Mac Ivors Cider On Twitter: Join Us Tomorrow Evening For Mac

• Mac Ivors Cider On Twitter Join Us Tomorrow Evening For Mac
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Friends at the Table is an actual play podcast about critical worldbuilding, smart characterization, and fun interaction between good friends. Find us (and a listener guide) @Friends_Table on Twitter.

Your Connection to Growth As our industry evolves, finding ways to grow business is more challenging and important than ever. Freddie Mac is here to help you meet today's business demands by clearing the path and elevating your business through technology, data-powered decisions, products and partnerships. What to Expect Join us at our third annual FreddieMacCONNECT (CONNECT) client conference, where you'll get training on creative ways to expand homeownership and reimagine the mortgage experience. Walk away with actionable best practices to create a faster, simpler and less costly path for you and your customers. Let's CONNECT to share ideas and perspectives toward our common purpose – to move the housing business forward. Who Should Attend?.

Selling and servicing executives. Secondary market officers and loan officers. Underwriters. Default and performing loan managers. Production management and operations staff. Start Time End Time Title Description Speakers Track 6:00 PM 9:00 PM Opening Reception Help us kick off FreddieMacCONNECT at our opening reception and enjoy an evening filled with networking, good company, delicious food and lots of fun.

Catch up with your peers, build new relationships with mortgage industry professionals and spend time with Freddie Mac teams and senior leadership. Partnerships 6:00 PM 9:00 PM CONNECT Marketplace Open Visit with our sponsors and industry vendors as part of our CONNECT Marketplace to learn about products and services that can help you manage and grow your business. Partnerships. Start Time End Time Title Description Speakers Track 8:00 AM 5:00 PM CONNECT Marketplace Open Visit with our sponsors and industry vendors as part of our CONNECT Marketplace to learn about products and services that can help you manage and grow your business. Partnerships 8:00 AM 9:30 AM Registration and Breakfast Fuel up and get ready for a full day of customized training and inspiring speakers. - 9:30 AM 10:30 AM Opening General Session: The Inside Track With Freddie Mac Join Freddie Mac's Single-Family leadership team as they kick off CONNECT 2018. Hear how the Freddie Mac team is CONNECTing you to growth –growth for your businesses, your careers and yourselves – through a variety of channels designed to take us to the next level in Reimagining the Mortgage Experience SM.

Freddie Mac Single-Family Leadership: Dave Lowman Chris Boyle Kevin Palmer Donna Corley Andy Higginbotham Market Intelligence 10:30 AM 10:45 AM Refreshment Break - - - 10:45 AM 11:45 PM Training Sessions Various Various 11:45 AM 12:00 PM Networking Break - Various Various 12:00 PM 1:30 PM Lunch Keynote: A New Day for Homeownership Get the inside scoop from our CEO, Don Layton. He will offer you an insightful update on transformation at Freddie Mac, the direction of the industry, and how working together brings change and success. Bring your questions and ask Don what's on your mind.

Don Layton Chief Executive Officer, Freddie Mac Market Intelligence 1:30 PM 2:30 PM Training Sessions Various Various 2:30 PM 2:45 PM Refreshment Break - - - 2:45 PM 3:45 PM Training Sessions Various Various 3:45 PM 4:00 PM Refreshment Break - - - 4:00 PM 5:00 PM Training Sessions Various Various 6:30 PM 9:30 PM Dinner and Entertainment Unwind from a day of learning and growth with dinner and entertainment. Don't miss this opportunity to network with Freddie Mac leadership and other conference attendees in the mortgage industry. Start Time End Time Title Description Speakers Track 7:00 AM 12:00 PM CONNECT Marketplace Open Visit with our sponsors and industry vendors as part of our CONNECT Marketplace to learn about products and services that can help you manage and grow your business. Partnerships 7:00 AM 8:00 AM Registration and Breakfast Fuel up and get ready for the remaining customized training offerings and inspiring speakers. - 8:00 AM 9:00 AM Keynote Speaker Join #LeadingtheWay – an interview with Sallie Krawcheck, CEO/co-founder of Ellevest and renowned businesswoman, on advancing women in the housing industry.

We’ll discuss smart new ways to reimagine the mortgage experience and create more business opportunities and growth. Women supporting and helping to advance other women is key to all our successes. Sallie Krawcheck Dave Lowman Chris Boyle Innovation 9:05 AM 10:05 AM Training Sessions Various Various 10:05 AM 10:15 AM Refreshment Break - - - 10:15 AM 11:30 AM Closing General Session: Perspectives on the Mortgage Market Grow your industry expertise by joining a panel conversation with Freddie Mac leaders as they explore the current market and share their future outlook. Sam Khater Kevin Palmer Jeff Markowitz Market Intelligence. Jeff Markowitz Senior Vice President, External Relations and Corporate Communications, Freddie Mac Jeffrey S.

Markowitz is the senior vice president of external relations and corporate communications. In his role, he oversees congressional, state and industry relations, which includes the company's work with trade groups representing homebuilders, realtors, lenders, and housing advocates. He also oversees public relations and social media, marketing, internal communications, market research and the company’s web presence. Parking Off-site parking, fee: $48 daily Valet parking, fee: $61 daily Both parking options include in/out privileges.

