Ilex on board as EBN Congress Principal Sponsor:

Ilex has joined Invest NI and DCAL as a principal sponsor of EBN Congress, the biggest international innovation conference in Northern Ireland this year, which is being organised by NORIBIC (Northern Ireland Business and Innovation Centre).

Matt McNulty, Interim Chair of Ilex and Dr Bernard Toal, Chief Executive of NORIBIC, were pictured making the announcement.

Dr Bernard Toal, chief executive of NORIBIC says that given Ilex’s strategic role in the economic growth of North West, Ilex’s support is particularly welcome.

“The congress focuses on the three key areas of the ‘One Plan’ for the regeneration of the city that Ilex has driven – social innovation, cultural innovation and digital innovation. So Ilex’s support for the congress is both extremely welcome and very significant,” he adds.

Matt McNulty, Interim Chair of Ilex added: “Ilex is delighted to support the EBN Congress in Derry~Londonderry.  Not only will this conference draw people from around the world to the city, it will positively promote its regeneration in line with our ambition of the One Plan. It will also project the city as a location of choice for investment and will have a substantial economic impact, generating over £700,000 for the local economy.”

Topping the programme for the three day conference (29th-31st May) will be Steve Wozniak, who has been a Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for more than thirty years.  In 1976, Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer Inc with Steve Jobs, helping to shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products.

EBN Congress 2013 will include a series of events and exhibitions including the Digital, Cultural and Social Innovation networking Villages.  It will begin on 29th May with a civic reception hosted by the Mayor of Derry, followed by a cultural welcome event in the Craft Village.  The Millennium Forum will then stage the main conference on 30th and 31st May with a Gala Dinner and Concert showcasing many local acts at The Venue at Ebrington on the Thursday evening (30th May).

Further information about EBN Congress is available at: www.noribic.com/ebncongress

Ilex urc was established to promote the physical, economic and social regeneration of Derry~Londonderry and has specific responsibility to manage and re-develop former military base Ebrington (26 acres) www.ilex-urc.com