Applied Innovation Workshop Added to INUSA Conference Agenda
Modeled after a program Salesforce has delivered to numerous Fortune 100 companies, this high energy 90-minute workshop will allow INUSA leaders and members to address challenges they face in their local networks to build additional membership and to reach out and engage an even more significant portion of the Irish Diaspora across the US. By looking at how INUSA and our local chapters operate through the eyes of prospective, new and existing members, this exercise will help set the course for the organization’s growth in 2015 and beyond.
“The response we have gotten for this conference, from attendees, speakers and sponsors is more than we could have hoped for. The fact that Neil will be joining us, bringing his expertise to the stage in Austin and leading us in what is going to be a memorable and energetic 90 minutes adds greatly to the ambitious agenda we have set for our time together,” stated Steve Lenox, Co-President of Irish Network USA. “To have someone like Neil as a leader within the INUSA Network is a testament to our strength, and a sure sign that even bigger things are ahead for this great organization.
“For the Irish Network to advance, it is crucial that we look at our operations from the perspective of those who are the ultimate end-users; the members. This way we can fundamentally change how we do business – and challenge the things that we may be holding onto that are not providing any real value to our membership base around the US,” said Neil Sands, President of Irish Network Bay Area and Head of Innovation, Salesforce. “It’s about challenging our own status quo, the way Fortune 100s do every day.”
“Austin is an ideal location for this year’s National Conference – its thriving high-tech scene and start-up environment is complementary to Ireland’s economic focus in recent years, and Austin’s long-held standing as a music, educational and social hub in Texas and the wider Southern US merges well with Ireland’s own reputation in these fields,” stated Pat Doab, President of Irish Network Austin, this year’s host of the INUSA National Conference. “We look forward to welcoming our fellow members, as well the speakers, from all over the US, and Ireland, to Austin.”
“Last year’s conference in Washington DC was in many ways an opportunity to introduce our growing network of local chapters to each other and to illustrate to them that their efforts to engage the Irish Diaspora were not being undertaken in a vacuum,” stated Deirdre Woodbyrne, Executive Director, INUSA. “This year, with members travelling in from 17 different cities, and thanks to the support of Ambassador Anne Anderson, the Northern Ireland Bureau, Tourism Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and Udaras Na Gaeltachta, the time we spend together in Austin will better prepare us all to meet the challenge we have set for ourselves to more fully engage every segment of the Irish Diaspora across the US.”
The Irish Network USA Conference will be held September 11-14 in Austin, Texas. To learn more about the conference click here. Follow Irish Network USA on Twitter @IrishNetworkUSA and the annual conference at #INUSA14.
Thank you to our friends at Irish Central for helping us make this important announcement!