Organised by Fingal County Enterprise Board, over 20 major events, including seminars, interactive workshops and networking opportunities, attracted a wide range of small businesses managers and entrepreneurs from the region.
Budding entrepreneurs gathered at the opening event of the Enterprise Week on Monday, September 30th, with the ‘Start Your Own Business Boot Camp’ in association with Vodafone Smart Startup Network. With guest speakers offering practical advice and real-life examples on starting a business, the event was a full house.
On the same day, the first in series of popular Technology Masterclasses took place with the ‘Online Masterclass’, hosted by Paypal in conjunction with eBay, providing business owners with excellent advice on using on-line systems to grow their business as well as future trends in payments and exports. Technology Masterclasses in Mobile Technology and Social Media continued throughout the week.
That evening, Dublin Airport Authority, the Carlton Hotel and Senator Feargal Quinn came together for the ‘Great Customer Care Builds Better Business’ seminar, which focused on how customer care can build loyalty but also contribute to the bottom line.
On Tuesday, business owners were put through their paces at the ‘Working More Effectively: Managing Your Workload’ workshop, which focused on techniques to deal with overwhelming volumes of work. The Psychology of Networking for Women was the focus of the Fingal Women in Business Network event, taking place at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
Wednesday was another busy day, with the Dublin Food Chain event focusing on using local food to drive sales at the Castleknock Hotel and Country Club. A two part seminar featuring food tourism workshops by Fáilte Ireland and a networking event with guest speakers including Brigitta Curtin of the Burren Smokehouse and Olivia Duff of Headfort Arms Hotel, the event was at capacity.
Celtic Rider, based in Blanchardstown was announced as winner of the 2013 Fingal Enterprise Award at a ceremony in County Hall in Swords on Thursday evening, as part of the annual event. Set up in 2007, the company employs five staff and specialises in BMW and Harley Davidson motorcycle rental for tourists, with the King of Jordan and the rock star ‘Pink’ on its impressive client list.
Fingal Enterprise Week 2013 came to a close on Friday, 4th October with a workshop on Exporting Craft and Design and an event, hosted by Plato Dublin and focused on ‘Practical Marketing for SMEs’.
Oisin Geoghegan, CEO of Fingal County Enterprise Board said “The aim of Fingal Enterprise Week 2013 is to stimulate enterprise and with sponsors such as Vodafone Ireland and Regus as well as Fingal County Council, Bank of Ireland and Newstalk, we were able to achieve this with specifically designed seminars and workshops on topics from starting up in business to exporting, from tourism to on-line media. Networking events also offered delegates a valuable opportunity to develop contacts, linking them with hundreds of fellow business owners to share key information.”
Geoghegan continued: "Now in its seventh year, Fingal Enterprise Week 2013 has been another great success, with a far reaching impact on the region through the promotion of new opportunities for business.”
Celtic Rider - Winners of the 2013 Fingal Enterprise Award