Annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference 2015

Annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference 2015 A new era of economic responsibility? Tuesday 20th October 2015 Culloden Hotel, Belfast www.agendani.com

Northern Ireland s economic summit The Northern Ireland Economic Conference, now in its 20th year, is Northern Ireland s major annual economic analysis event considering the performance of, and prospects for, Northern Ireland s economy. Every year, the conference attracts a high profile panel of local and visiting speakers and is attended by economic policy-makers and business leaders from across all sectors. It is a one-stop-shop for all the latest information on the local economy as well as an excellent opportunity for networking and discussion with key players in the economy, across all sectors. Reasons to be cheerful? On taking up office earlier this year, new Enterprise, Trade & Investment Minister Jonathan Bell, MLA was upbeat about the performance of the local economy: The economic recovery is progressing well We have positive news across many indicators including a growing private sector, increasing job numbers and signs of growth in construction which had struggled despite the wider upturn in the economy. One of the key roles of the Annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference is to look at the overall picture for the Northern Ireland economy, behind the headline figures, and to assess the future outlook a key feature of this is the annual economic forecast produced by leading economist and Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, Professor Neil Gibson. While some economic forecasters are predicting the local Why should I attend? Major economic summit Economic outlook & forecast Unique information presented Not-to-be-missed conference Unrivalled networking opportunity Supported by economy will grow by 1.9% in 2015 and 1.8% the following year, the UUEPC s GVA forecast drops to 1.1% in 2016 against a UK figure of 1.5%. It cites the continuing downward trend in government spending following the Conservative party s election win as one of the key reasons and categorises its most recent forecast as being one of austerity. This is borne out by other local economists with figures from both the Ulster Bank and PwC suggesting a slowdown in the recovery. The key issues that will be addressed at the 2015 summit will include: Increasing productivity Enhancing competitiveness Northern Ireland as an economic brand Role of Belfast in driving the regional economy Skills and economic inactivity Fostering entrepreneurship Promoting innovation Local enterprise development Impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland Implications of public sector reform The living wage Feedback from conference participants very interesting strategic perspectives presented good overview of current economic conditions, presented in easy to understand language

Northern Ireland economy: A snapshot NI economic growth to slow in medium term as private sector picks up slack Northern Ireland Forecasts United Kingdom Forecasts % Growth 08 06 04 02 0 2015 2.2 1.9 GVA growth rate 4.3 3.2 7.1 5.0 Unemployment rate House Price growth 1.1 1.5 GVA growth rate 2016 2017 2018 4.4 2.7 5.7 5.7 Unemployment rate House Price growth 30 1.0 1.1 GVA growth rate 4.5 2.7 5.6 6.7 Unemployment rate House Price growth 1.3 1.3 GVA growth rate 4.9 3.0 5.5 6.6 Unemployment rate House Price growth NI employment forecast - 2014-18 selected sectors Forecast is for approx 21,000 new private sector jobs over the next 4 years, significantly more than 14,000 created in the recovery period to date. This growth will be partially offset by a reduction of just over 8,000 public sector jobs. Agriculture +1,300 Manufacturing +3,300 Construc on +1,800 Retail +1,500 Accommoda on +1,800 ICT +2,300 Professional & Scien fic +3,600 Administra on Services +2,200 Public Sector -8,400 Other Private Sector +3,000 Macro-economic factors impacting NI/UK performance Sterling Uncertainty Fall in oil exchange rate in Eurozone prices e More optimistic economic forecasts require Significant wage growth Less severe public spending cuts Lower infla on than projected - keeping interest rates low Highlights from UU EPC Spring 2015 forecast excellent overall presentations very helpful and interesting well presented

conference programme 09.00 The Northern Ireland economy in the UK and all-island context Chairman s introduction: John Campbell, Economics & Business Editor, BBC Northern Ireland ECONOMIC OUTLOOK The Northern Ireland economic outlook: Can private sector growth offset public sector austerity Neil Gibson, Director and Professor of Economic Policy Ulster University Economic Policy Centre UK ECONOMY ROI ECONOMY UK economic outlook: Examining the key drivers Colm Sheehy, Senior Economist, Centre for Economics & Business Research Growing an economy in the wake of the global financial crisis Robert Watt, Secretary General, Department of Public Expenditure & Reform POLITICAL PANEL DISCUSSION Looking to a new era of economic responsibility: The political parties perspectives As we look ahead to next year s Assembly elections, this is an important opportunity for delegates to hear directly from the local political parties on their economic priorities. In particular it will be a platform for the politicians to set out their party s views on key issues such as the devolution of corporation tax and overcoming the welfare reform challenge. As we enter a new era of economic responsibility, how will our local Executive respond to the challenge? Conor Murphy, MLA Sinn Féin Paul Frew, MLA DUP Trevor Lunn, MLA Alliance Party Patsy McGlone, MLA SDLP Adrian Cochrane-Watson, MLA Ulster Unionist Party Questions & answers / Panel discussion 11.00 Morning coffee / networking opportunity

