Local businesses invited to play key role in multi-billion pound Heathrow Expansion Programme

Small and medium-sized firms throughout Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area are invited to attend this month's Heathrow Business Summit, where they will have the opportunity to discover how they can play their part in the airport's planned expansion.

The Northern Ireland Heathrow Business Summit is one of 11 regional Business Summits taking place across the UK this year.

The event provides a valuable platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to capitalise on the business opportunities available at Heathrow and learn how they can secure their place in a wider supply chain ahead of the planned £14 billion project.

SMEs have helped build the Heathrow of today – delivering major projects like Terminal 2 and 5 – and will prove vital in building the future, expanded airport, with Heathrow committed to using its position as a national asset to support the growth of UK SMEs.

Attendees at the summit will have the opportunity to promote their business to Heathrow's supply chain ahead of the planned construction of a third runway, through face-to-face appointments on the day, as well as network with other businesses visiting the event.

They will also meet with exhibiting partners, including chambers of commerce and business organisations, and hear from senior Heathrow representatives about their plans for expansion and the business opportunities this could provide.

All exhibitors will actively support and guide businesses on how to connect and build trade relations into new supply chains at Heathrow.

Heathrow have run the successful Business Summits for more than 20 years, providing a platform for SMEs to meet face-to-face with some of their largest suppliers – and connecting them to new contacts, advice, and supply chain and exporting opportunities.

The event, which takes place at La Mon Hotel and Country Club on 17 September 2019, will be attended by key Heathrow suppliers and buyers, as well as exhibitors.

Attending the event, Phil Wilbraham, Expansion Programme Director at Heathrow, said, “We’re excited to be in Northern Ireland, a nation with a thriving construction sector.

“Northern Irish businesses helped to build some of the most critical parts of Terminals 2 and 5 and we look forward to working with these contacts and establishing new ones to help deliver our expanded airport.

“These business summits are our way to grow and diversify the airport’s supply chain – getting more Northern Irish firms involved to deliver the third runway on time and on budget and kickstart the economic growth that expansion will bring.”

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has been working in partnership with other NI Councils, Invest NI and business member organisations to support economic growth in Northern Ireland, and the Heathrow Expansion Programme presents an incredible opportunity to grow the wider Northern Ireland economy.

"Northern Ireland businesses, and in particular businesses within the Newry, Mourne and Down District have a crucial role to play, and we are committed to doing all we can to provide the necessary information and support throughout this process.”

To register for the event, or for more information, see Northern Ireland Heathrow Business Summit 2019, on eventbrite.

Earlier this year, Heathrow announced the names and locations of the two shortlisted sites in Northern Ireland that remained in the running to become Logistics Hubs, including the Michelin site in Ballymena.

Heathrow will be the first major infrastructure project in the UK to pioneer the large-scale use of logistics hubs – aiming to build as much of the project off-site as possible. The hubs will work by pre-assembling components off-site before transporting them in consolidated loads to Heathrow just as they are needed. This method will boost the project’s efficiency and cut emissions by transporting components to site in fewer lorries.