AGM & National Conference 2010
Creating and Sustaining a Brighter Future
Mullingar Park Hotel
March 4th to 6th
Click here for Conference Timetable
Welcome from Helen Hill, Chairperson of the Organising Committee
It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of The Midlands Branch, to welcome you all to Mullingar for our forthcoming National Conference, In-service and AGM. The theme of our conference ‘Creating and Sustaining a Brighter Future’ boldly addresses the very stressful living conditions we all find ourselves in today. On Thursday our focus is on creativity and the need to be innovative, while on Friday the emphasis is on sustaining ourselves both physically and mentally. Our hope is that by the conclusion of the conference, we will all have a deeper sense of optimism and feel fortified for the challenges which lie ahead.
On Saturday, following the AGM, we will be facilitating you with the opportunity to explore some of the delights which Mullingar has to offer. We invite you to visit the beautiful Belvedere House and Gardens, or you may participate in a Wine-Tasting hosted by Wines Direct. We have also reserved tee times on Mullingar golf course. The choice is yours!
My sincere thanks to all of our very hard working committee who have in the truest spirit of partnership worked together to present you with what I know will be a very enjoyable, enlightening and memorable visit to Mullingar.
Mullingar
Mullingar is located in the heart of the midlands on the N4 between Dublin and Sligo not far from the intersection with the N6 main road to Galway. There are also very good rail and bus connections with Dublin and other major centres. The town lies in one of the most scenic parts of the country, surrounded by rolling pastures and coniferous forests as well as some of the most beautiful lakes in Ireland earning it the title of ‘The Capital of the Lakelands’. Its heritage dates back to Norman times. The imposing Renaissance style Cathedral dominates the townscape and should not be missed. Mullingar is a bustling market town with great shopping facilities, a huge variety of restaurants and pubs and enjoys a lively nightlife. The area around Mullingar offers a wide variety of watersports as well as good quality fishing. Boat hire is available as is horse riding, golf, pitch and putt.
The Mullingar Park Hotel is conveniently located just off the N4/M4 on the eastern side of the town. It is about two kilometres from the town centre and has ample free parking.
Organising Committee
Members of the Organising Committee along with IGC President Eilis Coakley
Chairperson: Helen Hill; Secretary: Cathrina O’Brien; Treasurer: Seamus Casey; PRO: Ursula Finnegan; Liaison with National Executive: Betty McLaughlin; Standing Orders: Elizabeth Kennedy; Sponsorship: Ruairí Stafford, Helen Hill, Seamus Casey; Accommodation: Betty McLaughlin, Breda Mann; Marketing, Stands & Advertising: Ursula Finnegan, Elizabeth Kennedy, Mary Egan; Printing & Publications: Margarita Fallon; Registration: Kathy Finnegan; Workshops: Claire Kenny, Theresa Burke, Elizabeth Doherty, Lily Kinahan; Transport: Mary Farrell, Liz Glennon.
Theme
As already outlined, the theme for the 2010 Conference is ‘Creating and Sustaining a Brighter Future’.
This reflects the present difficult economic and environmental situation in which we find ourselves,. Through it we hope to promote a more optimistic view of the future.
Thursday Night - Fostering Creativity and Innovation
The Conference will open on Thursday evening with an address by Damini Kumar, EU Ambassador for Creativity and Innovation on the theme of ‘How can we stimulate creativity and Innovation’
Damini is the Programme Director for Product Design at NUI Maynooth. While at NUI Maynooth she also created and launched Imaginate 2009, which is an exciting design competition open to all secondary school students across Ireland. Her objective for this very successful competition is to allow students to express their creativity in a local and purposeful context at an early age and engage with it on a more continuous basis in their everyday lives.
In Jan 2009, Damini was appointed European Ambassador for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation by the European Commission. Her role includes acting as an influential role model, highlighting through her own achievements the importance and value of creativity and innovation throughout 2009 and she is regularly invited to speak at conferences and events throughout Europe. She has written a manifesto and policy on Creativity and Innovation for the EU which was presented to President Barroso in November. She is hoping to stimulate an interest in this area throughout Europe and especially in Ireland as she believes this is critical to the future of the economy
Damini has won many awards and received huge worldwide media attention over the last few years and her exciting and innovative design work has created huge worldwide media interest so she is regularly asked to give talks, judge competitions, appears regularly in the press, TV and radio including BBC News, Sky News, The Big Breakfast, GMTV, BBC Tomorrow's World and she also presented a radio show on science and invention for BBC World Service.
Darragh Colleary, Minister of State for Enterprise, Trade and Employment will be in attendance this evening.
The Thursday night meal and Speaker is very kindly sponsored by NUI, Maynooth
Keynote Speakers on Friday 5th March
Our Keynote speakers are Padraig MacManus (ESB) and Fergus Finlay (Barnados); they will address the theme of Sustainability from the economic and personal points of view respectively.
Sponsors
Our main sponsors are NUI Galway, the ESB and DIT to whom we are grateful for their support and encouragement.
Frank Costello, Admissions DIT, Eilis Coakley, IGC President, Celine O Donovan, NUIG & Helen Hill, Organising Committee Chairperson.
Launch
The Conference will be officially launched in mid January in Mullingar.
Gerry Flynn Vice President of IGC, Helen Hill Chairperson of Midlands IGC Organising Committee, Michael Gleeson IGC National PRO, Eilis Coakley President IGC, Jane Byrne IGC Conference Coordinator.
Workshops
We will have 26 Workshops covering a wide and exciting range of topics.
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