Your guide to stories, news and business opportunities in the Highlands and Islands throughout 2014

GET INTO 2014 - NEWSLETTERApril/May 2014 Issue 2

Over 170 events are taking place across the Highlands and Islands as part of Homecoming Scotland’s Whisky Month. The 31-day-long celebration takes place across Scotland, including Whisky Day on 17 May.

The Inverness Whisky Festival kicked off the Homecoming whisky celebrations in early April when organisers led their guests on a journey through the streets of Inverness to visit some of the oldest pubs and appreciate some of the finest Highland malts.

Bruce Macgregor, organiser of the festival said: “We’ve been amazed by the response to our Whisky Festival. We’ve had visitors from across the globe drawn to Inverness

because of this unique mix of classic whiskies, great traditional music and the quirky little bits we add into the mix.”

Scotland’s food and drink industry generates almost £10 billion a year. Scotch whisky is a globally recognised brand and accounts for nearly one quarter of all UK food and drink exports. Highlands and Islands distilleries produce more malt whisky than the rest of the planet; not bad considering we’re only 0.06% of the world’s population.

For more information visitwww.visitscotland.com/info/events/homecoming-sco t land-2014-whisky-month-p691851

MAY IS WHISKY MONTH

YOUR 2014 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

• ProcurementopportunitiesfortheCommonwealthGames: logontowww.glasgowbusinessportal.co.uk

• ProcurementopportunitiesforRyderCup:look atwww.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk (Shortleadopportunitieswillappearonbothsitesinthelead uptothegames,sokeepyoureyespeeledforopportunities).

• CheckouttheVisitScotlandwebsitebyclickinghere –thereisahostofinformationandausefulHomecoming toolkittohelpyourbusinessmakethemostof2014.

2014 EVENTS

Jan - Dec The Year of Homecoming 1 - 15 July Queen’s Baton Relay tours the Highlands and Islands23 July - 3 Aug Commonwealth Games 23 - 28 Sept Ryder Cup

APRIL EVENTS

29 2-Day Business Start-Up Workshop 30 Let’s Do Business Roadshow - The Importance of Market Research

MAY EVENTS

1-5 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2-5 Jazz and a Dram / Isle of Bute Jazz Festival3 Brew at the Bog6 2-Day Business Start-Up Workshop7 Let’s Do Business Roadshow - Employing Students 7 What’s the Big Idea? 7 Pitching with Passion7-31 Whisky Galore Tour (Mull Theatre)10-18 Orkney Whisky’s Wild Side19 Marketing on a Shoestring19 Importance of Branding Workshop 20-21 BioDundee - Scottish Cities Alliance Global Conference of Excellence24-30 A Taste of Islay, Jura and Mull 28 Business Quarterly Scottish Export Awards 201428-29 Aquaculture UK - International Brokerage Event

For further details on all of the above events please visit www.hie.co.uk/2014

April/May 2014 Page 02Get into 2014 - Newsletter

Scotland Welcomes the World 2014 www.hie.co.uk

Visitors and residents of Orkney are in for a unique experience during Whisky Month following collaboration between RSPB and Highland Park to expose Orkney Whisky’s Wild Side.

As part of Homecoming Scotland 2014, Orkney Nature Festival presents a special series of events called Orkney Whisky’s Wild Side. Orkney’s exceptional whiskies are rooted in the area’s heathery hills and pure lochs. The Events offer an experience that promise to be a highlight of the festival to toast

the best wildlife and whisky that Scotland has to offer.

Julian Brunscombe, project officer at RSPB, said: “We set upon the idea of collaborating with Highland Park because we wanted to fuse together wild and cultural events so that tourists would get a true feeling for how Orkney’s people and wildlife go hand-in-hand.”

www.d i scove r -o rkney. co .uk /ai1ec_event/orkney-whiskys-wild-side/?instance_id=

ORKNEY WHISKY’S WILD SIDE

Moray-based textiles company McNaughton Holdings has been selected to produce the official Team Scotland Commonwealth Games tartan for Glasgow 2014.

The tartan has been designed by Jilli Blackwood and will be worn by the athletes at the formal ceremonies including the opening ceremony. Managing Director Bill McNaughton said: “We’re naturally extremely proud to have been asked to weave the fabric for the Team Scotland outfits here in Keith. We have a highly skilled team of craftsmen and women who are all working hard to provide our athletes with the very

best of Scottish cloth.” Earlier this month Scotland’s national fabric was celebrated across the globe for World Tartan Day on 6 April. For Scots all over the world Tartan Day is becoming a day of celebration and a chance to celebrate our rich cultural heritage. Our national fabric has enjoyed a recent resurgence showing on the international fashion catwalks, and for 2014 is making headlines with two new tartans being created for The Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games.

www.g lasgow2014 .com/ jo in /campaign-archive/glasgow-2014-official-tartan-unveiled

A TARTAN REVEAL

The Life Sciences sector employs over 1800 people within the Highlands and Islands, making it one of the region’s key growth sectors. This year’s BioDundee 2014 conference will see major players from the industry gather to hear of new and growing opportunities in the sector.

The Highlands and Islands have some great examples of innovative companies who are leading developments in areas such as digital healthcare. Sitekit, is one such company taking advantage of new markets in this field and will be joining the number of high profile speakers at the event.

Campbell Grant, Managing Director at Sitekit said: “Our eRedbook app is designed to replace the paper-based Personal Child Health

Record which begins a life-long, health and wellness record that is personal, secure, available when required and can be shared with clinicians and carers.”

‘Wellbeing’ and ‘Assisted Living’, two themes that will be covered at BioDundee, are major drivers of growth for the life sciences sector in the Highlands and Islands, capitalising on the region’s unique marine and natural environment and pioneering work in remote and rural healthcare.

The Life Sciences conference is one of seven growth sector conferences taking place during 2014 as part of Scotland’s Cities Global Excellence Conference programme.

www.biodundee.co.uk

LIFE SCIENCES EXPERTS GATHER IN DUNDEE

With only 92 days until the Commonwealth Games gets underway in Glasgow, the Queen’s Baton Relay first has to make its journey around our host country. It will spend 15 days touring the Highlands and Islands from 1st July.

Linda Anderson-Kerr from Oban was nominated as baton bearer for

her volunteering work with Distance Highland Befrienders, supporting people who live in remote and rural areas, and who experience mental health issues or have dementia. Linda said: “When I found out I was to be a baton bearer I was quite overcome to be honest, it’s a great honour. The Queen’s Baton symbolises the coming

together of Commonwealth nations. My volunteering work is about community inclusiveness and trying to stop isolation, and so, on some level, it’s parallel to what the Queen’s Baton is all about.”

www.glasgow2014.com/queens-baton-relay

92 DAYS AND COUNTING

And finally…. 22-year-old Kerry Macleod from the 2014 events team at HIE has been chosen from 900 applicants to take part in 33Fifty - a Commonwealth youth leadership programme in Glasgow in July. One hundred young people from around the Commonwealth are being given the opportunity as a result of the Glasgow 2014 Games to learn how to make a difference to their communities. The 33Fifty programme is delivered by the Royal Commonwealth Society and Common Purpose, the international leadership development organisation, bringing 18-25 year olds together from 41 of the Commonwealth countries. Well done Kerry!