Welcome to the website of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

 "We open doors in Germany!"

Trade Conference and Business Matchmaking 

Trade Conference:

Tuesday 21st September 2010

Time: 10.00 - 16.00

Location:

Business Matchmaking: "Your choice of private meetings"

Tuesday 21st – Thursday 23rd September 2010

Meet German companies seeking business partners in Ireland

Do you want to reduce your energy use in manufacturing processes using innovative technology?

Are you interested in doing business with innovative German manufacturers of energy efficient technology actively seeking Irish partners?

Can you benefit from a forum of German and Irish experts in the area of ”Energy Efficiency in the Manufacturing Industry”?

Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi)

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Successful Ireland Road Show events in Hamburg and Munich

The second leg of the Ireland Road Show in Germany has seen successful presentations in Hamburg and Munich earlier this week. With more than 100 attendees, the Munich event was particularly successful in this German-Irish Chamber initiative which has been designed to improve the image of Ireland – and the Irish economy in particular – within the German business community. This was proven by the strong individual interest of the guests in business links with Ireland.

For more information please klick on the picture above.

New German-Irish initiative to bring jobs and investment to Ireland

Ireland is firmly back on the way to recovery and remains a good place for German companies to invest in and create jobs. That's the message that a group of key German business leaders will hear at an event hosted by the German Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Frankfurt this evening. Ireland's reputation in Germany has been severely impacted by news of the economic crisis.

"There are 300 German companies in Ireland employing more than 20,000 workers, including world leaders like Siemens, SAP, Deutsche Bank and Allianz. By reminding German business leaders about Ireland's positives, we hope to retain that existing commitment and lay the foundations for future growth", Chamber chief executive Ralf Lissek said today.

Economist and broadcaster Marc Coleman, who worked in Frankfurt with the ECB, said the initiative is coming at the right time "The presence of Bundesbank President Axel Weber in Dublin today and the article by Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman in this morning's papers shows the huge extent of global comment and interest regarding Ireland. We have to get the right message out there so our image isn't distorted by excessive negativity and spin and we'll be telling Germany about the tough action Ireland is taking to turn its situation around, and how our economy is forecast to grow twice as fast as the euro area by 2012".

As well as Ralf Lissek and Marc Coleman, speakers at the event will include Ralph Biedinger of IDA Ireland, and German-Irish businessman Helmut Clissmann. Tomorrow the Chamber will travel to Stuttgart where they will be joined by Ireland's Ambassador Dan Mulhall and German businessman Dr. Wolfgang Haefele.

For further information or photo material please contact

Holger Erdmann

Tel: 01 6424312 / Mobile: 087 3168343 / Email: holger.erdmann@german-irish.ie

Please click the photos to enlarge them or visit our Gallery.

Impressions of the RoadShow- Events 2010.

Members event 13th May 2010

Thank you to our 190 members and friends who attended the Members Night 2010 conjunction with the Ireland-France Chamber on the 13th May 2010 evening in the spectacular Residence of the French Ambassador, H.E Yvon Roe D'Albert.

It was a very enjoyable and productive evening, featuring speeches from H.E Yvon Roe D'Albert, Deputy Head of <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Mission</city></place>, Minister Councillor of the German Embassy Mrs. Clarissa Duvigneau, President of the Ireland France Chamber Niall Gleeson and Helmut Clissmann, President of the German Irish Chamber of Commerce.

Special thanks must also go to the French Ambassador and his wife for opening their home to our members and their gracious hospitality on the evening.

Click here for more photos from the night

Golf Society Away Outing 7th and 8th May 2010

Start of Season - Away Outing : Old Head of Kinsale and Fota Island Golf Course

Thank you to the 21 participants who attended the German-Irish Away Golf Outing last Friday in the Old Head of Kinsale and Fota Island Golf Club.It was an enjoyable outing ,  and a special plus was that the rain stayed away in Kinsale, which made the scenery even more spectacular. Special thanks must also go to Bushell Interiors, who sponsored the the Captains Day Prizes.  

