For New York and New Belfast it will be a case of new challenges being met head-on in the twelfth annual conference uniting both cities.

And while Covid has certainly cast up a plethora of fresh problems, the enduring questions facing all go-ahead cities endure: climate change, educational achievement, transport travails and cultural rebirth.

Fortunately, our gathering on Thursday 30 September and 1 October is bringing together the brightest minds from both sides of the pond to formulate answers to those tough questions.

Indeed, the roster of speakers reads like a who’s who of Belfast expats in the Big Apple and the cream of Irish America:

Aidan Connolly and Rachel Gilkey from the new $60m new Irish Arts Center
Actress, playwright and soon-to-be filmmaker Geraldine Hughes
Belfast’s progressive, Zimbababwe-born Lord Mayor Kate Nicholl   
From Twitter’s New York HQ, Belfast’s Dennis Bree
Christoph Winkler of the Iona College start-up incubator which goes under the apposite title of GaelVentures
Elinor Tatum, publisher of Harlem’s storied Amsterdam News
Assemblyman Mike Cusick, Chair of the New York State Legislature Energy Committee
Alexandra Levin, SVP of Brightline West Trains in Florida
Suzanne Wylie, Belfast City Council CEO

And that’s only a selection of the sixty plus speakers and honorees who are lined up to reconnect two cities which have been separated by Covid over the past 18 months.

A HIGHER VISION: The view over Belfast from Cave Hill
2Gallery

A HIGHER VISION: The view over Belfast from Cave Hill

But while we’re proud of the rollcall of civic leaders from both New York and New Belfast lined up to raise their voices for a brighter future, we’re equally proud that the in-person element of the conference is happening at all in New York.

With travel from Ireland still banned, going fully online would have been the easy option with our 2021 conference. And, indeed, we have ensured the entire conference will be livestreamed. 

But you can’t really talk about rebuilding without laying down your own foundation. 

And that’s how we view our Rebuilders-themed summit – our brick in this cathedral of transatlantic cooperation which will rise again. 

You can sign up to attend in-person in New York follow the banner ad on our homepage or by clicking here.