Your guide to stories, news and business opportunities in the Highlands and Islands throughout 2014

GET INTO 2014 - NEWSLETTERJuly 2014 Issue 4

As Scotland welcomes the Queen’s Baton Relay, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is hosting two events in the Outer Hebrides on Tuesday 8 July to mark the historic occasion.

The first event will be held in Lionacleit, beginning with a specialist session for local businesses wanting to enter new international markets. This will be followed by a public session where there will be plenty for all the family to do; including a mini Commonwealth Games for children and a cooking demonstration from the Head Chef at the Michelin starred Kinloch Lodge in the Isle of Skye.

As the Baton travels north, the next event will be held at An Lanntair Gallery, Stornoway. It will focus on opportunities for the future for young people choosing to live, study and work there. This event will coincide

with the final leg of the Baton Relay in Stornoway where celebrations will continue in Perceval Square.

Comhairle Convener, Norman MacDonald, said: “The arrival of the Queen’s Baton to our islands next month will be an historic occasion which will provide us with another opportunity to display the beauty of these islands to the rest of the country and indeed the Commonwealth nations. I am delighted that partner organisations are holding community events which will add value and an extra dimension to the day.”

Anyone who would like to attend should contact their local HIE office. Details can be found here.

To find out when the Queen’s Baton Relay is near you, please visit www.g lasgow2014 .com/ jo in /queens-baton-relay

QUEEN’S BATON RELAY

YOUR 2014 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

• ProcurementopportunitiesfortheCommonwealthGames: logontowww.glasgowbusinessportal.co.uk

• ProcurementopportunitiesforRyderCup:look atwww.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk (Shortleadopportunitieswillappearonbothsitesinthelead uptothegames,sokeepyoureyespeeledforopportunities).

• CheckouttheVisitScotlandwebsitebyclickinghere –thereisahostofinformationandausefulHomecoming toolkittohelpyourbusinessmakethemostof2014.

2014 EVENTS

Jan - Dec The Year of Homecoming 1 - 15 July Queen’s Baton Relay tours the Highlands and Islands23 July - 3 Aug Commonwealth Games 23 - 28 Sept Ryder Cup

JUNE EVENTS

28 Piping Hot Forres, European Pipe Band Championship 28-30 Sanday Soulka in June

JULY EVENTS

1 - 22 Tattie Bogal 1 - 26 Aug Feis An Eilein: Skye Festival Summer Concert 3 2 Day Business Start Up Work Shop 8 Bright Idea Scotland – So You Think You Can Turn Your Idea Into A Business 15 Marketing and Selling Skills Workshop 16 Record Keeping Workshop 16 - 19 Hebridean Celtic Festival 17 Marketing and Selling Skills Workshop 18 Record Keeping Workshop 19 Inverness Highland Games 22 Marketing and Selling Skills Workshop 23 South Uist Games and Piping Society Highland Games 23 Record Keeping Workshop 24 2014 Shetland Fireball Championships

For further details on all of the above events please visit www.hie.co.uk/2014

July 2014 Page 02Get into 2014 - Newsletter

Scotland Welcomes the World 2014 www.hie.co.uk

Do you want to reach key markets in the Commonwealth but don’t know how?

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Scottish Development International (SDI) are holding an event for businesses who are interested in exporting to India, Singapore and Australia. Market specialists and advisors will offer you the opportunity to discuss developing international trade and partner opportunities. The programme will include:

• Economic overview and market opportunities • Cultural considerations • Routes to market • Company case studies • Q&A panel sessions • Support for businesses with export potential

Doing Business in the Commonwealth will be held on the 30 July in Eden Court, Inverness.

Click here to book your place now.

BE A COMMONWEALTH WINNER

Well done South Uist native, Kerry MacPhee, who has been selected to represent Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Her outstanding performance throughout 2014 and successive wins at the Scottish Offroad Mountain Bike Championships have promoted Kerry to the top of the British rankings.

When Kerry was selected she said: “I’m thrilled to be the first woman from the Hebrides at the Commonwealth Games. It’s a great honour and a wonderful reward for years of non-stop training. I have many people to thank who’ve supported me – family, friends, my equipment suppliers and my sponsors, Loch Duart, whose wonderful salmon is

an essential part of my training and competing diet.”

Kerry is sponsored by independent Scottish salmon farm, Loch Duart, who are account managed by HIE and are the first salmon farm in the world to achieve RSPCA Freedom Food approval.

www.goscotland.org

TEAM SCOTLAND HONOUR

2014 will be a landmark year for Scotland’s food and drink industry. It is set to welcome the world in style when it holds its first ever large scale buyers’ event later this month.

Twenty four companies from the Highlands and Islands have been chosen out of the total 84 companies attending the Showcasing Scotland event. This is a fantastic opportunity to expose these companies to UK and key export markets from North

America to South East Asia, as each will receive a guaranteed minimum of six introductions from a group of 100 buyers.

Amanda Brown at Scotland Food and Drink, says: “We have a wealth of amazing food and drink products in Scotland but it is not always easy to make connections with buyers. This event will provide suppliers with an opportunity to do just that but on a scale that hasn’t been

delivered before.”

This event will take place on 21 and 22 July at the Dunblane Hydro and is in partnership with Scotland Food and Drink and SDI, the international arm of Scotland’s economic development agencies.

For more information:www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org

SHOWCASING SCOTLAND’S FINEST

A selection of the best cooks and producers from Argyll will join forces to feed the crowds at the BBC Glasgow Commonwealth Games site at Pacific Quay.

The Food from Argyll group has been honing their skills at festivals and events over the last six years. The group is growing and includes

the producers in Argyll who grow, harvest and prepare the natural larder on their doorstep.

Kerrie Grant from HIE says: ‘I am delighted that we are able to support this forward thinking co-operative to deliver excellent food at the Commonwealth Games. By providing some capital grant

assistance together with a summer placement to help set up the event and maximise social media publicity, HIE is ensuring that Argyll Food Producers are able to carry the message that Argyll is a top quality food destination to nations across the Commonwealth.’

Food from Argyll, who are account

managed by HIE, were selected by the BBC and DF Concerts following a tender submission. They will also have stands in the Scottish Food Village on Glasgow Green so that visitors from home and abroad will be able to enjoy great Scottish food at either side of the city during the Games.

EAT FOOD FROM ARGYLL @ THE QUAY