NORTHERN IRELAND: Conference Spotlights Homegrown Talent

The cream of Northern Irish talent is to be put in the spotlight at a showcase event to encourage more designers to source from manufacturers in the Emerald Isle. The 5th Annual Design and Marketing Forum Conference, entitled `Source and Resource', takes place on November 2 at the Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick. It is being organised by Northern Ireland Growth Challenge and the NITA. Among the speakers will be Ken Watson, challenge director of the Apparel and Textiles Challenge, who has been working in the industry for more than 20 years, and Nick Hollins, chief executive officer at Charnos. Delegates will gain an insight into the power of the brand, see an illuminating demonstration on using the Internet to source and resource product development, and hear how a successful innovative apparel product was resourced