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Vote early and vote often (just not in the same category twice, okay!)
The 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards voting is now open! Please take the time to choose your favourites among those shortlisted. I really think it’s a representative shortlist and that is down to all of you who took the time to nominate earlier this month. As previously mentioned on this blog we had an unprecedented volume of nominations this year.
You can vote once in every category and please do vote in every category if you feel like it.
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Shortlists announced for 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards
Voting in the 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards has opened to all at www.netvisionary.ie. These awards are Ireland’s longest established awards celebrating those using the internet for business. A Net Visionary award is highly regarded as it is a stamp of approval from business colleagues and peers, as nominations and voting are free and open to all.
Maeve Kneafsey, IIA Chair, speaking about the awards said, “It is always important to celebrate excellence. You could argue that in uncertain times it’s critical to take advantage of the opportunities and competitive advantages that can be gained by doing business online. The Net Visionary Awards allows us to highlight the best in online business in Ireland, but also to stimulate ideas for other companies to emulate. The companies who are shortlisted have been chosen by their peers because of their visionary ideas and approaches to all manner of business. These companies with visionary ideas will ensure that Ireland remains competitive and visible on a global scale for all the right reasons. They act as an inspiration to business people and entrepreneurs here and abroad. I would like to congratulate the shortlist and wish them all the best in the 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards.”
Fergal O’Byrne, IIA CEO, commented, “This year we received more nominations in more categories than any year previously. This is a reflection of the innovative, imaginative and customer focused use Irish businesses are making of the Internet as a marketing, communications, sales and resource-saving tool. It’s also a reflection of the fact that Irish internet business users are choosing to use and to celebrate Internet tools, applications and websites developed in Ireland.”
Each of the 17 categories comprises 4 shortlisted companies. The categories cover all aspects of doing business online. The overall 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Award is chosen from among all those shortlisted by the board of the IIA. This special award and each category award will be announced at the gala black-tie awards ceremony which takes place on Thursday October 30th 2008 in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Bookings for the awards ceremony can be made at www.netvisionary.ie
Net Visionary Awards 2008
Oooh the excitement: Net Visionary shortlist to be announced soon
In preparation for this week’s announcement of the shortlisted nominees in the 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards badges have been created which you can add to your site when you read that you are shortlisted…
All those years in the Guides weren’t wasted on me…
On a PC Right-click and choose “Save picture as…” to save the badge for the category in which your company is nominated.
On a Mac Ctrl+Click and save the image from the contextual menu.
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2008 Net Visionary Awards: get ready to vote!
Nominations for the 2008 IIA & Enterprise Ireland Net Visionary Awards drew to a close on September 12th. This year saw an unprecedented level of nominations in all categories including our three new categories. A big thanks to everyone who took the time to ensure those who are doing great business online have a chance to get the recognition they deserve.
Voting will commence when the shortlists on Monday 29th September. Voting will remain open until 17th October 2008. All that is left then is to ensure your table is booked, your tux or gúna has been dry cleaned, your shoes are polished and you have practised your winning smile for the 2008 IIA & Enterpise Ireland Net Visionary Awards Ceremony in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on October 30th.
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Seminar: Broadband Strengthening Your Business
The seminar runs from 10 am to 1.30pm in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Newlands Cross, Naas Rd, Dublin 22. Registration is at 9.30am. Mr. Eamon Ryan T.D., Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources will formally open and address the seminar. There is no admission charge but booking is essential as places are limited.
The seminar is being held to listen to delegates, to hear how broadband has helped Irish business and through consultation, devise a Broadband Demand Stimulation Scheme that will assist SME’s to gain further competitive advantage through the use of broadband in their business. This scheme will be co funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and exchequer assistance and will be delivered under the Southern & Eastern Regional Operational Programme (further details of the programme available on www.seregassembly.ie)
CONTACT: For seminar brochure, please contact Derville Brennan, Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly, T. + 353 (0) 51 860700 E. dbrennan@seregassembly.ie
Guest Blogger
Winning Style: Dos and Don’ts for the Net Visionary Awards
I asked Elizabeth Greehy, Editor of www.stylebible.ie, and IIA member, for a few tips for those of us racking our brains about what to wear at the upcoming IIA & Enterprise Ireland NetVisionary Awards 2008. I look forward to seeing you all looking fabulous on the big night!
Winning Style:
The countdown has begun for the IIA & Enterprise Ireland NetVisionary Awards 2008, (30th Oct) with next week (the 29th of Sept to be precise) seeing the announcement of the short-listed nominees. If you are one of the ‘Chosen Ones’ then you might be in need of a few style tips to ensure that you are, most definitely, ‘Dressed to Win’ on the big night!
Well, winning is a state of mind (so a seasoned winner once told me) and as we all know, style is also a state of mind with ‘subtle confidence’ being the ultimate common denominator in both. So it goes without saying really, that a winner will not only be confident in his or her approach to their career but also in their approach to dressing… but be careful, this doesn’t give you free reign to be over-confident!. You want to stand out, of course, but for all the right reasons.