conference programme 11.15 ENTREPRENEURSHIP Growing an enterprise economy: What makes businesses successful? Professor Mark Hart, Professor of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Aston Business School & Deputy Director National Enterprise Research Centre SKILLS Essential economic drivers for a growing economy Tackling inactivity: A key economic imperative Derek Baker, Permanent Secretary Department for Employment and Learning Growing an enterprise economy Fostering entrepreneurship and promoting innovation: The EER Award Bert Kuby, Head of Unit, EU Committee of the Regions COMPETITIVENESS PRODUCTIVITY AUSTERITY Northern Ireland s competitiveness scorecard Ellvena Graham, Chair, Economic Advisory Group Productivity as the key to sustained economic growth Rafal Kierzendowski, Head of UK desk Economics Department, OECD Is austerity the necessary solution for the UK economy? Andrew Baker, School of Politics, International Studies & Philosophy, Queen s University, Belfast Questions & answers / Panel discussion Supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in SMEs Barney Toal, Director & Chief Executive NORIBIC Business & Innovation Centre Growing the economy: A key local government priority Ken Nelson, Chief Executive Officer LEDCOM Enterprise development in Scotland Linda Hanna, Managing Director, Strategy & Services, Scottish Enterprise Questions & answers / Panel discussion 12.45 Conference lunch / networking break 14.00 Examining key aspects of a dynamic economy VOCATIONAL TRAINING TECHNOLOGY EUROZONE Embedding vocational education and training in the schools system: Impact on jobs and the economy Manfred Polzin, Senior Policy Advisor, International Affairs MBO Raad, (Netherlands Association of VET Colleges) Technology as a driver of the regional economy Gerry Kindlon, President, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce & Executive Director, Seagate Examining the relationship between Britain and Europe: The risk of Brexit Roger Liddle, Chairman, Policy Network 15.15 Afternoon coffee / networking break INEQUALITY TOURISM CONNECTIVITY Economic analysis of the living wage in Northern Ireland Eoin Rooney, Economic Researcher Northern Ireland as an economic brand John McGrillen, Chief Executive, TourismNI Enhancing connectivity and enabling trade: The role of Belfast Harbour Speaker tbc, Belfast Harbour Commissioners Questions and answers / Panel discussion 16.30 Conference close Hear speakers from:

