Dublin gets in shape for One Young World bash

Preparations have kicked off in earnest for the Ireland’s turn to stage the One Young World global conference for young social entrepreneurs, which will be held in the Convention Centre Dublin in October.

The event was co-founded by Kate Robertson, the co-global president of the French advertising giant Havas. She will be in town next week to check up on preparations to welcome the 1,300 participants, who will discuss a wide range of predictably worthy topics.

This year’s event could have quite a Latin feel, judging from the preliminary list of speakers. Former presidents of Panama, Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Bolivia are all confirmed so far.

Ireland's first woman president, Mary Robinson, will also give a speech, as will Martin McAleese, husband of Robinson's Áras successor Mary McAleese.

Lauren Bush, the model/designer niece of Dubya, ensures a US presidential connection. Bill Clinton has previously taken part, but is not confirmed for Dublin.

From the world of business, the list of heavy hitters includes Eduardo Saverin, who is Brazil's Mark Zuckerberg, Paul Polman, the chief executive of Unilever, and Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-British telecoms billionaire.