Transportation Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) Hotel direction: 15 miles SE Estimated taxi fare: $40 (one way) Subway service, fee: $2.25 (one way) Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) Hotel direction: 12.1 miles NE Estimated taxi fare: $45 (one way) Subway service, fee: $5 (one way) Getting Around Town Chicago is a walking city with an easy-to-navigate downtown grid. Numerous public and private transportation options are also available. To learn more about Chicago Transit Authority, water taxis, bike sharing and more. Training Sessions September 24 10:45 AM – 11:45 PM Optimize Execution Options with Servicing-Released XChange TM (1 of 2). Learn about Freddie Mac's servicing-released options to more efficiently manage your assets and generate revenue. We'll spotlight our new FAST SM tool, which dramatically simplifies servicing transfers.

Track: Innovation Maximize Your Product Solutions (1 of 2). Hear the latest policy updates for self-employed income not used for qualification, properties located in areas impacted by a disaster, condominiums, upcoming policy changes, and more. Our credit experts will share what's new and exciting as well as answer your questions. Track: Innovation The New Focus in Underwriting (1 of 2). Learn what it takes to be grounded in the foundation of thoughtful underwriting. Our trainer will dive into the fundamentals of our updates for employment and income calculations. We will closely examine factors related to helping ensure the borrower has the capacity to repay their loan, with a focus on documenting borrower income, employment and asset qualification sources.

Track: Skills & Efficiency Maximizing GSE AUS Outcomes – A Social Study in Workflow Innovation (1 of 1). Join us for a panel discussion with lenders who are actively submitting loans to both GSE AUSs. Hear the how and why for getting started, and discover how this approach helps you create a competitive advantage by delivering a better borrower experience. These lenders will share their success stories and what they’ve learned while adopting this workflow, to help you ultimately boost your organization’s loan production. Track: Technology The Driving Force: Servicing Policy Now and the Road Ahead (1 of 2). See what's driving the rest of 2018 and what's in store for 2019 related to servicing policy. Our experts will lead a discussion and answer your questions.

Mac Ivors Cider On Twitter Join Us Tomorrow Evening For Mac

Topics could include: Short Sales/DILs, new forbearance requirements, new model letters, foreclosure timelines and compensatory fees, and more. Track: Innovation Investor Reporting Change Initiative: The Big Picture (1 of 2). Big changes are coming for investor reporting – are you ready? Here is your chance to better understand the new requirements you'll need to implement so that you can effectively plan your transition strategy with your internal operations, processes and technology partners. Track: Innovation Keeping Up with the Manager Series and Scorecard (1 of 2).

What's the next big impact to the Manager Series and Scorecard? Investor Reporting Change Initiative is one. See firsthand how technology will change to accommodate new investor reporting changes. Track: Skills & Efficiency Success with Subservicers (1 of 1). Experts will share with you their best practices on how to manage your Subservicer. Walk away with actionable steps to boost your efficiency with Subservicers.

Track: Skills & Efficiency Loan Product Advisor Enhancements: Income and Asset R&W Relief (1 of 2). Get one step ahead of the rest with this inside look at our new suite of Income and Asset R&W relief offerings that are coming this fall. You’ll leave the session knowing which vendors we are integrating with, how it all works, and how it was designed to improve efficiency in your loan origination process. See the offering in action within Loan Product Advisor® and get a jump on how best to implement into your origination process. Track: Technology. Training Sessions September 24 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM The Game Changers: Self-Employed Borrowers and Underwriting Impacts (1 of 2).

It's estimated that 43 percent of U.S. Workers will be entrepreneurs by 2020 and self-employed borrowers are among the toughest customers to underwrite because of their unique income picture. Find out how to overcome challenges in determining who is a self-employed borrower in today's economic environment and what documentation will be required. Track: Skills & Efficiency Leveraging Loan Advisor Suite Capabilities (1 of 2). Take advantage of the Freddie Mac Loan Advisor Suite® recent enhancements to help drive operational efficiency, improve workflow and reduce risk. Dive in to an overview of the offerings and timing associated. You'll also hear more about the benefits of AUS Neutral Design.

Track: Technology Why the Single Security Matters to You (1 of 1). Find out how this important initiative will impact the industry, what it means for your business and how you should prepare. We will share the latest progress related to the 2019 launch of the Single Security.

Track: Innovation Affordable Lending Ecosystem: Connecting Partners and Opportunities (1 of 1). Join the discussion with Freddie Mac and Chicago area experts on the affordable lending landscape. Learn how partnerships and innovation can help you to expand homeownership in your market now while preparing tomorrow's homeowner. Track: Partnerships Investor Reporting Change Initiative: Service Loans Application Impacts (1 of 2). We'll share the latest updates to the Freddie Mac Service Loans application for the Investor Reporting Change Initiative. This session highlights the timeline for transitioning to the new reporting and remittance requirements for the cutover period. Join our discussion to help make your transition as smooth and effective as possible before the May 2019 implementation.

Track: Technology Ramp up Your Quality Assurance Program (1 of 1). Ready to take your business results to the next level? You'll learn how to design a quality program that provides timely feedback, identifies training needs and increases success with third-party audits. Panelists will share best practices, lessons learned and how quality monitoring increases success. Track: Skills & Efficiency Your Critical Role When Disaster Hits Homeowners (1 of 2).

Disasters are unpredictable but you can control how well prepared you are to respond to and report borrowers impacted by natural disasters. Learn the disaster policies so you and your organization can quickly help those who need it the most when disasters strike and during the aftermath. We'll also review how you report disaster- related data in EDR. Track: Skills & Efficiency. Training Sessions September 24 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM Powerful Partnerships with Secondary Marketing Platform Providers (1 of 1). Discover the benefits of partnering with secondary marketing platform providers to increase the accuracy, efficiency and ease of execution with Freddie Mac. Hear how we are strategically integrating with technology vendors to help you reduce secondary marketing operations costs and pursue loan sale best executions.