conference speaker panel Skills and economic activity Derek Baker is Permanent Secretary at the Department for Employment and Learning, having previously held senior positions in a number of departments including the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Department for Social Development, the Department of Finance and Personnel and Department of Education. He graduated from Queen s University Belfast in 1980 with a BA Hons degree in French and German. Conference chair John Campbell is Economics and Business Editor for BBC Northern Ireland, a position he has held since September 2013. Prior to that he was a senior BBC producer working across TV, Radio and Online with special responsibility for business coverage. He began his career on the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo. Adrian Cochrane-Watson is an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for South Antrim, a role he took up earlier this year having replaced Danny Kinahan following his election to Westminster. He is a member of the Enterprise, Trade & Investment Committee and also sits on the Regional Development Committee. Adrian has been a member of the UUP for 25 years and first joined Antrim Borough Council in 1997, remaining on the Council until earlier this year during this time he served one two occasions as both Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the borough. Paul Frew is a DUP MLA for North Antrim and is a member of the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. Paul also serves as Chairperson on the Ballymena Council Economic Development Committee. In June 2010 Paul joined the Northern Ireland Assembly and was successfully re-elected to the Assembly in 2011. Paul is currently the Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee; and a member of the Chairperson s Liaison Group. He also represents the DUP as Vice Chairperson on the All Party Group on Construction. Economic forecast Neil Gibson is the Director of the Economic Policy Centre at Ulster University, which regularly assesses the state of the local economy as well as informing and critiquing Northern Ireland Executive policies. Neil was formerly the Director of Oxford Economics and before that worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Northern Ireland Economic Research Centre. Neil is one of Northern Ireland s best known economic commentators. Competitiveness Ellvena Graham is Chairman of the Economic Advisory Group (EAG) and is Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in Ireland. She is also a Board member of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry and a member of the Advisory Board of the Women's Executive Network in Ireland. Ellvena has over 30 years experience in banking, most recently at Executive Management level within Ulster Bank, where she was Head of Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland and Managing Director of SME Banking across the island of Ireland. Prior to that, Ellvena held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Ulster Bank Group. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Banking. Enterprise development in Scotland Linda Hanna is Managing Director of Strategy & Sectors at Scottish Enterprise where she oversees Scottish Enterprise s planning and prioritisation in response to both the Government s Economic Strategy and industry leadership groups, which help to determine delivery plans to support the growth of sectors where Scotland enjoys competitive advantages within the global marketplace. These include: energy, financial services, food & drink, life & chemical Sciences, ICT, tourism and textiles as well as other growth sectors in Scotland. With over 20 years economic development experience, Linda has been part of the Scottish Enterprise team since 1991. Visiting expert: Entrepreneurship Mark Hart is Deputy Director of the National Enterprise Research Centre and Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at Aston Business School. At the Centre he is responsible for the research theme focusing on 'Business Demographics'. At Aston University he is responsible for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme in the Midlands. Over the last 35 years, Professor Hart has worked and published extensively in the areas of entrepreneurship, enterprise and small business development and policy. He jointly manages the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project in the UK and advises a number of UK Government Departments and the devolved administrations on enterprise issues. Visiting expert: UK productivity Rafal Kierzenkowski is Senior Economist and Head of the Netherlands/United Kingdom desk in the Economics Department at the OECD (Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development) since 2013. His desk is in charge of producing OECD economic country surveys and macroeconomic projections. He joined the OECD in 2007 as an economist where he worked on the France/Poland desk for three years before being promoted to Senior Economist in 2010. Prior to joining the OECD he worked at the French central bank and was an associate professor at Montpellier University. His main fields of expertise are international macro-economics and banking. Technology as an economic driver Gerry Kindlon is the President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. He is the Executive Director of Product Performance and Program Management for Seagate's Recording Head Division. Gerry has worked with Seagate since 1993 having held previous positions with United Technologies, Analog Devices and Abbott Laboratories. Gerry has played a leading role in the 'Digital Derry' initiative and is now a board member of CultureTECH. He is also a member of Derry~Londonderry Strategy Board and he is a Governor of Lumen Christi College. Visiting expert: European regional policy Bert Kuby is Head of Unit at the EU Committee of Regions, in charge of the Subsidiarity Monitoring Network, Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform and the platform on European Groupings for Territorial Cooperation. Bert oversees the monitoring (and research) of the role of local and regional authorities in the Europe 2020 strategy and the contribution of the CoR to the mid-term review of the strategy from the perspective of regions. Bert has been in charge for 10 years at the European Commission for the negotiations on the Regional Policy chapter in accession negotiations. For six years, he has been providing policy advice, technical assistance and training on regional policy and EU cohesion policy, including cross-border and interregional cooperation. Visiting expert: Eurozone/Brexit Roger Liddle is Chair of international thinktank and research institute Policy Network. He is a Labour party member of the House of Lords where he is a member of the EU Select Committee and is also pro-chancellor of the University of Lancaster. From 2009-2010, Roger chaired the government s New Industry, New Jobs advisory panel in the Department of Business Innovation and Skills. He was for seven years from 1997 special adviser on European affairs to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. From 2004-2007 he served in the European Commission, first in the Cabinet of the EU Trade Commissioner and then as economic adviser to the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. In 2013 he was elected as a member of Cumbria County Council. Trevor Lunn is an Alliance MLA for Lagan Valley and is his party s spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Investment. He was elected as MLA for his constituency in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Trevor serves on both the Education Committee and the Assembly and Executive Review Committee. He was previously on the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee until 2014. Patsy McGlone is a SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster and Chair of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee. He has been an MLA for his constituency since 2003. Patsy is currently chair of the All-Party Working Group on Construction and is also the SDLP Economy Spokesperson. He has served on a number of boards and public bodies including Foras na Gaeilge, Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Northern Ireland Housing Council. Patsy is also former chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly s Environment Committee and previously held the position of Chairman of Cookstown District Council in 2002-2003 and 2005-2006. Tourism as an economic driver John McGrillen took up the role of Chief Executive of Tourism NI in July 2015, having previously been Director of Development at Belfast City Council where his responsibilities included urban development, tourism, economic and international development and the management of Belfast Waterfront and the Ulster Hall. Before joining Belfast City Council he was Chief Executive of Down District Council. During his early career John worked for Shorts and the Industrial Development Board, before being appointed Chief Executive of NI-CO. Conor Murphy is a Sinn Féin MLA for Newry & Armagh and is currently Deputy Chair of the Assembly s Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment. Previously Conor was the Minister for Regional Development from 2007-2011 and was MP for Newry & Armagh from 2005-2015. Local enterprise development Ken Nelson is Chief Executive of LEDCOM, one of Northern Ireland s longest established and most successful business enterprise centres. He has over 22 years experience working as a business advisor, mentor and trainer with entrepreneurs and start-up companies, small businesses and social enterprises. Ken was one of the founding directors of Enterprise Northern Ireland, the association of Northern Ireland s enterprise sectors and was its Chairman from 2006 until 2011. In April 2012 he was appointed to the board of Invest Northern Ireland. The living wage and inequality Eoin Rooney is former Coordinator of NICVA s Centre for Economic Empowerment (CEE). The CEE has published research reports on issues such as the quality of economic data in Northern Ireland, the living wage, and fiscal devolution. Eoin previously worked on the Budget Analysis Project at Queen s University, which developed a human-rights based approach to analysing public finances, and is currently completing his PhD on Local Economic Development. Irish budget programme Robert Watt is Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in Dublin, a role he took up in 2011. DPER was established to reduce public spending to more sustainable levels and reform and improve public services. Prior to taking up this role, Robert was Assistant Secretary in the Sectoral Policy Division in the Department of Finance. An economist by profession, he was formerly a Director with Indecon Economic Consultants.