Congratulations must also go to our prize winners:

-     Don Spollen, Simon O' Brien, Eugene Dunne, and Sean Dunne

-      Longest Drive: Eugene Dunne 

For more information and more pictures click here

Trade Conference:

Tuesday 27^th October 2009

Time: 09.00 - 16.00

Herbert Park Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Trade mission:

Tuesday 27^th – Thursday 29^th October 2009

Private Meetings with German Manufacturers

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Despite the recent fall off in activity in the construction industry in Ireland and worldwide, the area of energy efficient building – especially retrofit – continues to be an important and relevant theme for Ireland.

On Tuesday October 27^th in the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin, the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce hosted the event themed “Energy Efficient Retrofitting of Buildings” – a trade conference featuring Irish and German opinion leaders, as well as private meetings with manufacturers of innovative technology from Germany.

Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi).

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Focus on Green Technologies / Improve competiveness and brand “Ireland” to be promoted globally / New training schemes to improve skill base

New President of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Helmut Clissmann has outlined three vital measures to ensure recovery of the Irish economy. Speaking at yesterday’s AGM of the Chamber at the Old Jameson Distillery, the Director of the Board of Sika Ireland emphasised these points on behalf of the German-Irish business community in Ireland.

“A clear focus needs to be placed on future-oriented sectors, not only life sciences or IT but also Green Technologies which will create a new and promising industry sector with huge upcoming demand worldwide. Ireland has the capability to be one of the main global players in this area.”

“Secondly, Irish competitiveness needs to be addressed. Costs for businesses have to be reduced in order for them to sell their products and services successfully in the global marketplace as well as in the home market. Also, the brand “Ireland” itself needs to be promoted globally as it has taken a major blow abroad with extensive negative international news coverage over the past few months. This has been underestimated by the government.”

“The training of the Irish workforce is another vital issue which needs to be addressed urgently. This refers especially to vocational training where we should benchmark with other countries to draw on their positive experiences in order to improve our skill base.”

Commenting on Helmut Clissmann’s proposals, German-Irish Chamber CEO Ralf Lissek pointed out that the Chamber’s projects in 2010 will support these points.

“We will organise five big projects in the Greentec sector on topics ranging from Heating with Renewable Energy to Energy Efficiency in Production Processes. Also, at the end of February and in March we will roll out a Road Show in the German cities of Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart to improve Ireland’s image within the German business community. Furthermore, a vocational training benchmarking scheme with Germany is due to start in the coming weeks.”

9^th Annual German-Irish Chamber Oktoberfest

330 guests experience a Bavarian night to remember!

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Emer Costello opened the 9^th Annual German-Irish Chamber Oktoberfest in Dublin on Friday, 2nd October, by tapping the first keg of beer. This traditional Oktoberfest opening ceremony, which was kindly sponsored by SIKA and Geodis, was followed by Bavarian music and food as well as Oktoberfest fun and games. Everyone had a fantastic night out with a difference in the Grosvenor Suite of the D4 Ballsbridge Court Hotel, which was turned into a typical Oktoberfest location. With original Weihenstephan Oktoberfest beer, a delicious Bavarian buffet and two live bands – the Happy Bavarians, especially flown in from Munich courtesy of Lufthansa, and Bob Bandits – the 330 guests celebrated all things Bavarian.

The German-Irish Chamber’s Dublin Oktoberfest is the biggest yearly German-Irish event attended by guests from Germany, Ireland and beyond. It brings a piece of German culture to Ireland. To see more photos of this great night, please click here

Chamber meets FAI" event an all-out success

The „Chamber meets FAI" event on Friday with Giovanni Trappatoni, Marco Tardelli and John Delaney from the Football Association of Ireland was an all-out success. Members and friends of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce seized the opportunity to meet these three key figures in Irish football and to ask their questions on the Irish team, the new Aviva Stadium and Giovanni Trappatoni’s memories of being a manager in the German Bundesliga. You can see photos from this event here.

Sunshine in Howth for the Autumn Golf Outing

September 4^th  in Howth proved to be a lucky date and venue for the holding

of the German-Irish Chamber’s Autumn 2009 Golf Outing. Howth is a challenging hilly course 

and the 18th hole provides an eagle's view of Dublin and the Irish sea. Lady Luck smiled on the Society’s golfers and despite a breezy start, the rain held off and the sun eventually shone!