Track: Partnerships The Game Changers: Self-Employed Borrowers and Underwriting Impacts (2 of 2). It's estimated that 43 percent of U.S. Workers will be entrepreneurs by 2020 and self-employed borrowers are among the toughest customers to underwrite because of their unique income picture. Find out how to overcome challenges in determining who is a self-employed borrower in today's economic environment and what documentation will be required. Track: Skills & Efficiency Leveraging Loan Advisor Suite Capabilities (2 of 2). Take advantage of the Freddie Mac Loan Advisor Suite® recent enhancements to help drive operational efficiency, improve workflow and reduce risk. Dive in to an overview of the offerings and timing associated.

You'll also hear more about the benefits of AUS Neutral Design. Track: Technology Optimize Execution Options with Servicing-Released XChange TM (2 of 2). Learn about Freddie Mac's servicing-released options to more efficiently manage your assets and generate revenue.

We'll spotlight our new FAST SM tool, which dramatically simplifies servicing transfers. Track: Innovation Maximize Your Product Solutions (2 of 2). Hear the latest product updates for rental Income, condos, Freddie Mac Enhanced Relief Refinance® and more. Our credit experts will share what's new and exciting as well as answer your product questions. Track: Innovation Overcoming Down Payment Barriers (1 of 2).

Learn solutions to help clients overcome one of the most common challenges to homeownership – the down payment. We'll connect you to real-life practices to drive growth in first-time homebuyer and affordable opportunities with low down payment solutions like HomeOne SM, Home Possible® and HFA Advantage® mortgages. Track: Skills & Efficiency Achieving Collateral Rep and Warranty Relief: Loan Collateral Advisor and ACE (1 of 1). We heard you. Collateral is one place you don’t want to make a mistake, so now it’s easier for you to get collateral representation and warranty relief. See the enhancements we’ve made to Loan Collateral Advisor® with increased collateral rep and warranty relief eligibility, simpler collateral risk scoring and clearer, streamlined feedback messaging to help you QC and underwrite appraisals.

Plus, get an overview of automated collateral evaluation (ACE), a feature which lets you underwrite certain loans without an appraisal. We’ll discuss how it works and provide tips to maximize eligibility on your loans. Track: Technology Loan Product Advisor Enhancements: Income and Asset R&W Relief (2 of 2). Get one step ahead of the rest with this inside look at our new suite of Income and Asset R&W relief offerings that are coming this fall. You'll leave the session knowing which vendors we are integrating with, how it all works, and how it was designed to improve efficiency in your loan origination process. See the offering in action within Loan Product Advisor® and get a jump on how best to implement into your origination process. Track: Technology Conversation in Servicing Innovation (1 of 1).

Explore the future of servicing with industry experts and Freddie Mac leadership. Together we've made great strides to reduce non-performing loans and aged inventory. Changes in the market call for taking a fresh look at loss mitigation, performance management, servicing operations. Track: Innovation. Training Sessions September 24 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM The New Focus in Underwriting (2 of 2). Learn what it takes to be grounded in the foundation of thoughtful underwriting. Our trainer will dive into the fundamentals of our updates for employment and income calculations.

We will closely examine factors related to helping ensure the borrower has the capacity to repay their loan, with a focus on documenting borrower income, employment and asset qualification sources. Track: Skills & Efficiency Keeping Up with the Manager Series and Scorecard (2 of 2). What’s the next big impact to the Manager Series and Scorecard? Investor Reporting Change Initiative is one.

See firsthand how technology will change to accommodate new investor reporting changes. Track: Skills & Efficiency Evolving with Digital Mortgages (1 of 1). The future of the mortgage industry is digital.

Gain insight from our panel of experts and learn how to grow your business through digital transformation and eMortgage adoption. Track: Innovation The Driving Force: Servicing Policy Now and the Road Ahead (2 of 2). See what’s driving the rest of 2018 and what’s in store for 2019 related to servicing policy. Our experts will lead a discussion and answer your questions. Topics could include: Short Sales/DILs, new forbearance requirements, new model letters, foreclosure timelines and compensatory fees, and more. Track: Innovation Investor Reporting Change Initiative: Service Loans Application Impacts (2 of 2).

We'll share the latest updates to the Freddie Mac Service Loans application for the Investor Reporting Change Initiative. This session highlights the timeline for transitioning to the new reporting and remittance requirements for the cutover period. Join our discussion to help make your transition as smooth and effective as possible before the May 2019 implementation. Track: Technology Simplifying the Experience for Transfers of Servicing (1 of 2). Don't get tangled up in the complexities of transfers of servicing. Learn how doing business is easier with the latest improvements. Track: Skills & Efficiency Skyline Chat on Default Management (1 of 1).

Join our discussion on elevating your default management practices. Learn best practices for repayment and forbearance plans, workouts, and the pros and cons of multiple modifications. Track: Skills & Efficiency. Training Sessions September 25 9:05 AM – 10:05 AM Removing Blind Spots in QC and Fraud (1 of 1). Automation and innovation are driving change in the origination process, impacting how we perform quality control and work to prevent fraud. Gain insight into current QC and fraud trends, hear about automation and innovation in QC, and get the latest on fraudulent scams.