conference opportunties Sponsorship opportunities There are still a small number of available sponsorship opportunities at this year s conference. Sponsorship of the annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference is an excellent way for organisations to raise their profile with a key audience of economic decision-makers and senior business leaders. For further details or to discuss how your organisation can benefit from close association with Northern Ireland s premier economic analysis event, contact Sandra Bolan on +44 (0) 28 9261 9933. Northern Ireland Economic Conference Exhibition opportunities available 4 3 5 6 Exhibition space Each exhibition space will be provided with: Table Chair (if required) Power socket 3.0m 2.0m Stuart Suite, Culloden Hotel Belfast 2 1 Refreshment Area NOT TO SCALE Exhibition information Exhibition area is main meeting place for all delegates. Conference Area Entrance All refreshment/networking breaks will be held in exhibition area 7 Not to Scale Contact us directly on +44 (0)28 9261 9933 or email fiona.mcquade@agendani.com for details

I wish to Personal details conference registration form Reserve delegate places at the conference Conference delegate fee 255 + VAT @ 20% = 306 Fee includes documentation, lunch and other refreshments served during the conference and is payable in advance. Fee does not include delegate accommodation or travel. Discounted rate for voluntary/community sectors Conference delegate fee 165 + VAT @ 20% = 198 Receive details of sponsorship opportunities at the conference Receive details of exhibition opportunities at the conference Name: _ Job title: _ Organisation: Address: Postcode: _ Telephone: _ Fax: _ Email: _ Acknowledgement of registration Confirmation of registration will be emailed to all delegates following receipt of registration details. If you have not received your acknowledgement within 48 hours of registering, please contact registration@agendani.com to confirm your booking. Cancellations / Substitutions For those unable to attend, a substitute delegate may be sent at any time for no additional charge. Alternatively a refund will be given for cancellations received in writing, by fax or letter, up to 14 days prior to the conference, less an administration charge of 25% plus VAT. Regrettably no refunds can be made after that date. Who should attend? The Annual Northern Ireland Economic Conference is aimed at key decision-makers and those across business and government/the public sector with an interest in tackling the challenges to ensure Northern Ireland s economy is fit for the future. It will also appeal to those interacting with the public sector, both in policy advisory and service delivery or advocacy roles. Those interested in attending will include: Chief Executives / Directors / senior managers Finance directors / managers Central government / department officials Agencies, advisory bodies and NDPBs Frontline service delivery professionals Auditors / value-for-money specialists Local government officers and elected representatives Budget-holders Corporate planners Voluntary / community sector leaders / NGOs Services organisations IT / telecoms Financial and legal advisors Payment options Card No. I enclose a cheque for Payable to bmf Business Services. Please debit my Visa / Mastercard Name of card holder _ Signature _ Expiry date _ Security code _ Please invoice me PO Number: How to register... (Please provide card billing address if different from company address) By telephone +44 (0)28 9261 9933 Online www.agendani.com/events By email registration@agendani.com By fax +44 (0)28 9261 9951 By post bmf Business Services Davidson House Glenavy Road Business Park Moira, BT67 0LT Scan QR code Don t miss Northern Ireland s only annual one day economic conference! Benefits of attending include: Hear directly from key players in the Northern Ireland economy Unique economic forecast presented Expert visiting speakers Discuss key economic drivers: competitiveness, productivity, skills Consider the Northern Ireland economy in the national & European context Opportunity to ask questions from local politicians Not to be missed networking opportunity For news and updates follow us on facebook and twitter