Achieving Sustainable and Inclusive Growth
Wednesday 26 August 2026
Future East 2026 Post Event Press Release
Hosted by: EastSide Partnership in collaboration with DTNI and Portview Trade Centre
About the Event
On Wednesday the 27th of May, Future East brought together over 100 community champions, policymakers, business leaders and innovators to inspire collaborative strategies for the continuous regeneration of East Belfast.
Throughout the morning event, Future East created a platform for key stakeholders to:
- Celebrate regeneration successes across east Belfast
- Forge partnerships that strengthen the community and economy
- Explore sustainable, inclusive growth strategies
- Connect with individuals shaping the city’s next chapter
- Learn from pioneers in the public, private and voluntary sectors
Feedback from breakout activities on the day will now lead to a series of Community Wealth Building themed workshops designed to explore and unlock the economic potential of east Belfast. We hope the final outcome will be a nationally endorsed economic strategy centred on improving the wellbeing and prosperity of local communities.
Michele Bryans, CEO EastSide Partnership, said “We have a great opportunity to explore how East Belfast can generate and recirculate wealth for the benefit of all our communities. Amazing work is happening here and we are delighted to be able to showcase this and to learn from others so we can build on this success.”
“We designed the conference to bring together private sector, social enterprises, public agencies and community sector to stimulate rich and impactful conversations. We were thrilled to have Sarah McKinley as our keynote speaker to share her global expertise in Community Wealth Building and how together we can create sustainable and inclusive growth.”
At the event Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “With its proud industrial heritage and strong community spirit, East Belfast is well placed to lead the way in community wealth building - ensuring growth is inclusive, locally rooted and delivers for everyone.
“Through investment in social enterprises, co-operatives and employee ownership, alongside place-based pilots and our Social Enterprise Action Plan, we are supporting more resilient local economies and creating good jobs.”
For further information contact
Karen Hamilton