Local Enterprise Office Waterford has a large number events planned for Local Enterprise Week, March 6th to 10th, none more important than its ‘Open for Business’ panel discussions.
On Thursday, 9th March 2023, LEO Waterford will host a series of panel discussions looking at Waterford's future in terms of work, enterprise and innovation. This event will be facilitated by local entrepreneur and well-known presenter Nichola Beresford. Also taking part are some of Waterford’s best-known entrepreneurs, thinkers and policy makers.
This event is intended for a forward-thinking Waterford, a Waterford that is open for business, attracting skills, investment and people. A Waterford that provides opportunities for entrepreneurship while ensuring a quality of life for all, with community at the heart of everything.
Running from 8.30am to 1pm, the event leads off with a panel discuss on ‘Building Waterford's Future’, discussing the projects and programmes which are being planned and delivered to act as drivers for growth in the region. The panel includes, Michael Walsh, CEO, Waterford City & County Council, Brian McGee, Regional Development Manager, IDA Ireland, Martin Corkery, Regional Director, Enterprise Ireland and Kathyrn Kiely, Vice President External Affairs, SETU.
This is followed by a discussion on Business Opportunities in Waterford. The panel includes, Conor Walsh, Visor MMC, Mailo Power, Monkey Reusable Products and Liam Dunne, Klearcom, and they will discuss how they saw an opening in the market and successfully changed or developed their offering to create a viable business.
The keynote speaker on the day is Gerry Duffy, of the Gerry Duffy Academy, one of Ireland’s foremost motivational speakers on optimising performance.
Gerry is followed by a panel discussion on innovation and the processes and supports available to increase efficiencies, market share and customer satisfaction in business. It includes, Dermot O’Reilly, Zenith Consulting, Ronan Cleary, Eagle Dreams and Sheila Gallogly, Marla.
The final panel of the day will discuss the Evolution of the Workforce. How employees play a major role in the success of business. This panel will discuss the shifts in hiring trends, remote work changes and employee expectations, and includes Feargal O’Neill, Alternative Thinking Processes for Organisations (ATPO), Ria White, Ria White HR & Training and Oren Byrne, Totem.
There is no doubt that the world of business is evolving at a rapid pace. Now the challenge is to prepare for what happens next or, maybe even more importantly, to be proactive in ensuring that our futures are the ones we want.
This seminar will look at Waterford's plans for the next 5 - 10 years and examine what we can do, in the here and now to support that vision and develop a Waterford that promotes investment in ourselves and in others.
To register for this or any of the Local Enterprise Week events taking place in Waterford city and county from March 6th to 10th, or if you would like to find out more about what business support services are available visit here.