Chamber Hosts NI Digital Marketing Conference

More than 150 business representatives gathered at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry last week for an intensive exploration of the digital marketing strategies driving today's most successful enterprises.

The NI Digital Marketing Conference, organised by Newry Chamber with support from Southern Regional College and IRP Commerce, brought together industry experts and local entrepreneurs on Thursday 12 June for a comprehensive examination of cutting-edge digital practices.

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving at an unprecedented rate, and the conference provided the large gathering of local businesses in attendance with practical information on the latest trends in this area and the steps they can takeaway and implement within their own businesses.

Attendees heard from an incredible line-up of specialists who delivered informative presentations and took part in interactive Q&A sessions across a wide range of areas including social media strategy, creating content, eCommerce, AI, email marketing, paid ads as well as the support available from the Southern Regional College.

Speakers on the day included: Margaret McNamee, SRC; David Dickson, IRP Commerce; Richie Reynolds, RR Marketing; Manus Loughran, Go Click Media; Tommy McKeown, Kukoon; Adrian Markey, Adrian Markey Chartered Accountants and Lauren Toal, Lauren Toal, Brand & Marketing.

The conference also featured a fantastic panel discussion centred around the theme of 'Building a Global Community from a Local Base' with four individuals from businesses who have built a truly incredible community, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers across social media in the process, Neil Cole, Nine Squared Coffee, Lee Quinn, LM Hair & Beauty, Grainne McCoy, Give Us Beauty and Charlotte McAteer, Jack Murphy Jewellers.

Edwina Flynn, President of Newry Chamber commented: "Newry Chamber is absolutely delighted we had a packed house in the Canal Court for this year's NI Digital Marketing Conference, illustrating the importance of this area to local businesses, an area that continues to constantly evolve at an unprecedented rate."

"We are extremely grateful to our Principal Sponsors, Southern Regional College and IRP Commerce. Without their support we could not run events such as this important annual conference."

"The conference was all about providing our local businesses, who are the lifeblood of our economy, with the information they need when it comes to all things digital marketing, keeping them up to date with all the latest trends in this area and giving them practical steps they can start to implement right away within their businesses."

"The conference included a top line-up of speakers, and I would like to thank all of them for taking the time out of their busy schedules to come and speak at the event on topics including social media strategy, creating content, eCommerce, AI, email marketing, paid ads and much more."

Tracy Rice, Head of Business Engagement at Southern Regional College said: "Southern Regional College was delighted to sponsor the NI Digital Marketing Conference, in partnership with Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade and IRP. This annual conference continues to provide SMEs with useful information and tips on sound digital marketing practices and associated technologies. The line-up of speakers did not disappoint with lots of key takeaways for attendees. The College offers many skills and mentoring programmes to support SMEs to establish and build effective digital marketing strategies."

Brian McLaughlin, Partner Development Manager at IRP Commerce added: "IRP Commerce is proud to support initiatives that drive the online economy forward. As a sponsor of the NI Digital Marketing Conference, we were delighted to see a strong turnout and high-calibre discussion on profitability, performance and innovation in eCommerce. Events like this are vital for sharing knowledge, sparking new ideas and building a connected digital ecosystem in Newry and Mourne region."