A small business from Waterford City and County could be one of 30 who get a chance to exhibit as part of this year’s Local Enterprise Village at the Ploughing Championships in September.
The largest outdoor event in Europe will see over 300,000 visitors across the three days from the 17th to 19th September. The Local Enterprise Village, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, will house small businesses from every sector and from across the country and they are opening applications for businesses to get involved.
Small businesses are being asked to enquire with Local Enterprise Office Waterford City and County about eligibility to take part and can contact them through the website https://www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford/ emailing info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie or phoning 051 849905.
The selected business will get the opportunity to take exhibit at the event for the full three days and will be fully trained by the Local Enterprise Office team in merchandising, sales and marketing to help maximise their participation at the event.
Year on year the Local Enterprise Village proves to be one of the most popular destinations and is located right in the heart of the Ploughing Championships.
Jacqui Gaule (Senior Enterprise Development Officer) stated – “The National Ploughing Championship is one of the biggest occasions on the Irish calendar and there are very few events that draw a crowd as large as this over three days. For a small business, this is a huge opportunity to engage with thousands of prospective customers every day and this could have a significant impact on its business. We will be working with them all across the summer on their products, marketing and merchandising for the event so they can maximise this amazing opportunity so we’re looking forward to hearing from businesses who want to get involved.”
The Local Enterprise Village is just one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception ten years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 35,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie