Tag: #dublin

Dublin Smartphone Film Festival is back with a BANG with more Mobile Movie Magic

Now in its 6th year, The Dublin Smartphone Film Festival returns to the Capital for another weekend of mobile movie brilliance. Taking place on June 3rd -DubSmartFF has the usual exciting mix of shorts, features and workshops, but this time at the beautiful MART GALLERY & RATHMINES Ominplex in Dublin 6

This year’s festival is bigger than ever with filmmaking workshops, a range of short films from 15 countries around the globe, and an Irish premiere of the heartbreaking documentary Everybody’s Oma from award-winning with director Jason Vangenderen 

The festival organizers have meticulously curated an exceptional program, emphasizing powerful original concepts and innovative utilization of technology. In an exciting development, this year’s festival has partnered with esteemed brands such as Zacuto, Dreamgrip, and Zhyiun as well as Ireland’s premier tech site, Goosed.ie. These collaborations will offer fantastic prizes and gifts to fortunate audience members coming to the event

Festival Director Robert Fitzhugh commented: “We just could not believe the success of the festival in the past five years. We sell out each year before the doors even open. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have brought about an incredible period of creativity with people forced to use the tools they have at their disposal to tell stories. There has never been a more interesting time to explore Smartphone filmmaking. This is what the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival is here to do; to encourage the next generation of filmmakers to create their stories using their phones and to provide them with the widest possible platform to present these stories to a wider audience”

The Dublin Smartphone Film Festival will take place on the 3RD of June 2023 at the Irish Film Institute and online from May 1st to May 7th 

Tickets

Filmmaking Workshop:  https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/630634182817

Gimbal Workshop: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/630779948807

Shorts Programme: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/630634182817

Feature: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/631404145797

 

HMV opening new store on Henry Street Dublin

HMV will open its first store in Ireland for almost a decade with a return to Henry Street in Dublin. The new store will mark the opening of its first flagship outside the UK. The store is planned to be open by mid-July 2023.

Although it has 120 shops across the UK at present, this is the first foray into Ireland for hmv under its new owners – Doug Putman’s Sunrise Records and will take up the 18 Henry Street address.

The 6,000 square foot space, let from Irish Life, will play host to three floors of the latest pop culture merchandise and become a destination for lovers of music and music technology. It will also offer performance spaces to create the city’s latest live music venue, hosting shows and signings from some of the country’s biggest artists, alongside global stars.

The announcement of a return to Dublin represents the latest sign of a dramatic turnaround of the hmv business under Canadian owner Doug Putman, who first took the reins in 2019. Under his tenure, the business has evolved its concept to centre on a fan and community-orientated offer. Under its previous owners hmv was forced to finally shutter its last Irish stores in 2016.

Doug Putman said: “Our return to Ireland marks the culmination of the team’s hard work having established a new hmv shopping experience across the UK. We are now in a position to expand that concept into Europe.

“While fans will be able to get their hands on the latest and limited release vinyl and the hottest audio technology, truly indulging their love of music, they will also be able to express their passion for pop culture with ranges that can’t be found anywhere else in Dublin under one roof.

“We want Henry Street to become a home for a new community of fans to come together. What’s more, we hope that once we’ve got our feet back under the table in Ireland, further hmv shop openings will follow.”

Sarah Coyle, Irish Life Investment Managers, said: “We are delighted to partner with hmv on the opening of their new store and would like to welcome them back to Ireland. We are seeing very strong demand from tenants looking to locate in premier retail locations like 18 Henry Street, with footfall having bounced back strongly to pre-pandemic levels.”

hmv Dublin will offer fans a choice of over 15,000 different products and will include over 5,000 different vinyl albums and 5,500 different CDs. The shop will also stock over 3,000 pop culture products and 1,000 different t-shirt designs.

In the past year, hmv stores have welcomed artists such as Charli XCX, Stormzy, Shania Twain, Raye and Ellie Goulding for signings, and the Dublin shop is expected to draw names of similar quality. It’s also set to stage performances from up-and-coming acts through the hmv Live&Local programme which has been established to showcase local acts and give a platform for fresh talent.

SHEIN Launches EMEA Headquarters in Dublin City

SHEIN, a global e-retailer of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, has officially launched its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) headquarters, based in Dublin City Centre, Ireland. The Dublin office will host SHEIN’s strategic IT hub for EMEA and will function as the heart of SHEIN’s operations in the region, building on our
commitment to local economies, communities and consumers.

