A Unique Business Location – Needs a Unique Business Association

The Docklands Business Forum is not just a business networking or representative body, it has a wider role and grander ambition.

 

The demise of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has created a resource vacuum that the Forum has in some respects filled, principally in the areas of promoting the Docklands and supporting enterprise. The Forum has built a unique network of commercial and non commercial organisations and is working with them to further our vision for the Docklands.

We are the business association for the Dublin Docklands and are recognised as the primary business organisation by the Dublin Docklands Area Master Plan. With a membership representing over 35,000 employees, including many of the key national and international players in the finance, legal, digital and communications sectors, the DBF is a key stakeholder in the Docklands’ area.

Our aims and objectives are to:

 1. Connect large corporations with small enterprises to create jobs and businesses through increased local service provision.

2. Promote the Docklands as a great place to visit an
d enjoy.

3. Work with our unique network of businesses, local societies, clubs and organisations to build the Docklands into an international a maritime tourist destination.

4. Be ambassadors for the Docklands as the ideal location for businesses.

5. Promote, grow and celebrate the innovative enterprise culture in the Docklands.

6. Promote corporate responsibility through initiatives that engage the local workforce with the area.

7. Champion the Docklands maritime and commercial heritage (such as the Graving Docks and Camden Lock) and work to get them restored and reused for the 21st century.

Value propostion pic

The success the Forum has to date, in creating and growing a vibrant business community, assures us of the need for the leadership we provide. The significant opportunities for creating employment, both in support services to large corporations and tourism are just two areas where the forum can play a lead role:

1. The large corporations in the Docklands spend tens of millions each year on products and services from outside the area, even abroad. The Forum is connecting the large with the small and will create jobs for local businesses, making the whole city more competitive and making a positive contributing to the environment as a result of companies using more local service providers;

2. The newly refurbished Liffey Quays and Grand Canal Basin are an untapped recreation and tourist destination. In the first half of 2013 alone the Forum has attracted 120,000 visitors into the area. Both the Quays and Basin have the capability to become world destinations’ for boating and water sporting with enormous potential for jobs for the city. With the right resources the Forum will make this happen.