Meet West is the largest business networking event in the West of Ireland. It is a collaborative effort between the local authorities and the local enterprise offices in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The objective of the event is to bring together up to 400 companies and business people and, over 2 days, facilitate the development of greater business links between these companies, leading to business opportunities locally, regionally and internationally.

This year's Meet West event is on November 20th and November 21st in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill and it is being hosted by Galway City Council.

This is the 4th year of the event and it is always very successful; the feedback from delegates is excellent. The main focus of the event is one-to-one business meetings where delegates get to meet each other and create valuable business opportunities. Delegates can choose who they want to meet - or, indeed, other delegates can choose to meet them. Companies in attendance will include the large multinationals (like Boston Scientific and Medtronic) down to small SMEs employing 1-2 people. In addition, there will be public sector organisations, such as the local authorities, the Education and Training board, NUI Galway and the HSE advising on how to do business with the public sector.

The event schedule is as follows:

Day One (Thursday 20th November 2014)

• 1 pm                      Registration
• 2-4 pm                   Building Buying Relationships within the Public Sector (workshop and panel discussion with procurement officials from a range of public sector organisations)
• 4-5 pm                   Experience the Creative Economy in Galway (showcase of Galway's arts and crafts producers)
• 5-6 pm                   Take Care of You and Your Business. Seminars by Dr. Mark Rowe and Frank Scott-Lennon on how looking after yourself is a very important part of looking after your business.     
• 7.30 - 8 pm            Networking Reception
• 8.15 pm                 Networking dinner with after dinner speaker

Day Two (Friday 21st November 2014)

• 8 am                      Registration and distribution of pre arranged meeting schedules All day.
• One to One business networking meetings (like speed dating for businesses)                                
• Ten to one business networking meetings between SMEs and multinational companies. All day.                
• Take care of you and your business consultation area with experts in business finance,  physical wellness, occupational health and psychological well being.
• 4 pm.                     Event close.  

The cost of the event is €175. It takes place in the Galway Bay Hotel. Register at www.meetwest.ie.