The Real Deal Conference 2025 - the biggest premier industry events outside of Dublin

The Real Deal Conference 2025 – the biggest premier industry events outside of Dublin

On Wednesday, 28th of May, The Real Deal Conference was back on at Goffs, Co. Kildare. The Panel was delighted to once again partner with Renatus, Fitzgerald Power, and Bank of Ireland, and co-sponsor with The Currency, Byrne Wallace Shields LLP, Interpath Advisory, Davy, and Howden.

A highlight on the SMBs’ annual event calendar, The Real Deal Conference 2025 proved why it’s one of the most popular conferences to attend.

It was a full house at Goffs as event moderator Matt Cooper (Broadcaster & Journalist ) welcomed attendees, before introducing event partners Stuart Fitzgerald (CEO at Fitzgerald Powers) and Mark Flood (Director at Renatus Capital Partners).

First on the agenda was the ‘Deal of the Year‘ fireside chat, featuring Jimmy Martin (Co-founder and CEO at AMCS Group). He spoke of how his firm, AMCS Group, was acquired by EQT last year, and how it changed the trajectory of this Limerick-based company. A fascinating insight into an extraordinary journey.

Next up was the first panel of the day – ‘The Art of the Exit‘ with Susan Spence (Co-founder of SoftCo), and Katie Doran (CEO of Consello in Ireland). The two entrepreneurs discussed how they both exited their hugely successful businesses in 2024, the challenges surrounding the handovers, and the insights they gained throughout the processes.

After lunch and the networking break, also featuring the now-famous ‘Real Deal ice cream van’, participants were treated to the second panel of the day – ‘Growth by Acquisition‘, featuring Charles Cosgrave (Co-owner and CEO of Village Vets) and Dr Maurice Cox (Co-founder and CEO of Centric Health). The two speakers spoke of their experiences in building market-leading businesses and how to build successful M&W strategies.

The Real Deal donated €5,000 to the speaker’s chosen charities: Orbis, MacMillan Cancer Support, Cancer Focus, Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, and Cancer Fund for Children. Well done!

Many thanks to Mark Flood, Stuart Fitzgerald, Brendan Traynor, and Adrian Stackpoole for all their hard work in making this event happen.

A special thank you goes to Ali Cotter, Ian Kehoe, and Tom Lyons from The Currency for their collaboration on the special pink event brochure, seen throughout the venue. If you would like a copy, feel free to contact Paul McArdle at paul@thepanel.com.

Many thanks to our team on the day: Paul McArdle (Joint Managing Partner), Fergal Keys (Senior Partner), Sarah Kelly (Partner), Alan Bluett (Partner), Andrew Ganly (Director), Ailbhe Mullen (Senior Consultant), Olivia Wallace (Trainee Consultant), and Deborah Bradshaw (Office Manager).