It's not just fashion week showing girls mean big business

The walls of Stormont Parliament Buildings are well used to hearing the sounds of voices but usually in the debating chamber and not the Long Gallery. However, Women in Business recently held an event there called Voices Heard.

Alliance MLA Anna Lo was our host and, as a great supporter of all communities, she is also very keen to get more women involved in politics. The speakers on the day came from many walks of life -- Tracey Hamilton from Mash Direct, Christine Boyle of Lewall Construction, Prof Yvonne Galligan from Queen's University and Lesley Hogg of AES, the company that owns Ballylumford and Kilroot Power Stations.

Each panellist gave a brief outline of how they developed their businesses and then it was opened to the floor.

Naturally when you get a group of women in a room together they are not stuck for words. The question-and-answer session was very informative and will have given a lot of the ladies the impetus to go further in their careers.

I know I am making a sweeping generalisation but you don't normally expect to find a bunch of bikers hanging around in the gloriously sumptuous surroundings of the Merchant Hotel (well apart from Jeremy McWilliams), but that was the location for the announcement that Relentless Energy Drink is backing the NW200 for the next two years, something technical director Mervyn Whyte was pleased to announce.

This event attracts in the region of 100,000 people each year to the north coast and I do my best not to miss it. The Coleraine and District Motor Club's carnival this year starts on May 15 with race day on May 21. Michael Rutter loves the NW200 and has won 12 races at it. No doubt he will be returning along with the fantastic crop of local riders we have coming up through the ranks.

I have to admit that the thought of a lot of men wandering around the north coast in leathers does attract a lot of ladies, but that works both ways. The thought of a lot of ladies strutting their stuff also attracts a lot of men and the West Coast Cooler Fashionweek is now no longer just the preserve of the ladies, especially as online store The Undie Factory will have a sexy and stylish range of men's underwear on show.

This year's Spring Event takes place from March 9 and with the attraction of Miss Universe Ireland Roz Purcell being the face of Fashionweek it will be another of this year's hot events and I for one have my place booked for the Style Sunday final event in James Street South.