The opening ceremony was joined by Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, where he met with SHEIN’s Global Head of Government Relations, Leonard Lin, and other company leaders to discuss SHEIN’s strategy in Ireland. This included discussing the growth of SHEIN’s workforce in Dublin, to fill roles in data analytics, security engineering, finance management and legal, as well as expanding SHEIN’s graduate program in Ireland. SHEIN aims to fill 30 key roles in the Ireland office by end 2023, with a view to increase that number as the company grows.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney TD said: “I warmly welcome the announcement that SHEIN has launched their new EMEA Headquarters and IT hub in  Dublin, creating 30 new jobs in 2023. These positions will be in a range of specialist areas and no doubt SHEIN will have no problem filling these rolls from our skilled workforce. It is a vote of confidence that another global leader has chosen Ireland to launch their EMEA HQ and highlights that we have the environment to attract FDI companies to our shores. I wish all the team at SHEIN the very best in their new Dublin office and ventures.”

As part of SHEIN’s efforts to empower local entrepreneurs, SHEIN’s in-house fashion incubator programme, SHEIN X, has collaborated with 390 designers and artists across EMEA since its launch in January 2021, supporting them in their aspirations of launching a fashion collection by providing them with the knowledge, experience, network and global sales channel, so that they can focus on what they do best – create. SHEIN aims to continue to grow this number in the coming years.

In 2023, SHEIN plans to host around 30 pop-ups around the EMEA region, with the next Ireland pop-up happening from May 12 to 17, 2023, at the exciting Opera Lane, in Cork. Last year, SHEIN’s pop-up at Jervis Shopping Centre, Dublin, attracted over 4,000 visitors per day. These pop-ups form an integral part of the SHEIN business model, allowing consumers to experience products first-hand as well as allowing the brand to engage with consumers.

SHEIN’s nearshoring strategy has also seen three new distribution centres opening across EMEA in 2022, including a 40,000m2 distribution hub in Wroclaw, Poland, as well as centres in Italy and the United Arab Emirates, growing its nearshoring bases in EMEA to eight. By nearshoring its distribution hubs, SHEIN aims to improve the speed of fulfilment in the region. Both initiatives are prime examples of SHEIN’s dedication to offering the best customer service and experience for consumers in EMEA.

As part of SHEIN’s social impact efforts, SHEIN has made monetary donations and donationsin-kind, in the form of apparel, household items and home decorations, to various women’s and children’s charities across EMEA. These include Irish charities and NGOs such as The Marie
Keating Foundation and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Ireland, which support causes that are aligned with SHEIN’s social impact focus areas.

Said Leonard Lin, Global Head of Government Relations for SHEIN, “I am delighted to launch our EMEA headquarters in Ireland. Ireland’s pro-business environment and great access to talent make it an excellent hub for companies, including SHEIN, to manage and grow our business in the region. Our Dublin office opening marks an important milestone in SHEIN’s growth in EMEA – which is one of our most important markets. We look forward to contributing to the growth of the local economies and to supporting local communities.”

Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA Ireland said: “The arrival of SHEIN in Dublin is a welcome addition to Ireland’s IT sector along with their plans to hire 30 people by the end of 2023. Ireland is an ideal location in terms of talent and experienced resources from which SHEIN can grow and expand their offering in Europe. I wish them great success here.”

Paysend launches new European Hub in Dublin to drive EU growth strategy with plans to hire 30 employees

Paysend, the UK-based fintech with a rapidly growing market share in card-to-card consumer payments, today announced the opening of an EU office in Dublin to drive its expansion into the European market. Having recently received an Electronic Money Institution licence (EMI) from the Central Bank of Ireland, the new location will be used to expand the simple card-to-card payment service provided by digital payments company Paysend into new European corridors.

Led by European CEO, Céline Singleton, the office is in the process of recruiting a team of up to 30 employees to take the strategy forward.

The Dublin office will be one of four global hubs run by Paysend, alongside Miami, Edinburgh and global head office London. Paysend already operates in over 170 countries worldwide serving more than 7 million customers.

Paysend Europe CEO, Céline Singleton commented, “Dublin has become a great operating hub for tech companies, with a skilled workforce and a thriving business community. We have an excellent opportunity here to attract top talent to help drive our growth into more locations in Europe.”

Group CEO of Paysend, Ronald Millar added, ‘This is a key strategic move for us. We have built an impressive global footprint since we launched in 2017, and the opportunity we now have, with the support of the Irish Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and the European EMI License that we have been granted, to expand further into Europe is exciting. As the former Head of Payments at Ulster Bank, Céline is well placed to take our ambitions forward as she builds the team and drives the growth of Paysend Europe forward.’

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, Minister of State at the Department of Finance said: “I am delighted that Paysend has chosen Dublin to grow its EU business.  They are joining a thriving export focused international financial services ecosystem in Ireland. Government is committed to growing the financial services sector across the country, through the Ireland for Finance strategy that I lead, and where fintech and digital finance is a key theme.

The expansion by Paysend is a valuable endorsement of the future growth potential for firms in Ireland based on sound regulation and the availability of talented people here. I look forward to working with Paysend in the future and wish them every success.”

Adding support for Paysend’s initiative, Mary Buckley, Executive Director IDA Ireland said, ‘Ireland has a proven track record of being an attractive location for global companies to access a well-established talent

G2 Accelerates European Growth with Expansion into Dublin

G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace, today announced it has expanded its European presence into Dublin to grow its workforce while expanding reach to new customers and partners. Dublin marks G2’s fifth location, in addition to its Chicago headquarters and offices in London, Bangalore, and Singapore – along with many employees working remotely across the globe.

Based in Dublin, Gordon Tobin, G2’s Vice President & General Manager, EMEA, is responsible for leading the local team as the company looks to continue its investment in Europe — and in Ireland specifically. Tobin has spent the past 15+ years leading teams in North America and APAC at companies like LinkedIn, Headspace, and G2, and has recently returned to his native Ireland — offering the perfect perch to help G2 grow in EMEA.

“At G2, we want to be the place you go for software. This is a global vision, building upon our U.S. roots and expanded presence in EMEA and APAC,” said Godard Abel, co-founder and CEO, G2. “Having spent time in Dublin recently, I’ve seen first-hand how ripe the region is for software-as-a-service (SaaS) innovation. With our presence in this market, I’m confident we’ll be able to grow our business globally, with Gordon Tobin at the helm leading our local team.”

G2’s software marketplace features over 2 million verified reviews on 150,00+ software products and services across 2,100 different categories. Those looking to buy, sell, or invest in software can all leverage G2’s data, insights, and solutions to make smarter decisions and grow their businesses.

“EMEA regions drive 17% of the total reviews for G2 as well as 17% of our revenue,” said Gordon Tobin, Vice President & General Manager, EMEA, G2. “As we look to continually increase EMEA’s impact on our business over the next few years, we plan to grow our employee base in Ireland – tapping into the local tech talent – in addition to our already large presence in the UK. On a personal note, it’s been a wonderful opportunity to return to my native Dublin to establish a new home for G2’s EMEA operations. I’m appreciative to the IDA for their continued partnership as we look to effectively scale our presence in the region.”

G2 has already onboarded some new team members in Dublin across sales, marketing, revenue strategy and operations roles. The company plan to continue growing its headcount to meet customer demand in EMEA.

G2’s EMEA hub is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney TD said: “I am delighted with G2’s announcement that they have expanded their EMEA presence into Dublin. It is a pleasure to welcome a global leader in software marketplace solutions, which reaffirms Dublin as a centre of excellence in the sector. Our location and workforce continue to be a driving force in attracting FDI. I wish to thank G2 for their investment and confidence in Ireland by choosing us for this exciting expansion. Good luck to the team at G2.”

Dónal Travers, Head of Technology at IDA Ireland welcomed the announcement, noting, “G2’s decision to locate in Ireland is very welcome. Ireland’s established base of tech companies, its skills pool and overall business environment are what fast-growth companies like G2 find attractive, to support future international growth.”

CWSI to create 50 new jobs as it accelerates business growth

CWSI, Ireland’s most experienced mobile and cloud security specialist, today announces that it will create 50 new jobs in the next three years as it plans to double its user base to 1 million by 2025. To position itself for further significant growth, it is looking for new hires across software development, cybersecurity, engineering, sales, operations, and product and project management. It currently has 20 roles available with immediate effect.

The company plans significant organic growth in its direct and indirect business across five key markets of the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, while also considering further expansion of its European footprint through acquisition.

CWSI Group forecasts 30% revenue growth in 2023 as it strengthens and extends its portfolio of cloud security, compliance, and enterprise mobility solutions for hybrid working. Over the next three years, CWSI plans to substantially scale its channel business, through both existing and new channel partners, to become a leading European enablement partner for the secure digital workplace.

It will extend its expertise and service offering with key strategic vendor partners such as Microsoft, placing a strong focus on recurring revenue and managed services. The company will also focus on growing its proprietary workplace software, which transforms the cumbersome and admin-heavy process of selecting, on-boarding, and managing a new device through powerful automation and easy self-service.

To support its ambitious growth plans, CWSI secured new funding of €21M in 2022 and made its first acquisitions in mainland Europe. The company acquired BLAUD, a mobility and security specialist based in Utrecht, Netherlands, and mobco, a modern workplace and mobility specialist which is expanding CWSI’s reach into Belgium and Luxembourg. Over the past year, it has successfully integrated both organisations into the wider CWSI Group, allowing it to grow its service offerings and skillsets.

To set the business up for sustained growth, CWSI has restructured its senior leadership team with a number of key appointments. Des Ryan is the new Group Chief Operations Officer (COO). Des joins CWSI from Microsoft Ireland where he served on the executive leadership team and held the dual roles of Director of Solutions and Director of Cyber Security for the company. The appointment further strengthens CWSI’s Microsoft practice and will accelerate the development of its Microsoft business in the UK and Western Europe.

Other significant appointments include Mark Mitchell as Group Chief Technical Officer (CTO), who will be responsible for new product, technology, and service development. Mickaella Glynn has been appointed as Group Chief People Officer (CPO), and will be responsible for all aspects of the group’s people strategy. Paul Line has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and will lead all marketing and commercial activity for CWSI.

Thierry Lammers and Ulrik Van Schepdael, the respective CEOs of the newly acquired BLAUD and mobco, also join the senior leadership team and will continue to provide local leadership and drive business development in their regions.

Ronan Murphy, CEO, CWSI Group: “We’ve set ourselves a challenging but achievable target as we enter the next chapter of CWSI’s growth story, adding 50 highly-skilled people to the team and reaching one million end-users by 2025. In response to growing demand among our customers for innovative solutions that support the modern workplace, we will leverage our enhanced expertise in mobile and security along with our growing channel and geographical reach. This will allow us to deliver the highest levels of service to our expanding customer base while securing the digital experience for their employees.

“Our recent acquisitions have quickly proven to be a perfect fit for our business and customers. In addition, our new leadership team gives us the depth of knowledge and experience we need to accelerate our growth targets and become a leading pan-European provider of cloud, mobile and security services.”

eir Extends Partnership With GamerFest, Ireland’s Leading Gaming Festival as Ookla Confirms eir Ireland’s Lowest Latency Broadband Provide

eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, today announces an extension of the partnership with GamerFest, Ireland’s biggest gaming and esports festival as Official Network Partner. The event, established in 2017, will hold two events in Dublin in 2023, on May 27th & 28th and October 21st & 22nd, enabling more gamers from across Ireland to experience the future of gaming in the RDS, Dublin. The extension of the partnership comes as Ookla® confirms eir as the fixed network with the best latency, based on analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data for fixed multi-server latency in Ireland, Q1 2023.

eir’s low latency means gamers’ actions are registered faster, giving them more time to react and make strategic decisions. Having delivered its best latency Gigabit Broadband network, capable of speeds of up to 10GB per second, to a record breaking one million homes and businesses across Ireland, eir is now the best network for gaming in Ireland.

Susan Brady, Managing Director of eir Consumer and Small Business “We’re delighted to partner with GamerFest again this year and look forward to showcasing the best possible gaming experience that the eir network enables at the events in the RDS.  The confirmation from Ookla on the low latency of the eir network this week allows the gamers of Ireland access to a competitive advantage when gaming. Low latency is critical for gaming and with the latest technology and infrastructure, eir’s network also offers lightning-fast download and upload speeds, ensuring that gamers can play their favourite games without any lag or interruption also. We’re proud to deliver that to one million premises across Ireland, making eir undoubtedly the best network for gamers in Ireland.”

Stuart Dempsey, GamerFest’s CEO: “The whole GamerFest team are proud to partner with eir. We’ve been blown away to see eir build out their Gigabit Fibre network to more than one million homes and businesses, which is huge news for our gaming community across Ireland as Gigabit Fibre speeds combined with the lowest latency provides an unmatched gaming experience.

Mobile gaming is also steadily increasing in popularity due to the expansion of 4G and 5G mobile technology. With eir’s 5G network, gamers can rest assured that they will always have the best possible gaming experience. We’re incredibly excited to welcome visitors back to GamerFest 2023 in May and October to experience all the amazing gaming content and technology across the weekend and to partner with eir again as our Official Network Partner.”

Over the last four years, eir has invested more than €1 billion in building world class connectivity infrastructure, enabling the build of Ireland’s largest Gigabit Fibre Network and Ireland’s best available 5G mobile network. eir has committed to investing a further €1 billion over four years, through to 2026 and is rolling out its Gigabit Broadband network to 1.9 million front doors, or 84% of homes and businesses, by the end of 2026.

Bleeper Launches LeaseBike Service in Dublin

Dubliners can now get their hands on an e-bike for just €19.99 per week thanks to a new service launched by Bleeper.

LeaseBike is a subscription e-bike service which provides users with their very own e-bike, lock and charger. Unlike Bleeper’s shared public bikes, LeaseBike users keep their e-bike all the time – so it’s just like owning a bike, but without the hassle.

The weekly subscription fee also covers any maintenance or repairs, such as punctures, meaning that you never have to worry about your bike letting you down.

Subscription bike services have been growing in popularity on the European continent in recent years and the new €19.99 service from LeaseBike puts Dublin on a par with other major European cities.

“We have two e-bike models available for €19.99 per week,” says Bleeper founder and CEO Hugh Cooney. “These are city ebikes, ideal for someone who commutes in and out of the city centre. These e-bikes have a great battery range and a powerful motor, so they’ll even suit people living in the foothills of the Dublin mountains!”

Repair or Replace

One of the major benefits of LeaseBike is that the repair or replacement of your e-bike is built into the weekly subscription fee.

If something goes wrong with your LeaseBike, Bleeper will either repair or replace your e-bike at its city centre workshop at no additional cost.

“Nobody wants to lose the use of their bike for a few days while it’s being repaired,” says Cooney,” so with LeaseBike you will receive a replacement e-bike to keep you on the road.”

“E-bike ownership has increased dramatically in recent years, but cost is still a barrier for a lot of people. LeaseBike eliminates the upfront cost of buying an ebike and will give more people the opportunity to use an ebike for their daily trips.”

People can find out more about LeaseBike on the Bleeper website: https://www.bleeperactive.com/leasebike

GamerFest, Ireland’s biggest gaming and esports festival, returns to the RDS, Dublin this May 27th and 28th

GamerFest, Ireland’s biggest gaming and esports festival is returning to the RDS, Dublin this May 27th and 28th after the hugely successful event last year which saw 5,000+ gamers gather in person for the first time since covid.

The epic GamerFest weekend will be a celebration of all things gaming and will feature the latest gaming releases, VR gaming, esports, gaming challenges and a host of special guests including top Twitch and YouTube creators and a variety of exciting live stage content. Among those confirmed to attend are Ryan Mar, Mr Gibbon, Antitinkerbell and The Gara Show, with more exciting special guest announcements coming soon. Meanwhile, Club Loaded Energy and Energise Energy have been confirmed as Official Drinks Partners with multiple giveaways and competitions planned at the event.

This year, GamerFest has teamed up with Nativz Collegiate to launch their first ever Collegiate Challenge which will see Ireland’s top colleges face off on the GamerFest Esports Stage. Teams from University College Dublin and Technological University Dublin will go head to head on stage in both Valorant and Rocket League matches.

GamerFest is also running online open tournaments in Valorant and FIFA for competitive gamers. The finalists of these online tournaments will then go forward to compete on the Esports Stage in May in front of a live audience.

GamerFest has also confirmed a ground-breaking partnership with Williams Esports. Five cutting edge Williams Esports sim racing rigs will be available at GamerFest so fans can put their racing skills to the test. In addition to a Fastest Lap Challenge taking place across the weekend, Williams Esports Irish driver Daire McCormack will also be in attendance, meeting the crowd and chatting about his sim racing career to date.

Zero Latency VR will be returning to GamerFest with the most incredibly immersive VR gaming experience, bringing a unique combination of technology and pure imagination that transports players into a world of free-roam gaming. Organisers have also revealed a partnership with Sega that will see Sega Frontiers featured at the event along with a host of other titles.

Visitors both young and old can take a walk down memory lane in the popular Retro Zone which hosts a range of old school games and consoles including Mega Drive and Atari, along with a host of classic retro arcade machines.

The newly launched Industry Zone will also provide visitors a chance to explore the incredible education and career opportunities within gaming. Pulse College and Black Shamrock Studio will be in attendance to provide advice and guidance for aspiring professionals.

Since its establishment in 2017, GamerFest has established itself as a diverse, community-led gaming event for everyone with a passion for gaming, whether that be casual gaming with friends or those who engage in competitive esports tournaments, game development and design or content creation.

GamerFest CEO Stuart Dempsey says:

“We can’t wait to see everyone at GamerFest Summer for an absolutely packed weekend of gaming! Whether you’re a dedicated esports player, or a young casual gamer, we have something for everyone at the event.”

GamerFest takes place at The RDS, Dublin this May 27th and 28th

with tickets on sale now at GamerFest.ie.