackney@greerpublications.com)

People in Business Do you have any “golden rules” ?

Have the courage of your own conviction and know who you are; it is something that comes with experience I think. Life is too short to go along with the crowd.

What would you regard as a “cardinal sin” for anyone doing business with you? Over talking and under listening. A lot of sales people over-egg the pudding and lose credibility. Also, being underhand or dishonest is clearly a big no no.

What is your most hated business expression or cliché? Think outside the box, hate it!

If you hadn’t been in business what would you have liked to have done? Been the Stig!

How important is money to you?

Not as important as health and happiness.

What’s the most treasured possession in your office?

Calculator – sad but true (which I can’t find I might add, has someone lifted it?)

factfile

What are you currently reading?

NAME: Graham Thompson JOB TITLE: General Manager COMPANY: Agnew Corporate INTERESTS: Rugby (but most sports really), general fitness and despite

working in the motor trade I still have a genuine interest in cars.

What was your first paying job?

I laid tarmac when I was 16 years old for our next door neighbour who owned a quarry business. My fingers ached as they put me on the jack hammer more often than not and I had very hot feet.

What do you like most about your current role?

It’s a combination of sales and finance relating to something I’m genuinely interested in, within a successful business, filled with good people.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever done?

Working for a bank that specialised in subprime lending. This has made me much more aware of the world we live in and why we’re in this economic situation.

Are you switched on 24 hours a day or is there a time when you switch your phone off?

Pretty much 24 hrs, I might set the phone to the side but truthfully can’t help myself thinking about work (sadly).

Has your personal life suffered because of your career?

The History of the World by Andrew Marr

What has been your toughest challenge to date? I’d rather not say but running the Belfast Marathon in 3 ½ hours was up there.

What do you worry about (if anything)?

Not fulfilling my potential. I need to know that I tried my best.

What advice would you give to the 18-year-old you ?

No. I’ve faced challenges and rewards with both and I think they have strengthened me as a result. Knowing whose opinions to value has been important.

Experience as much as you can, go places, do things, follow your curiosities and passions and maybe even take the odd risk. No one ever achieved anything great through laziness.

What do you consider your best business decision or idea?

Which person, living or dead, would you like to have met, and why?

Who or what has been your biggest influence or inspiration?

What do you think you’ll be doing in 10 years time?

After Uni, following my gut instinct and going into the motor trade. You’ll always do better in something you truly enjoy.

My Dad, he was fairly straight and called a spade a spade but also had the measure of most individuals and was intelligent into the bargain with a wicked sense of humour.

Not that bothered about meeting so called icons but I would like to meet Usain Bolt as he is the fastest man on the planet.

Organising my 50th birthday party.

How do you want to be remembered? With a smile.

Insurance Brokers & Risk Advisors

We stand on our own 200 feet

When it comes to providing independent advice on corporate insurance and risk management, we take pride in our ability to stand on our own two feet, (well, 200 to be precise). With 100 experts on the ground, we are the largest locally owned and operated corporate insurance expert in Northern Ireland. So you can trust us to bring you precisely the right advice and service for your business. Year after year.

For further information contact Maurice Boyd, Managing Director Direct Dial 028 9332 5031 Tel 028 9335 0015 maurice.boyd@ablinsurance.co.uk www.abbeybondlovis.com

THE TAILWIND BEHIND YOUR BUSINESS

BELFAST CITY AIRPORT TO LONDON WITH AER LINGUS At Aer Lingus we’ve designed our service to give you exactly what you need. That’s why we fly out of Belfast City Airport, in the heart of Belfast. And why we’re the only airline flying to both Heathrow and Gatwick. We’re the most punctual too, with up to seven flights daily and flexible fare options to suit your budget. Fast-track through security, assigned seating and four free check-in options are all available. Our Gold Circle Loyalty Programme rewards you for custom and lounge access is provided for members. Fancy a bite to eat? Why not pre-order a full Irish breakfast or, for lunch, one of our new delicious seared beef or chicken noodle salads. Aer Lingus to London. No one’s better for business.

Great Care. Great Fare. All information is correct at time of print. 154915 Ulster Bus Mag FP WINDSOCK.indd 1

27/02/2013 15:37