Bushell Interiors team of Richard Crowe, Don Spollen, Brian Raymond and Denis Blake was the overall winner on the day followed in second place by Mike Goodliffe and David Brophy (PAMBO) and   Sean Dunne (Rebate). In third place was the team from PGM Financial Services featuring Pat McEntee, Marie Therese Eustace and Colm O’Rourke.  Marie Therese Eustace was also the winner of the Longest Drive Competition. The Nearest the Pin competition was won by Jim Dunne of GMB.

For photos of the event click here.

More than 60 representatives from the Irish wine trade and wine journalists as well as more than 80 consumers enjoyed Riesling&Co 2009 on Friday, 19th June, in the Westbury Hotel, Dublin. With 22 winegrowers from Germany and more than 100 wines made from 21 grape varieties it was the biggest ever German wine tasting in Ireland. The event was organised by the Wines of Germany representation at the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce and showcased the top quality and the unique versatility of Rieslings and other grape varieties from Germany.

As a result of the event, the German winegrowers established valuable contacts to potential importers of their wines with several follow-up contacts already agreed. Furthermore, the coming weeks will see several reports on Riesling&Co 2009 and German wines in the Irish media. So watch out for the evaluation of German wines for example in the The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Sunday Business Post.

More information on German wines is available at the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Wines of Germany, Holger Erdmann, Phone 01-6424335, holger.erdmann(at)winesofgermany.ie.

Midsummer Ball 2009 - kindly supported by Allianz plc

 A great night was had by all at the Chamber's Annual Midsummer Ball at the Thomas Prior Hall, Ballsbridge on Friday 19 June.

The stunning oak panelled ballroom was the ideal setting for a midsummer event brimming with fine wine, good food, excellent company and great music provided by guest band Radioshack. The Welcome Reception at 7 pm was followed by a three course meal specially matched with 9 fine German wines.

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was TV Presenter Pamela Flood who guided guests through the evening's proceedings Including the 2009 Midsummer Ball Charity Raffle in aid of Focus Ireland.

The level of support for the Charity Raffle was absolutely tremendous with Chamber President Bob Bushell joining Pamela Flood on stage to boost sales of raffle tickets and fundraise. By the close of ticket sales, The Midsummer Ball Raffle had succeeded in raising € 7,000 in aid of Focus Ireland.

The prizes and lucky winners were as follows:

·  Jack Golden of CRH won first prize of two business class return tickets  to Istanbul sponsored by Turkish Airlines plus a € 1000 hotel voucher for a luxury Istanbul hotel sponsored by the German-Irish Chamber.

·   4 tickets for the U2 Concert on 25 July 2009 in Croke Park preceded by dinner were won by Jacqui Cooke.

·   A Gift Voucher for exclusive Menswear courtesy of Baumler in Dublin’s Dawson Street was won by a guest of Bushell Interiors.

·   An overnight stay for 2 including breakfast at the luxury Herbert Park Hotel, Ballsbridge courtesy of the Herbert Park Hotel was won by Richard Crowe of Bushell Interiors who offered it for auction. It was subsequently bought by Jacqui Cooke.

·  Jerry O'Brien of John C Walsh was the lucky winner of 2 Tickets for the Ireland v. Italy World Cup Qualifier in Croke Park on 10 October kindly donated by the FAI.

·  Caroline Banzer of Butlers Irish Chocolates won 2 Tickets for the Ireland v. Montegro World Cup Qualifier in Croke Park on 14 October also donated by the FAI.

Also raffled were three gift packs of fine German wines which were won by Linda O'Shea-Farren, Sonja Heisterkamp and Sandra O'Brien respectively.

We look forward to seeing you all again over the coming months. Very best wishes from your Chamber Team. For photos of the event >> click here

Miele - Bayer Ltd. - Canada Life - FAI Vantage Club - DZ BANK Ireland - William Fry Solicitors - Commerzbank - Baker Tilly Ryan Glennon