Event gets off to a jammy start
Over 100 local business owners, photographers, DJs and digital & creative agencies recently attended the first ever Belfast Jam event at the Hudson Bar in the city centre.
The unique networking event was organised by Stephen Brown from Firewalking Ireland/Coaststeering NI after he attended DubNet in Dublin and decided to create something similar in Belfast.
The core aim was to provide an informal networking event that would be fun, interactive and sustainable. The organising committee, which included Cool FM’s Kathryn Wilson, Jason Devine from Blackthorn Design and photographer Neil Harrison, created the free event through a network of sponsors and partners. Michael Stewart from the Hudson Bar loved the idea and provided the venue, a free drink and food for all attendees.
The event, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, attracted a huge level of interest thanks to the team’s range of promotional materials and the calibre of the speakers on the night, including Norman Trotter from Belfast City Bike Tours. The event attracted a wide range of business owners and employees, ranging from sole traders to limited companies.
The premise of Belfast Jam is simple, short and relaxed. The event has four speakers who are limited to five minutes of talking and five minutes of Q&A. To make the event more interesting, speakers aren’t allowed to use any visual aids like PowerPoint.
Speaking at the event, Jason Devine said: “Belfast Jam has been a wonderful success and we’d like to thank everyone who helped organise the event, all the attendees who came along and the speakers who did a terrific job on the night. It’s the first of what we hope will be many Belfast Jam events – we’re planning on running an event every three months alongside an all day event in November.”
