RendezVous353 brings the Irish connection to the Big Apple
A new social and business networking site, RendezVous353, has been officially launched in New York, aiming to harness the goodwill amongst the 80 million people who claim Irish heritage.
RendezVous353 was created in response to modern day emigration, providing a resource for Irish people all over the world to stay connected with each other and to provide a link between those in Ireland and the Irish connected people, outside of Ireland.
Since the test site was created in February, 5,000 members worldwide have already signed up. The newly launched version of the site aims to connect Irish business people around the world, encouraging social interaction and creating a platform for business networking amongst the Diaspora. The site ultimately hopes to boost the Irish economy by increasing the support system between the Irish living at home and abroad.
RendezVous353 encapsulates the very best of Irish videos, blogs, miniSites and news from contemporary Ireland, all on one site. Similar to other social networking sites, members become friends and share news, tips on living abroad and business opportunities.
The concept was born out of the personal experience of co-founder, Galway man, Terry McLoughlin, who worked on extended contracts in Qatar. His co-founder, Limerick man Richard O’Donnell, shared this vision and is also applying his 25 years experience of the international software and technology to the project. They, have privately funded the website, together with a small number of other Limerick based investors.
Speaking at the ‘Start Spreading the News’ seminar at the Rockefeller Centre in New York, site founder Terry MacLoughlin said, “We have been referred to as the ‘Irish facebook’, but the site holds much more possibility than that. We will be driving our own agenda and spreading the Irish connections between friends and strangers from all walks of life. RendezVous353 is exactly what it means to be Irish”.
