Local Enterprise Office Seminar to demystify ‘The Internet of Things’

The first ever nationally co-ordinated ‘Local Enterprise Week’ will be organised simultaneously by all Local Enterprise Offices in Ireland, taking place from the 7th – 11th March.  Your Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Wicklow is delighted to welcome Ireland’s most recognised commentator on emerging technologies, Adrian Weckler, as keynote speaker for the flagship event of the week – a seminar on the hot topic of ‘The Internet of Things’.

This afternoon seminar, which will take place on Thursday 10th March, from 2pm – 5pm, in the Parkview Hotel, Newtownmountkennedy is aimed at anyone with an interest in the topic, but specifically self-employed individuals and owners of businesses based in County Wicklow.  The aim of the seminar is to clearly explain the Internet of Things (IoT), and describe how local businesses could explore the concept for their benefit – for example, to increase sales, to reduce costs, to offer more to customers, and to be ahead of the curve. 

The Internet of Things is somewhat of a buzzword at the moment.  Simply put it is the concept of connecting any device to the Internet in order to make it ‘smarter’.  This includes everything from mobile phones, fridges, coffee makers and alarms, to wearable medical devices and almost anything else you can think of.  For example, your office equipment might be fitted with a chip/sensor that can tell when it is running low on supplies, and the machine itself could automatically re-order more.  On a broader scale the IoT can be applied to things like ‘smart cities’ which can help us reduce waste and improve efficiency.

The Internet of Things allows for endless opportunities, many of which we can’t yet visualise.  The best advice for local SMEs is to come along to this fascinating seminar, and learn from the guest speakers, Adrian Weckler, Technology Editor of the Irish Independent and the Sunday Independent; Hugh Carroll of Asavie Technologies Ltd; and local entrepreneur Paul Geoghegan, of Xetec Ltd.  Places will be limited and must be booked in advance.

For local businesses wishing to improve the online selling functions of their websites, the hugely popular ‘Online Trading Voucher’ seminars, also organised by LEO Wicklow, continue during Local Enterprise Week.  Another of these free seminars will take place on Friday 11th March, 9am – 1pm, in Wicklow County Campus, Rathnew, where guest speaker Noel Davidson will give his top tips for online selling, followed by an explanation of the Voucher scheme that allows businesses to apply for up to €2,500 in funding.

Places on both of these fantastic seminars must be booked in advance at the LEO Wicklow website, www.localenterprise.ie/wicklow. The Online Trading Voucher Seminar is free of charge.  The Internet of Things Seminar costs €10 per person (including tea/coffee break).