U.S. – Northern Ireland Investment Conference

The event was fully endorsed “by UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, the US administration, the Government of the Republic of Ireland and the European Union."[1]

The investment conference was expected to provide a unique opportunity for invited delegates to see the dramatic transformation that has taken place in Northern Ireland. The conference was a tightly focused business event and "120 executives from 80 companies"[2] were expected to attend. Delegates were invited from industry sectors in which Northern Ireland had particular strengths and which offered the delegates a good match for their businesses.

The programme began with a welcome reception at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum on May 7, 2008.[3] The main conference was on the morning of May 8, 2008, followed by afternoon forums for delegates. A gala dinner was held that evening at Hillsborough Castle.[4] On May 9, 2008, delegates were invited to take part in a tailored business programme specific to their sector.

Ian Paisley announced that he would step down as First Minister after the US-NI Investment Conference. On March 4, 2008, he said "I came to this decision a few weeks ago when I was thinking very much about the forthcoming investment conference and what was going to come after the conference, I thought that it is a marker, a very big marker and it would be a very appropriate time for me to bow out."[5]

• Invest Northern Ireland
• Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
• Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment
• Ian Paisley
• First Minister and deputy First Minister

• US-NI Investment Conference
• Invest NI