The Awards Ceremony is a Black Tie event. So what exactly is Black Tie? Well, simply put, it’s formal! So guys, you have it relatively easy – basically, a black tux (although I will go into more detail later for the boys) and ladies, well, you are now faced with the predicament of ‘finding the perfect dress’. This, as all ladies will know, is no mean feat. There are so many choices and decisions to be made.
Here are a few things to take into consideration before embarking on your shopping trip.
- Be aware of what you like. By this I mean, flick through magazines and try to determine which style of dress really appeals to you as it helps bring your mind in a certain direction.
- Be aware of what suits you. Do you know what styles best suit your body shape? For instance, if you are very top heavy, a dress with a sweetheart neckline or a V neck is very flattering on a full bust and so on. Knowing what does, or more importantly, what doesn’t, suit your body shape, will eliminate certain styles and help you to focus on the style you need.
- Being Black-Tie, the occasion is strictly formal. For ladies this generally means a floor length gown. It was definitely the case that dresses which come to the knee, were once seen as ‘semi-formal’ however, over the years, cocktail dresses have become much more prevalent and acceptable now at Black Tie affairs. But this can still sometimes depend on the occasion in question and indeed where it is being held.
- Shopping for the dress. Although most ladies will enjoy the experience of trawling the shops and trying on dresses and granted, it’s the best way of determining look and feel, it’s also worth considering the other options available i.e. getting a dress tailor made for the evening… yes, sounds pricy but there are lots of accessible Irish designers and the feeling of having something tailor made that fits you like a glove is priceless. Marion Murphy Cooney, (www.marionmurphycooney.com) is a hip young designer, renowned for making Irish celebs such as Lorraine Keane and Karen Koster etc, look fabulous on the red carpet. She is well known and reasonably priced.
- Considering you are all involved in the online world, then we certainly can’t over look all the excellent online shopping websites at our fingertips (literally).
www.netaporter.com for all you label obsessed girls – pricy yes, but definitely a little slice of luxury.
- www.click-2-couture.com for more amazing labels (Gucci, Miu Miu, Prada etc), but at much more accessible prices (and it’s an Irish website)
- www.estyleme.ie for unique dresses and exciting American and European labels; this website will certainly help you find the perfect evening gown. (inset: long satin fishtail dress, with sweetheart beaded neckline and chiffon bodice €399 from www.estyleme.ie )
- www.asos.com everything from high street to high glamour
- Or if you fancy the exclusivity of one of Ireland’s many boutiques, check out www.irishboutiques.com or indeed www.mybeautifulboutique.com for online listings of our amazing boutiques countrywide.
- Have your hair done. Treat yourself to a sexy up do or some gorgeous GHD curls for the big night.
- Get your nails done. If you normally have manicures and or acrylic / gel nails, treat yourself and get some delicate nail art done – perhaps a diamante or two?
- Find the perfect pair of shoes. The shoes, especially if you are wearing a knee-length dress, are vital. Getting a pair that co-ordinates with your look but has that extra special ‘stand out’ feature, will certainly help you look and feel like a ‘winner’.
- Jewellery. Well, ladies, the old adage ‘less is more’ really rings true in such an occasion. Whatever jewellery you decide to wear, don’t over do it. You definitely DON’T want to be upstaged by fussy jewellery. If you do have an extra special piece that you want to wear, just make sure it compliments the neckline and colour of your dress – the same goes for your bag – a small and delicate clutch purse that compliments your look is ideal.
- At all times, think style over high fashion. Fashionable quirks won’t always translate into flawless elegance.
- Although confidence is, as I mentioned, important in all winners, over-confidence is not an attractive trait. Remember to watch your decorum on the night. Demureness and modesty will go a long way towards winning the hearts of those around you. Style and elegance has a lot to do with how you conduct yourself.
THINGS TO AVOID:
Over tanning: This is very important; the streaky orange look is NOT good.
Too much make up: If you don’t trust your own skills, get your make up done professionally for the night – go for a nice smoky eye, perfect for night time looks.
Showing too much flesh: There is a fine line between subtle sexiness and just ‘too much’. Avoid any dress that might facilitate body parts popping out at inopportune moments!
Getting Drunk: This is acceptable at the ‘after party’ in an awards ceremony, especially if you are celebrating, but no matter how nervous you are over dinner, avoid using ‘Dutch Courage’ as a means of preparing yourself. There is nothing worse than a winner who is slurring over their acceptance speech.
And for the gentlemen!
So you might not have as much to think about as the ladies do, but sometimes ‘dressing to win’ can take a bit more than lashings of Brut and a self boosting ‘Go Get ‘Em’ wink in the mirror before you leave the house. Flawless sophistication doesn’t come easy you know!
- Perhaps you already own a Tuxedo, but if you don’t, remember that you can simply rent one from any good tailors for the night.
- It is important to get fitted properly before either renting or purchasing your Tux so make sure all the relevant measurements are taken including sleeve lengths and inside leg.
