Over 300 events planned to celebrate ‘Local Enterprise Week’ in March
From helping small businesses understand the new data protection measures to assisting start-ups with tailored business advice and improving their digital marketing strategies, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are teaming up to run hundreds of events across the country from 4th to 9th March.
Over 300 events are planned for Local Enterprise Week (4th to 9th March), to increase awareness of the range of supports and services available to microenterprises from the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in every county.
Covering a broad range of topics such as ethical entrepreneurship, spotting mega trends, getting ready for Brexit, how to tender for more work and close more sales, LEOs across the country will host over 300 events to showcase the supports that can be accessed locally.
Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to participate in seminars, training and networking events in Mayo throughout the week.
At the launch of Mayo Local Enterprise Week: from left to right: Barry Egan, Enterprise Ireland, John Magee, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office mayo, Minister Pat Green, Catherine McConnell, Director of Services with Mayo County Council, Peter Hynes, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council
Mayo Events
Highlights of Local Enterprise Week 2018 in Mayo are expected to include:
Monday, 5th March
Tuesday, 6th March
- Beyond the West: Irish Food Producers Event, a regional initiative based in Galway City
- Business Breakfast Seminar – Learning about your Local Enterprise Office Supports based in Castlebar
Wednesday 7th March
Thursday 8th March
Friday 9th March
Welcoming plans for Local Enterprise Week 2018, Minister Humphreys said: “Creating more and better jobs in regional and rural Ireland is a priority for the Government, which, through the Local Enterprise Offices, provide a range of focused supports for small businesses and start-ups across every county. I am delighted to see that over 300 events are taking place during Local Enterprise Week 2018 to highlight the supports available for microenterprises. The new start-ups of today are the employers of the future, and we need to ensure as many as possible succeed. That is why the LEOs in every county in Ireland are on hand to support people embarking on their business journey.”
John Magee, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Mayo, said that the aim of Local Enterprise Week is to showcase all the supports that can be accessed locally, saying: “Local Enterprise Office Mayo, as part of the Local Authority service offering, is at the heart of delivering enterprise supports to small businesses and start-ups in local communities. From training programmes that help businesses unlock new markets to financial assistance that help businesses create more jobs, Local Enterprise Week is the ideal time to find out how your Local Enterprise Office can help your small business start-up and grow.”
The week officially kicks-off on Sunday, March 4th with the national final of Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition in Google Headquar-ters in Dublin. Over 1,400 young entrepreneurs entered the IBYE 2018 competition, which is an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices and sup-ported by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and En-terprise Ireland.
Mayo IBYE winners & Mayo County Council staff picture: from left to right: Catherine McConnell, Director of Services with Mayo County Council, Daniel Loftus of UrbanFox, John Magee, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Mayo, John McNicholas of Inspire Tiles & Stone, Elaine Moyles, Local Enterprise Office Mayo
County Mayo are particularly well represented this year with two finalists competing. John McNicholas of Inspire Tiles & Stone, based in Claremorris, will be competing in the Best Start Up Business category. John describes his business as “a new ultra-modern and design lead tile, wood flooring and sanitary wear business based in Claremorris, Co. Mayo. We provide a wide range of quality products, using the finest materials and leading manufac-turers, whilst ensuring value for money for our customers”.
The other Mayo finalist, Daniel Loftus of UrbanFox, based in Newport, will be competing in the Best Established Business category and he classifies his business as one that has created “artificial intelligence technology that can reduce the rate of online fraud by up to 96% and is four times more effec-tive than other solutions currently available.”
In addition, several key events during Local Enterprise Week are organised in collaboration with State Agencies and Government Departments including Enterprise Ireland, InterTrade Ireland, Microfinance Ireland, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. Other bodies, such as IBEC and Chambers of Commerce, are also supporting events during the week.