We’ll walk through an example that illustrates real-world fraud. Track: Market Intelligence Overcoming Down Payment Barriers (2 of 2). Learn solutions to help clients overcome one of the most common challenges to homeownership – the down payment. We’ll connect you to real-life practices to drive growth in first-time homebuyer and affordable opportunities with low down payment solutions like HomeOne SM, Home Possible® and HFA Advantage® mortgages.

Track: Skills & Efficiency Your Critical Role When Disasters Hit Homeowners (2 of 2). Disasters are unpredictable but you can control how well prepared you are to respond to and report borrowers impacted by natural disasters. Learn the disaster policies so you and your organization can quickly help those who need it the most when disasters strike and during the aftermath. Reminders on how you report disaster- related data in EDR. Track: Skills & Efficiency Investor Reporting Change Initiative: The Big Picture (2 of 2). Big changes are coming for investor reporting – are you ready?

Here is your chance to better understand the new requirements you’ll need to implement so that you can effectively plan your transition strategy with your internal operations, processes and technology partners. Track: Innovation Simplifying the Experience for Transfers of Servicing (2 of 2). Don’t get tangled up in the complexities of transfers of servicing. Learn how doing business is easier with the latest improvements.

Track: Skills & Efficiency Investor Reporting Initiative: Partnering with Black Knight (By invitation Only) (1 of 1). Plan, partner and prepare – these are the three keys to success with investor reporting changes. Hear from Freddie Mac and Black Knight on how they are clearing the path to better reporting. Track: Partnerships Loan Advisor Suite Enhancements: Condo Project Advisor (1 of 1). Our newest addition to the Loan Advisor Suite®, Condo Project Advisor SM, allows lenders to request unit-level exceptions on Freddie Mac condo project underwriting requirements. Get a sneak peek at how it works so you’re prepared when it’s rolled out this fall.

Hear about the types of exception requests and the documentation needed to improve your chances of an exception approval. You’ll walk away knowing how to close more condo loans with the confidence that they are saleable to Freddie Mac. Track: Technology Appraisal Modernization: Solutioning for Tomorrow. Be part of an interactive brainstorming session to identify the top issues and concerns with the current appraisal process and discuss potential solutions that could help shape our developing plan to support the FHFA directed Appraisal Modernization initiative. Track: Technology. Sallie Krawcheck Sallie Krawcheck is the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital-based investment platform tailored to the needs and interests of women.

The New York City-based, privately held company was named a top 50 'Disruptor' by CNBC and is valuated at $83.3 million (PitchBook). She has served as Chair of the Ellevate Network, a resource for women professionals, since 2013. Sallie Krawcheck is the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital-based investment platform tailored to the needs and interests of women. The New York City-based, privately held company was named a top 50 'Disruptor' by CNBC and is valuated at $83.3 million (PitchBook). She has served as Chair of the Ellevate Network, a resource for women professionals, since 2013. Before launching Ellevest, Krawcheck had a successful career on Wall Street, leading some of the world's largest banks. Most recently, she was President of Global Wealth and Investment Management at Bank of America.

She was also formerly Chief Financial Officer for Citigroup and CEO of Citi's wealth management businesses, Private Bank and Smith Barney. She was previously Director of Research and then Chairman and CEO of the sell-side research firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Krawcheck is widely recognized as one of the most influential women in business, with more than 1 million combined followers on Twitter and LinkedIn. Numerous top-tier media outlets have ranked Krawchek as a leader in her field: Called 'The Last Honest Analyst' by Fortune magazine, Krawcheck has been named among Fast Company's '100 Most Creative People in Business,' Forbes' 'Most Powerful Women' and the World Economic Forum's 'Young Global Leaders.' She has also received CNBC's 'Business Leader of the Future' Award. Krawcheck has served as an advisor for a number of start-up businesses.

She received a degree in journalism from UNC Chapel Hill ('83) and later went on to earn her MBA from Columbia University ('92).

Is coming to town for. The Chicago-based music and culture writer is a senior editor at and editor-in-chief of.

Her latest book, (Featerproof Books), presents a snapshot of her 20 years to date in the critic business with ace pieces on R Kelly, Lana Del Rey and Hole, ruminations on the visceral excitement of riot grrrl and a poke around the emo movement’s problem with women. In our book, she really is one of the finest writers in the game – and she’s also got a hell of a lot of powerful, passionate good sense to make about sexism in the music business, as this recent hugely acclaimed keynote from the conference in Brisbane shows. Aside from her appearance on, Jessica will also be taking part in an one-on-one conversation with myself, as well as reading from her recent book, at the HWCH Box office, Green Party Pop Up Shop, 90 South Great Georges St., Dublin 2 on Sunday October 4. I don’t know about Jessica, but it will definitely be the first interview I’ve done in a former dry cleaners and launderette. Doors for this all-ages event open at 5.30pm and the interview kicks off at 6pm. Admission is free, but is on a strictly first come first served basis.

Over the last couple of years at, we’ve returned again and again to a few different themes. One of these regular threads has to do with the past, present and future of Dublin club culture and we’ve had a couple of lively nights out already as we’ve discussed and disected this one.

