More than 40 delegates from across the globe attended a prestigious conference held in the island for the first time.

The event was co-hosted by chartered accountants Browne Craine & Co and DQ Advocates.

The three-day TAG Alliances’ UK and Ireland Regional Conference aimed to bring together members from the UK and Ireland to assess opportunities to do business together and raise awareness of what the Isle of Man can offer in the wider business community.

DQ is a member of TAG Alliances which comprises leading professional associations with both legal and accounting expertise and has more than 290-member firms worldwide.

In May this year, DQ managing director Mark Dougherty and head of the regulatory and compliance team, Sinead O’Connor, were invited to speak at the TAG Alliance International Conference in Barcelona.

Sinead chaired a panel of global experts and Mark presented an introduction about the Isle of Man ahead of the regional conference.

He was pleased with the success of the event which was based predominantly at the Sefton Hotel, Douglas.

The event included a Brexit roundtable discussion led by the chief executive of Tag Alliances Richard Attisha.

There was a presentation about the Isle of Man from John Hunter, head of banking and fiduciaries at the Department for Enterprise; an outline about The International Stock Exchange [TISE] from the head of the Isle of Man office and a talk highlighting the benefits of being a TAG member from Sinead and Basil Bielich, a director of Browne Craine and Co.

Mr Dougherty said: ’The Isle of Man is a vital jurisdiction for the world’s financial markets and economies and it was wonderful to welcome our guests here for the weekend.

’With 19 member firms represented and delegates from as far afield as Miami, Toronto and Nigeria, it was a truly international gathering.

’Not only was it an informative schedule packed with a range of events, it also provided time for plenty of networking.

’It is a considerable benefit to be able to operate from the Isle of Man and have a global reach with a wealth of reliable contacts worldwide who can help our clients wherever the growth of their business takes them.’

DQ is one of three island companies who are TAG members.

They are carefully selected based on professional competence, commitment to client service, reputation within the business community, and recommendations from existing members.

Basil Bielich of Browne Craine & Co said: ’We were absolutely delighted to host, alongside DQ, this year’s UK and Ireland Regional Meeting.

’Through TAG, we have built up a great relationship with many firms worldwide who we can contact to help our clients when needed.

’Hosting a meeting like this in the island has allowed us to show people that it is a great place to do business and that the Isle of Man isn’t just a mythical place in the middle of the Irish Sea!

’We were given really positive feedback from delegates about the weekend and they all loved the island, some are even planning on coming back for a holiday. I’d like to thank everyone for their participation and hopefully we will be able to organise something similar in the future.’

Among the networking events were an event at Government House by invitation of the Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney, a drinks reception at DQ’s offices, a tour of Tynwald, a trip round the Island with Trike Tours and a curry evening on the Isle of Man Steam Railway.