Connecting for growth: a new UK–Ireland collaboration pilot
Launching in March 2026, IWIN’s Connecting for Growth pilot creates structured, senior-level engagement between Irish interior manufacturers and UK developers.
The Irish Wood & Interiors Network (IWIN) is launching a new pilot initiative in March 2026 designed to strengthen direct commercial links between Irish contract interior manufacturers and leading UK construction and development companies.
Called Connecting for Growth, the programme represents an industry first of its kind. It brings together senior decision-makers from UK construction firms – many with strong Irish diaspora connections – with Irish-based manufacturers in a structured environment focused on practical engagement, collaboration and future supply-chain alignment.
The inaugural event will take place on March 24th and 25th, 2026, hosted at The Galtee Group’s manufacturing facility, where twelve UK contractors and developers will come together with twelve Irish contract interior manufacturers over two intensive days.
The initiative comes at a particularly timely moment. While construction activity across the UK has been relatively subdued in recent months, market sentiment and industry forecasts indicate a strong rebound expected from the final quarter of 2026 onwards. For Irish manufacturers, this creates an important window – not to wait for demand to return, but to prepare for it in advance.
Connecting for Growth has been developed with this forward-looking mindset. Rather than traditional networking or exhibition-based engagement, the programme is designed to allow meaningful relationships to be established early, giving both sides the opportunity to understand capabilities, expectations and potential areas of alignment before project pipelines begin to accelerate again.
To deliver the programme, IWIN has partnered with Paul Whitnell, Chief Executive of the British & Irish Trading Alliance (BITA). BITA has an extensive network across the UK construction and development sector, particularly among companies with longstanding Irish links. Through this partnership, IWIN has been able to engage directly with senior-level UK firms that would typically be difficult for individual manufacturers to access on their own.
At the centre of the two-day event will be a series of structured one-to-one meetings, delivered in a speed-dating style format. Each company will take part in multiple twenty-minute private discussions, allowing both parties to explore areas such as project experience, production capability, procurement processes and upcoming development pipelines. The objective is not to force outcomes, but to create informed conversations that determine whether a genuine commercial fit exists.
Several high-profile UK companies are already confirmed to take part, including Ballymore, Comer Group, Baxhall, Elliott Group UK, Laing O’Rourke, C Field Construction and the Arora Group. From within the IWIN membership, participating manufacturers include Carnehill Joinery, Loughnane Joinery, Byrne Custom Joinery, Farrell Furniture, GEM Joinery and Western Postform, with further companies to be confirmed as final preparations continue.
Hosting the event at The Galtee Group’s facility adds an important practical dimension. The manufacturing setting allows UK attendees to see first-hand the scale, capability and professionalism that exists within the Irish contract interiors sector, reinforcing the message that Irish suppliers are well positioned to support large-scale UK developments.
While the March event marks the official launch of the programme, it is very much intended as a pilot. Should it prove successful, Connecting for Growth will become a recurring feature of the IWIN calendar, providing members with an ongoing route to engage with UK buyers, contractors and developers as export opportunities continue to evolve.
For IWIN, the initiative reflects a broader commitment to creating industry-led platforms that move beyond conversation and deliver real commercial value. By bringing the right companies together at the right time, Connecting for Growth aims to ensure Irish manufacturers are better connected, better prepared and well-positioned to capitalise on the next phase of UK construction growth.
