Fingal business Elite Woodworking Machinery had the opportunity to showcase its business to almost a quarter of a million people at last week’s National Ploughing Championships, as part of the Local Enterprise Offices’ Local Enterprise Village
Supported by Local Enterprise Office Fingal, Elite Woodworking Machinery is an Irish supplier of premium woodworking and sawmilling equipment to manufacturing, joinery and rural enterprise customers. The company combines tailored solutions, expert advice and strong after-sales support and holds exclusive Irish distribution rights for Wood-Mizer.
The Local Enterprise Village was home to 30 Local Enterprise Office-supported small businesses from across the country, showcasing the very best of Irish enterprise across sectors including clothing, craft, artisanal food, bovine genetics and woodwork machinery to the 243,000 people who attended this year’s event.
Paula O'Connor of Elite Woodworking Machinery said: “Taking part in the Local Enterprise Village at this year’s National Ploughing Championships was a fantastic opportunity for Elite Woodworking Machinery. Over the three days, we had the chance to showcase our equipment to a huge audience, speak directly with potential customers and make valuable new connections. We were delighted with the level of interest we received and very proud to represent Fingal at such a major national event. We are extremely grateful to Local Enterprise Office Fingal for their continued support and for giving us the opportunity to take part. We are looking forward to returning next year.”
Oisín Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Fingal, said: “It was fantastic to see Elite Woodworking Machinery representing Fingal at this year’s National Ploughing Championships. This was a valuable opportunity to showcase their products to a national audience, meet potential customers and make new connections. Opportunities like this can have a real impact for a small business well beyond the event itself, helping to raise their profile and open doors to future growth.”
This year the Local Enterprise Village included a Business Advice Hub for any budding entrepreneurs or existing businesses who were able to get advice from the Local Enterprise Offices Specialist Business Advisors. So, for anyone who had a business idea that wanted to figure out how to get it off the ground or for someone with an existing business who wanted advice on funding, sustainability or building digital and AI into their business there were advisors on hand meeting businesses across the three days.
The Local Enterprise Village again hosted the Google AI team this year following on from the success of the Google area in 2025 with their experts helping visitors and business owners across the week with their expertise on making AI work for you and your business.
The Enterprise Europe Network were also in the Village for the first time, giving advice to businesses who wanted to begin looking at new markets across the EU and building relationships with international businesses.
The Local Enterprise Village will return to the National Ploughing Championships in 2027 when they move to Rathangan in Kildare from the 21-23 of September, moving a week later to accommodate the Ryder Cup. Any small businesses interested in taking part in next year's Local Enterprise Village should contact their Local Enterprise Office.
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 twelve years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 80,000 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