- Chose your style of shirt carefully as there are many different types – plain, ruffled, ivory buttoned etc. and remember to consider your partners outfit when doing so.
- Choose a cummerbund that compliments either your suit (black satin) or your dates outfit.
- Don’t forget the all important black bow tie.
- Accessorise with a nicely chosen pair of cufflinks.
- …..then do your self boosting ‘Go Get ‘Em’ wink in the mirror and you’re good to go!
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Surveyors of all they survey
The IIA would like to welcome Ayla Quantity Surveyors to the fold. Ayla hope to
Reduce your construction costs by up to 20% on any given project with sound advice and accurate estimating with a close emphasis on cost control and value for money for the client.
which is always good to hear in these recessionary times.
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State of the Net Issue 10 now available
State of the Net Issue 10 which is compiled by Amas in association with the Irish Internet Association is now available online (Download PDF, 863k)
This issue includes information about marketing budgets, broadband uptake, ICT use in Education, Internet Usage across Europe, popular Irish online fora and more.
- Aileen O’Toole, Managing Director, Amas, reviews the results of the 2008 Irish Online Marketing Sentiment Survey conducted by Amas among members of the Marketing Institute of Ireland (MII). This includes the interesting development that 56% of marketing professionals spend over 10% of their budget online.
- Fiachra Ó Marcaigh, Director, Amas examines the reasons why marketers are choosing to move their budgets online finding that reach, low cost and accountability are among the main reasons.
- You will also find clearly represented statistics about
- broadband uptake in Ireland;
- the use of ICT in Education at primary and post-primary level;
- the most popular discussion fora and threads in Ireland;
- Irish Internet power users;
- internet usage in Ireland as compared to our European neighbours;
- and the Eurobarometer results for use of internet telephony.
If you would like a printed copy or copies please email me at roseanne @ iia dot ie with your address. If you are planning to attend Fingal Day of Enterprise next Thursday 25th September or Podcamp Ireland on Saturday 27th Septemeber I will be there too and will have copies with me for all! We also distribute State of the Net at all of our own Events.
social media
You are all individuals*
But 100 of you are following the IIA. While you might think this can cause problems in cars, lifts, and in other enclosed spaces there is no real need to worry. I am referring to those 100 people who chose to follow the IIA tweets which I hope have been proving useful. I have decided to celebrate this and although it doesn’t compare to Krishna De’s pending 1000 followers I think it’s pretty good going because of my non-intrusive follow policy whereby I will never set the IIA channel to follow a Twitter user unless they choose to follow the IIA on Twitter first. I decided to do this because unlike my personal Twitter channel the IIA channel will be used to offer services and to encourage people to attend events and to get involved: essentially I am using it to market the IIA. It also ensures that anyone who is following the IIA channel has done so without any active prompting from us. I also think that because of the corporate nature of the IIA channel, it is possible that I, Roseanne, might not always be the voice behind the channel and so I didn’t automatically approach all my followers on my personal Twitter.
But back to the celebrations! In order to celebrate this momentous event and also the success of yesterday’s Blogging, Microblogging and Podcasting IIA event in Dublin which I have no doubt had something to do with the final push to 100 I am offering a 50% discount on IIA membership for one week only. To avail of this discount just use the code “twit100” when applying here. Looking forward to welcoming you to the association!
*Having 100 followers makes scenes from the Monty Python file “Life of Brian” flash through my head!
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New Managing Director for eBay Ireland
Gareth joins eBay from McKinsey & Co, New Jersey brining over 12 years of experience to the company.
As managing director, Mr Davis’ has responsibility for the ongoing development of eBay.ie, the dedicated Irish website, including operations, marketing and building the eBay brand and community in Ireland. In his new role, Mr Davis will drive eCommerce by growing the number of Irish sellers and Irish eBay-based businesses, and by making eBay.ie an attractive marketplace for Irish online shoppers.
Mr Davis takes over this role from John McElligott, who moves to a global position within eBay, as Director of Strategy and M&A, eBay Global Classifieds. John will continue to be based at eBay’s Dublin offices and will continue his interest in the further development of the Irish eCommerce market and infrastructure.
Prior to joining eBay, Gareth worked as an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Co, New Jersey. In this role he led a number of high profile business strategy and implementation projects for multi-billion dollar companies across consumer goods, healthcare, travel & logistics, food & beverage and private equity industries. Mr Davis has also worked as an Associate with Merrill Lynch & Co, in their Investment Banking Division.
Speaking of his appointment Gareth said, "I am delighted to be appointed to the position of managing director of eBay.ie. Irish consumers are continuing to embrace the internet and it is an exciting time to join eBay.ie, which offers such great value and such a wide selection of products to Irish online shoppers."
Originally from Letterkenny in Donegal, Gareth holds a BA Economics from Trinity College, Dublin, and a doctorate in Economics from George Mason University, Virginia. Gareth also holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia.
Founded in June 2005, eBay.ie together with PayPal, eBay’s online payment system, employ 1,200 staff in Ireland. eBay.ie has over 500,000 certified registered users.