To co-incide with a screening of the documentary next month, we’ll be talking to a couple of scene observers about the changing nature of Dublin’s gay clubland over the last couple of decades and what might come next., and will join us for a journey from Flikkers, Sides and Shaft to Powerbubble, Horny Organ Tribe, Gag and Ham and onto Mother and The George with a few diversions along the way. Apart from the Banter discussion and the screening, there will also be a 1970s and 1980s New York City themed party afterwards with, Greg & Russell and friends spunning the lushest disco records all night long.

Brought to you by and, it’s a night for those who dig disco, drag, fashion, house music, nightlife history, equality, film and design. Details: the takes place at the Sugar Club on Saturday October 3 from 8pm. Tickets are available for €12. A special, handmade letterpress Paris Is Burning print will be given to the first 100 people on the night and €1 from every ticket sold will be donated to. It’s becoming something of a new golden age for podcasts. After an initial splash a decade or so ago, podcasts are now attracting a lot more attention from listeners keen to find something new to hear.

The fact that anyone with a microphone and internet access can become a podcaster means many new voices and ideas have emerged. Even with traditional radio stations doing their best to dominate the scene and the iTunes charts, there’s still plenty of room for fresh shows For this discussion, we’ve gathered together four Irish podcasters to discuss why podcasts have suddenly jumped to the top of everyone’s favourites’ list, what it takes to get it right, the future for their own podcasts, the fact that you don’t need to be a broadcaster to create compelling podcasts, the future for podcasting from where they’re sitting and other assorted matters. The Banter podcasters: , Lisa Farrelly and Programme notes: Banter on podcasts will take place at (Clanbrassil St., Dublin) on Thursday September 24. Doors open at 6pm, the Bantering starts at 6.30pm and there will be an audience Q&A afterwards. Tickets can be booked. Debuted in Herbert Park in Dublin 4 last year and welcomed a lot of BBQ and craft beer fans to the leafy suburbs with a feast of meat, a bunch of ale and a lot of smoke.

The festival returns to Ballsbridge this month with a lot of extras and one of these is. After a summer where we’ve done our thing at various festivals up and down the country, the well travelled and highly seasoned series of public talks, conversations and interviews will be live in a tent in Herbert Park for the weekend On the menu: four days of prime-time discussions, heated conversations and entertaining panels featuring grilling experts and opinionated folks to talk about a whole bunch of issues.

Thursday Aug 13 7.15pm: The opening shout We set the scene for the weekend with (BBQ evangalist and broadcaster), (the main man at, Sao Paulo), (resturant reviewer at The Irish Times)and guests talking turkey (and beef, pork and chicken) about food, drink and everything else. Friday Aug 13 7.15pm: A round with Tyson is the proprietor and pitmaster at the, an American beer hall specializing in old-school North Carolina whole hog BBQ located in Bushwick, Brooklyn. We find out more about the man who swapped careers in fine dining and finance to become the pastor at the church of pork.

Saturday Aug 14 2pm: The History of BBQ DJ BBQ rewinds the tapes to tell the story of how BBQ became so darn popular 3.30pm: The rise and rise of fast casual It’s the new sweet spot, that point between fast food and full table service which is gathering all the plaudits and, more importantly, punters at present. We talk to , Kellie Hasbury  and Barry McNerney (, ) about the unstoppable rise of the fast casual gaffs. 5.00pm: The drinks revolution We’ve had the craft beer movement – and the crafty beer reaction from the big breweries – we’ve had the signature whiskey buzz, we’ve had the cocktail revival and we’ve got prosecco and cava bubbles everywhere. So what’s next? We kick back and talk to new school drinks connoisseurs Cameron Wallace , (journalist, broadcaster and co-author of ), (global ambassador ) and (, ) about what they see on the horizon.

Sunday Aug 15 2pm: The business of BBQ Can I give up my job in the morning and start smoking? Advice about the big jump from DJ BBQ, , Oliver Byrne ( and Group Executive Chef )and Donal Cahill  3.30pm: How food festivals became the new rock’n’roll The Big Grill is just one of a plethora of food festivals which are taking place in Ireland in 2015 and that’s before we look at all the the fests which have food as one of the chief attractions.

Just what is behind this trend? We look at the growth, the motivations behind them, the patterns and the future of food festivals with Rebecca Cronin , Ger Mullally and Samuel Bishop 4.30pm: Food & music We close our weekend at The Big Grill with a dive into the Venn diagram between food and music with, and talking about their love affair with food and why so many musicians have a blast when it comes to grub Full information on The Big Grill’s other attractions. Limerick’s community arts festival has become one of our favourite summer stop-offs for the bandwagon.

We were there for the first one in 2012 when we discussed and we were back last year with. Thanks to Shane MacCurtain and the Make A Move team, we head back to Limerick for a conversation with on Saturday July 4th.

The Limerick-born writer has been on our wish-list for ages so it’s brilliant to have the chance to talk to him about his work to date, his hit-rate when it comes to literary awards, the fabulous “City of Bohane”, the forthcoming “Beatlebone”, a novel about John Lennon’s imagined journey to the west coast of Ireland in 1978, and his return to the “quare place” for a sequel to “City of Bohane”. We’ll also find out if he misses the aul’ freelance journalism game in any way, shape or form (that’s probably a no). Banter’s conversation with Kevin Barry takes place at the on Saturday July 4th at 2pm. Admission will be €5 and tickets will be available at the door. This year, Make A Move will be highlighting the work of many other artists who live and are from the city who will be releasing new work in the coming months. Besides Banter with Kevin Barry, there will also be appearances from, a new project featuring the production work of, local crew and a concert featuring the best of the city’s under-age talent.

