Drogheda and District Chamber is proud to become the first international body to address the Portsmouth and South Coast Business Week, taking place from February 24th 2025 in Portsmouth.
The last three years have welcomed over 3,000 business delegates to over 80 events and Open Door sessions as part of the week, and reached over 20,000 individuals through Facebook Live videos.
Following engagement with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce in recent months, the Drogheda region and doing business in Ireland generally will now be part of the launch event.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our Chamber members to showcase to the south of England. We have some amazing businesses here that are world leaders in their field, and we want to tell their story to a wide audience,” Chamber CEO, Hubert Murphy, stated.
An unusual link that has helped along the way between the Chambers is the Star & Crescent.
“It’s the symbol most associated with Drogheda and also Portsmouth, so there’s a story to be told there!,” the CEO added. “There’s great interest in that link and maybe on a council level, we can investigate that further.
“We’d love to see this business partnership with Hampshire broaden our interests.”
The Chamber has learned a lot about the likes of the South Coast Institute of Technology, a collaboration of five further education colleges and two universities working with local employers, delivering industry-led courses which fill skills gaps and support the economic growth of the South Coast of England.
“In DIFE, we have a fine centre of learning that will grow and blossom in the years ahead. DKiT is just up the road and data will say we have universities less than an hour’s drive. The potential to deliver big is there for this region.
“The area has so much going for it. With 2.7m people living within an hour’s drive of this key element of the M1 Corridor, the potential to drive international trade and companies to our doorstep is something that must be explored and actioned.
“That can be done through engagement and collaboration, not only with our partners in Lisburn Chamber, but now Hampshire. We are also keen to develop our links with the Chamber team in North and West Yorkshire in 2025.
“The whole idea of walking holidays can be huge, from the Yorkshire Dales to the banks of the Boyne, taking in the story of the Bronte sisters and their links to both areas. The Boyne Valley Trails is now an international brand, so why not explore all our options,” the CEO added.