US envoy encourages private sector to avail of City of Culture opportunities.

The US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland Declan Kelly spoke of the unique opportunities for Derry~Londonderry to share its talent, creativity and energy with the rest of the world, during its hosting of the UK City of Culture title in 2013 and encouraged the private sector to get involved in helping the city make its mark nationally and internationally.

Speaking at a conference held in the Waterfoot Hotel organised by the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce in association with Derry City Council, entitled "Realising the Economic Potential of the City of Culture 2013", the US envoy said winning the title was a tremendous achievement for the city, region and Northern Ireland as a whole, and set in motion a unique opportunity for real and successful partnership working that will have a lasting legacy for generations.

"The UK City of Culture 2013 provides unrivalled opportunities for Derry~Londonderry, the North West region and whole of Northern Ireland. It is a great honour for the city to be the cultural capital and provides us with opportunities to engage with everyone who wants to get involved to maximize the opportunities that exist so we can all benefit from the massive economic benefits that we expect to come with winning this prestigious title," he commented.

Valerie Watts, Town Clerk and Chief Executive of Derry City Council said work on developing the cultural programme and setting up the Cultural Company are currently in progress. She said the assistance and co-operation of the private sector was important in making the city's UK City of Culture legacy a success from which everyone can benefit.
"Winning the UK City of Culture title for 2013 was a tremendous achievement for us and since the announcement in July, the team have been working diligently to put in place the next steps that will bring culture to every citizen in the city and to a wider international audience. We have been overwhelmed by the response we have received from the public to our win, the level of support has been phenomenal and we believe that this is our chance to make a difference to future generations. Its imperative that the public sector works closely with the private and voluntary sectors to ensure that we build on the emerging confidence that exists and transform our city and region into the City of Culture we want it to be in 2013," she said.

Philip Gilliland, Deputy Vice President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of the business community welcomed the "Call to Action". In the last few weeks the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce has received many inquiries regarding potential investment opportunities. As the leading voice of business in the region, we are determined to help shape this interest into a permanent economic advantage and create a lasting legacy.

The increased demand for hotels, cultural activities, restaurants, retail and other tourism infrastructure has already begun, with a discernable rise in visitor numbers since the City of Culture announcement. And this is helping the confidence of businesses, which intend to invest over £200m between now and 2014. This will represent one of the biggest ever boosts to the city's economy and provide a stimulus of enormous importance to the construction sector and employment in the North West of Ireland.