The fantastic play their only Limerick gig of the summer and will be joined on stage by various guests. There will also some major dance events and street art projects with a difference, both very much tied up with young people’s creative responses to their own areas, and workshops all week in music, dance and street art. Eventbrite’s series pulls up to the bumper at Cork’s Opera House from June 9 to 11 with folks from various businesses like, the brewery and others talking about how to do better business. Banter’s contribution to the series is a conversation with, the director, film-maker and editor at, about the business of art and creativity. Feel Good Lost is a multi-discipline creative company that creates cutting edge film, art and music, manages acts and develops new and exciting music talent.

Brendan and the Cork-based company have worked on music videos (such as Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” – 209 million views and rising), visuals, record releases, corporate branding (Gas Networks Ireland) and much more. Clients include such entitles as Virgin EMI, Interscope Records, Island Records, Sony Music and Domino Records, and Feel Good Lost have showcased their work at such festivals as the Athens Video Art Festival, Iceland Airwaves, Longitude, Body & Soul and Electric Picnic.

The conversation takes place on Thursday June 11 at 6.30pm at the Opera House. Admission is free and tickets can be booked in advance. We’re going to describe a scene which probably happened to you last week or weekend. You and your pals are planning a night out and want to go to a decent pub or restaurant so you naturally turn to your social media network for the skinny on what’s good and what’s not. But as we’ve seen from tales of false or misleading reviews, you can’t always take what you read on, or as gospel (or even see on ) – indeed, we know that false and misleading reviews can be positive as well as negative.So just what is the value of social media reviews for the hospitality business? How do restaurant owners deal with demands from bloggers and social media activists for free meals in return for good reviews?

Just how prevalent is this practice? Or does the fact that everyone can be a critic with a potentially big public reach mean the customer has a real voice and can keep venues on top of their game? The panel: ( founder), (senior community manager at ) and (777, SuperMissSue etc) The details: Banter’s review of the reviews and the reviewers takes place at (Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8 ) on Wednesday May 27 at 6.30pm. Admission is free, but tickets are limited and can be booked.

Mac Ivors Cider On Twitter: Join Us Tomorrow Evening For Machine

Where do you go to buy your food? From huge supermarkets and the corner store to the farmers’ markets and specialist shops, there has never been a time with a more varied and diverse number of outlets selling food.

You may think that we won’t see many more changes in the sector, but people were probably saying that a decade or more ago when the first out-of-town supermarkets began to appear. Like most business sectors, change is everything here. We’ve gathered together a number of experts involved in the business of selling food to talk to them about what they think is going to happen in the sector in the coming years. Is it going to be all about price and the growth of discount retailers or will shoppers begin to look for something other than cheap cheese and salami? What are the trends which key players are noticing here and how do they see these developing? Has the Irish shopper gone completely promiscuous when it comes to buying food or are they still capable of loyalty?

Will the economic bounce mean a change in our consumer habits? Will smaller spaces trump hypermarkets even for the multiples?

What’s the role of technology going to be in how we shop for grubs? What about provenence and organics? And what about the kids – how will Generation Z shop for food? The panel: (director of marketing ), (general manager Fallon & Byrne), Joe Doyle (founder ) and (general manager ) The details: Banter on the future of food shopping takes place at the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) on Wednesday May 20. Doors open at 6pm and the discussion begins at 6.30pm. Tickets are available (please note the event is now sold out).

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This event is part of Living for the City, Banter’s ongoing series of discussions about living, working and playing in Dublin in the 21st century. To date, this has featured discussions on,. It’s set to be a very busy summer for on the festival circuit with events to come at in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on the June bank holiday weekend, in Limerick in July and in Dublin’s Herbert Park in August. We are delighted to kick off the season of festival shenanigans with a trip to Co Cork for the next month.

There was no Irish date on current European tour until now. is proud to present an evening of words and music with White on Monday May 4th at the Twisted Pepper, Dublin 1. In the space of two albums – 2012′s thrilling “Big Inner” and this year’s magnificent follow-up “Fresh Blood” – the man from Richmond, Virginia has cast many spells and whipped up many storms with a beguiling, rich blend of sounds and stirrings. It’s music with an old soul delivered in new shapes with the kind of infectious groove at the heart of the matter which can win all comers over. Aside from those two damn fine records (and a whole host of worldwide touring), White and his pals in Richmond established the collective, label and studio to turn the tunes of songwriters they liked into grandiose, graceful, powerful statements. Anyone who has lent an ear to this year’s fine debut from will know they’re on the right track with that mission. White brings his current European tour to a close with a visit to Dublin for an evening of conversation and solo performance at the Twisted Pepper. Doors open at 6pm, the event starts at 6.30pm and (please note the event is now sold out).

Is a two-day festival of surfing which takes place at the in Dublin taking place on April 11 and 12. The third outing for the festival will feature the best new films, photography, art and adventures from the world of cold water surfing, as well as talks and entertainment from the finest surfers in Europe. Teams up with Shore Shots this year to run the rule over what’s going on with Irish surfing. Nature means Ireland is on many agendas when it comes to surfing, with those wild, wild swells out west and along our 3,000km of coastline attracting many surfers keen to take on the biggest cold water challenges and enjoy some true soul surfing.

And pimps the attractions of waters from Donegal to Kerry and even Waterford and Wicklow to surfers, you know that the surf is definitely up. We’ve invited four stalwarts to come along to Shore Shots to talk about the current state of the sport in Ireland.

