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GAZETTE
SEPTEMBER 1987
Department, Central Bank of
Ireland on
inter alia
the role of the
Central Bank, security of foreign
capital, currency exchange issues
and money markets. Anchorman
for this session was John Donnelly,
Managing Partner of Deloitte
Haskins & Sells who gave an
overview of the realities — good
and bad — of running a business in
Ireland. This last session was
important as a necessary counter
to what might have been otherwise
a cloying succession of honeycomb
offerings.
A central feature of the final day
was again a series of Case
Histories, two from companies
operating successfully from an Irish
base — Bailey's Irish Cream
running a highly successful market
in the U.S.; Thermo-King in the
Middle East and the Minnesota
Trade Office, seeking to promote
joint ventures with its counterparts
abroad, Coras Trachtala and the
I.D.A. in our own case. (A
suggestion that Baileys might
present a complimentary sample of
their product at lunch led to the
presentation of sample
bottles
to
all participants.) Commissioner
David Speer of the Minnesota De-
partment of Trade and Economic
Development and his Executive
Director Michael Olsen (who
moved to the Minnesota Trade
Office after 25 years as an Inter-
national lawyer) both presented
papers.
Other
significant
contributors on the final day were
Robert Chalker, Executive Director
of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
in Ireland, Sean Condon, former
Head of C.T.T., now of Condon
International Marketing who gave
the luncheon address and was also
very supportive of the venture;
Franklin Jesse, described as
"Minnesota's leading international
lawyer" who gave a full-scale run-
down on the merits and demerits
of joint ventures abroad and Noel
Sweeney, former Head of Mar-
keting, Bord Failte, now running
Marketing Decisions, who gave
necessary coverage to a vital and
otherwise neglected area of our
economic scene, tourism.
Social highlights of the Conference
were a reception in the Law Society
on the first day, a banquet at Trinity
College Dublin with traditional Irish
entertainment provided by "Just
Friends" and, for the spouses
programme, visits to Malahide
Castle and Glendalough and a talk
on "Conducting a Family Dig"'by
Michael Byrne, Solicitor, of the Irish
Family History Society.
So did it work? Undoubtedly
with earlier marketing there would
have been a larger attendance by
both Societies. However the
Minnesota Trade Office has estab-
lished contacts with our State
Agencies and expressed them-
selves well pleased with the Con-
ference. Many other participants
expressed themselves as highly
impressed with the quality of the
presentations and indicated that
they would be spreading the word
on their return, mostly to
Minnesota but also to Florida,
Washington and Connecticut.
Apart from these at least five
participants have already stated
that they have learned enough to
determine at least to pursue
enquiries further. One, a manufac-
turer of reverse osmosis filtration
systems for the dairy industry, who
was looking to the continent as a
base for his operation has now
declared himself a lot more
interested in Ireland as a result of
the conference and has already
engaged as his adviser another
participant and speaker, Frank
Jesse, who, as he says, he would
not otherwise have met. A second,
interested in the financing of toll
bridges and private roads made
early contact with one of Ireland's
leading figures in this field and had
a second follow-up meeting with
him. A third, holding a substantial
market share in neighbouring
states in the vegetable canning
business has been briefed by the
Her Excellency Mergeret M. Heckler, U.S. Ambassador, w i th Mr.
Brien O'Connor, Solicitor end euthor of "
D o i n g Business in
Ireland",
and (back r ow left to right): Mr. Frank Harris, Executive
Director of Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, and Professor
Laurence G. Sweeney, Director of Training, Law Society.
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