TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny has signed up as keynote speaker at this year’s Asia Pacific Irish Business Forum event in Croke Park on July 13th, the second year the Asian representative body is holding a meeting in Dublin.

Established in 2007, the group aims to leverage the GAA network in Asia, and has an event at the annual Asian GAA Games every year in whatever city they are taking place, using the fact that so many Irish are in town for the event.

The APIBF meeting has been hosted successively in Penang, Malaysia (2008), Bangkok (2009), Hong Kong (2010) and Seoul last year. This year it will be Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, on October 25th.

The theme will be “Asia Now – Maximising Current Business Opportunities for Irish Companies”.

Last year, more than 300 delegates from Ireland and Asia attended the event and more than 500 are expected this year, showing the growing importance of the region to developing Irish business opportunities.

The conference is sponsored by Enterprise Ireland and supported by Dublin City Council and Green IFSC.

A special feature will be the involvement of representatives of the leading business groups in Ireland, including Ibec, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the Irish Exporters Association, the Institute of Directors in Ireland, Chambers Ireland, Isme, the Irish Funds Industry Association, the Marketing Institute of Ireland, the Irish Internet Association and Dublin City Business Organisation.

The Asia Gulf Ambassador Panel will feature representatives of the leading economies in the region and will be followed by a briefing session by leading Irish business representatives and Asian trade experts.