What do they think of Ireland’s rep as a surfing destination? Is it still something of a best kept secret or is the word out? Is there too much focus on attracting international surfers to the detriment of encouraging more domestic fans to come onboard? What are the issues which the local scene face which need to be addressed?

Or is everything hunky-dory? Our panelists: Peter Conroy – founder member of the.

A paramedic and firefighter by day he is also a regular surfer at Ireland’s most infamous big wave spots. Through his association with the Irish Tow Rescue club, Peter has gone from breaking his neck in huge surf to organising rescue training for Irish big wave surfers and making Mullaghmore a slightly safer place to surf and centre for international best practice in surf rescue.

Ed Temperley – editor of Magic Seaweed, Ed is a regular visitor to Shore Shots and his work is essential reading for anyone hoping to progress as a surfer in this country. Brian Britton – one of the forefathers of Irish surfing, Brian helped set up the Irish Surf Association way back in 1969.

Since then, he has been instrumental in every development in Irish surfing, from major international tournaments to developing young surfers and introducing training standards at surf schools around the country. Henry Moore – chairman of the Irish Surfing Association Banter details: Banter on surfing takes place at the Light House Cinema, Dublin on Saturday April 11 at 4pm. Tickets are €7 and are available. Over the weekend, will screen such flicks as,. You don’t need us to tell you about changes to the Irish pub over the last few years. Between new arrivals coming in from across the water, competition from off-licences and changes in public behaviour and social trends when it comes to drinking, the Irish pub sector has probably seen more change of late than it’s ever done before. Is linking up with and for about the Irish pub on Easter Sunday, 48 hours after the day when prohibition rules the roost across the country.

Banter’s contribution to the event is a where-we-are-and-where-we’re-going discussion about publand featuring a number of Irish publicans, namely Tony McMahon (owner of ), Trevor O’Shea (, the Bernard Shaw, The Twisted Pepper, MVP, The Back Page and The Yacht), (L Mulligan Grocer) and (CEO and founder of the ). Aside from the Banter discussion, the event will also feature a screening of documentary, produced and directed by, and a performance from. It all takes place at (Lower Leeson St., Dublin 2) on Sunday April 5 from 7pm and tickets are available. There are some topics which are on the to-do list for a long time and mindfulness is definitely one of them. Over the last few years, we’ve noticed how the practice of mindfulness has began to appear on agendas more and more. It has always been a daily habit for many, but the massive buzz around a wave of apps, courses, workshops and retreats means mindfulness has become an everyday experience for many more to enhance how they live and work. This Banter discussion panel gathers together some people who use mindfulness practices in their daily life and work to help us examine the benefits of mindfulness when it comes to our attention spans, concentration levels, creativity and emotional well-being.

How do you begin? Where do you begin? What do you need to do?

Does the fact that practices and habits which have been around for many years and decades are now branded as mindfulness change everything or nothing at all? The panel: – retired psychiatrist, former Chief Psychiatrist of the Eastern Health Board, professor emeritus of psychiatry at University College Dublin and author of (Cork University Press) – a doctoral researcher who co-curated the and is co-author of (Liffey Press) – musician and member of The Frames, who will be releasing his new solo album “And Now the Weather/Agus Anois An Aimsir” on April 17 – social innovator, campaigner, Presidential appointee to, founder of, co-founder of and a board member of the.

The details: Banter on mindfulness takes place at the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) on Tuesday March 31. Doors open at 6pm and the discussion gets underway at 6.30pm sharp. Tickets are now available (please note the event is now sold out). Meet the new guard. Brands, marketing and advertising may be all about the millenials at present when it comes to flogging their products and selling their wares, but there’s a new generational cast arriving in town and they’ve a far different mindset to the twentysomethings who’ve gone before them.

They’re the young men and women who were born since the mid-1990s, a group who’ve been digital natives from the moment they could talk and who weren’t even in secondary school when the Celtic Tiger was in full bloom or, indeed, crashing down. So, what do they think about this, that and the other? What are their views on life, the universe and everything else? What’s their take on technology, work, politics, privacy, entertainment, social enterprise, Ireland, climate change, culture, the future, the millenials and a whole lot more besides? We’ve decided to ask four of them along to Banter to check their heads. Banter’s Generation Z panel: (singer with ), Melissa Kavanagh (poet, ), ( contributer) and (programmer and games developer – piece on Jordan ) Banter on Generation Z takes place at the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) on Wednesday March 11.

Doors open 6pm and the panel kicks off at 6.30pm. Tickets are available. Our first outside adventure for the year comes when we visit the in Cork on Saturday February 7.

Running from Friday February 6 to Sunday February 8, the Quarter Block Party is a new arts festival shining a light on one of Cork’s oldest quarters and taking over South and North Main Streets for a range of music, theatre, art, discussions and positivity. The aim is to bring crowds to the founding streets of the city during an off-peak time of year and transform the area with creative hubs of artistic activity for everyone in the community to enjoy.

For Banter at Quarter Block Party, we’ve two talks lined up. Inside the Miracle of Sound is an interview with, the Cork musician behind the online music project of the same name. What started out as fan-songs for movies and videogames has become a micro-industry where his songs and compositions, all produced in his home studio and covering a vast range of genres, have pulled in over 50 million views across the internet as well as the interest of such industry giants as Ubisoft, Bioware, EA, Epic and Bethesda. His work has been used to promote major titles such as Mass Effect 3, Assassin’s Creed 4 and Watch Dogs and his song “Cries Of A Dead World” is on the soundtrack to Wasteland 2.

