Sponsors

Through the Rediscover Northern Ireland programme ‘Northern Ireland plc’ will be marketed at the heart of the world’s most powerful economy, at the time of its most vibrant national celebration – July 4th. The spotlight will be on Northern Ireland starting around St Patrick’s Day in March 2007, right up to and including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival itself. A series of cultural, trade and business related events will illustrate the calibre and vitality of Northern Ireland as a place to invest, visit, study, work or live.

The programme will focus on aspects of contemporary life that will challenge and change perceptions in the United States about Northern Ireland.

This Rediscover Northern Ireland programme provides the platform for a series of significant events for corporate Northern Ireland. The overall improvement of the image of Northern Ireland and the gains which arise from this will be advantageous to all businesses. There are also potential gains for individual businesses with transatlantic aspirations, through marketing, PR, advertising and other promotional activity in and around the planned events.

Importantly, it is also an opportunity for the public and private sectors to work together. The overall cost of staging the programme in Washington is almost $4 million. The United States and Northern Ireland public sectors are investing over $3.4 million in the programme reflecting 85% of the overall cost.