We’ll talk to him about getting his start in the business, the power of word of mouth for a musician and composer, the use of social media to create a buzz and what happens when the gaming industry’s big boys come calling. The second talk is about Alternative Economies and if it’s possible to make a living from doing something you love. For many, the dream is to give up the day job and do something you truly love, but how feasible is it to do this, especially if you have a music, arts or cultural project you want to work on? You may think that there are grants and loans and bursaries which will see you over the line, but the reality is a lot different. Some folks who’ve found a way to make alternative economics make sense for them – namely (, )and Siobhan Kane  – give us their thoughts on going it alone. It takes place at (South Main Street) where doors open at 2.30pm and the talking kicks off at 3pm. Admission is free to Quarter Block Party weekend or day ticket holders and you can get those tickets.

There could only be one topic for. Well, actually, that’s not quite true but, in the end, arms were twisted and legs were broken and we are where we are. I’m handing Banter over to my Irish Times colleague (and regular Banter guest) for the night and I’m leaving it to her to explain this one.

Over to Una for what the takeover will involve Over the course of one hundred Banters, Jim Carroll has interviewed countless people, tackled tricky topics, caused several scraps and brought his fast-paced interview style all over the country. But for Banter 101, we go back to the origins. For this special Banter session, the tables will be turned and questions asked of Jim. How did he get to where he is now? Are there any truth to the rumours that he once built a working Funktion-One sound system solely out of solicitors’ letters? Was the Choice Music Prize really founded after Jim lost a poker game to Tom Dunne? And what about his murky record label past?

Or the fact that he’s from Tipperary? On Wednesday February 4, the hunter becomes the hunted for Banter 101. Decidedly uncomfortable with this event, Jim’s reaction when this this topic was suggested initially was “fucking no way.

No fucking way. Fuck off.” But an incessant bullying/stalking campaign ensued and he finally agreed to give his first ever in-depth interview at Banter as the event goes back to basics: 101. On the panel are a group of people who know how to wind Jim up., producer of Banter @ Other Voices. “Me and Jim became an unlikely pair for Other Voices Banter for the last three years. I pretended to know what I was doing and he pretended to know where Benners Hotel was.

The first meeting we had, I understood about 50% of what he said. I’m now an excellent JimCarrollinguist, and can translate on cue.”, award-winning writer and filmmaker, co-creator of satirical blog Blogorrah, former director of Darklight Festival and a writer on the BAFTA winning CBBC series Roy. “In the last century, Jim commissioned me to write music reviews for Eircom’s online hub Rondomondo – we’ve been talking nonsense about stuff ever since.”, founder and director of First Music Contact, which encompasses Hard Working Class Heroes, BreakingTunes.com and Music From Ireland. “I know Jim as a music journalist whose review of Hard Working Class Heroes once made me cry, and then when I went back to it was full of useful and honest advice”. More interrogators to be added.

The panel will be moderated by Una. Before this Banter, we’ll be asking Jim’s colleagues, enemies, friends, and other “revellers” to submit their JIM RAPID-FIRE QUESTION ROUND on Twitter, in order to get the goss, test his knowledge, get under his skin and find out who’s playing Electric Picnic this year. Banter 101 details: upstairs Twisted Pepper, Wednesday February 4. Doors open 6pm, the hunter gets hunted from 6.30pm. Admission is free (you can reserve a place ), but we’re asking folks to donate some cash at the door and all money raised will be donated to the. Hands up: I never expected to be writing this.

When we started back in July 2009 in the upstairs room of the Twisted Pepper in Dublin, I thought we’d get a few months out of it. Trevor O’Shea from wanted “talky stuff” so I came up with a few ideas for discussions and panels. Was about Irish music radio featuring. I’d say we’d about 30 people in the room (please say hello if you were there) and we were off and running. Since then, we’ve done 98 other Banters.

The Twisted Pepper remains our spiritual home and Dublin HQ, but we’ve been invited to a ton of festivals and events up and down the country to do our thing. The was the first one outside the capital to take a leap of faith in Banter and we’ve had a blast in one way or another with every single event we’ve done. One of the most fascinating panels in 2014 occured at the festival last January when we spoke to, and Liam Moggan about how sportspeople deal with the mental pressures to perform and compete in public. Afterwards, Susan Clarke wrote a good summary of some of the topics and points raised. We’ve been asked back by the festival and we’ve assembled a very strong panel to talk about how sports teams and individual sportsmen deal with the issue of mental health and especially mental stress and strain.

Given that sportsmen and women are exposed to win-at-all-costs pressure from a young age, there is a growing need for all codes to address how mental health issues are responded to and whether the culture around sport is conducive to promoting a tolerant response to those experiencing difficulty. Over the Bar will look at the many issues around mental health in sport and what teams, clubs, organisations and managers should be doing to help, both during and after a player’s career. The Banter panel for Over the Bar: (Gaelic Players Association mental health ambassador and former Cork hurler), (Women’s and Girls Rugby Development Executive with the IRFU, member of the Ireland XVs squad and Donegal Ladies Gaelic football) and David Corkery (former Ireland, Munster, Cork Cons and Bristol rugby player) The details: Banter presents Over the Bar at First Fortnight will take place at the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) on Tuesday January 6.

Doors open at 6pm and the panel kicks off at 6.30pm. Tickets available.