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LOCAL ENTERPRISE WEEK is a week that not only celebrates Ireland’s culture of small businesses, but offers solutions, guidance, and practical information across a wide range of topics.
Whether you’re a fledgling entrepreneur or a veteran of your industry, there’s bound to be an event that could help boost your small business.
Running from March 3rd to March 7th, Local Enterprise Week will see events hosted by all 31 Local Enterprise Offices in Ireland with events in every local authority area in the country. The week will officially be launched by Minister of State for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Alan Dillon with an event in Workday HQ in Smithfield. Many events, such as business clinics, will take place in multiple locations.
There are also a range of exciting online events, such as ‘How To Start a Podcast‘ and ‘Hackers Love Small Businesses—Here’s how to stop them‘.
Speaking to The Journal ahead of the week’s events Kieran Comerford, Chair of Local Enterprise Offices, said: “What it offers people, whether you’re in business or thinking of starting a business, is a snapshot of all the supports available to you, across the country.”
“Whether you’re interested in expanding into digital or other areas of opportunity, it’s very much about starting a journey with your own Local Enterprise Office. It’s a showcase of everything - celebrating International Women’s Day, National Enterprise Awards, Student Enterprise Awards. It’s a showcase everything that happens all around the country all year round, but it’s an opportunity to say that there are supports out there,” Comerford explained.
Fortunately, the Local Enterprise Office has broken down all of the week’s events by county, making it easy to find what’s on in your area. You can check out the full list of events here, and we’ve compiled some of the most exciting events below to give you a flavour of what your business can gain by engaging with Local Enterprise Week.
Dublin
The Confession Box: International Women’s Day Event, 5.30pm, 4 March, The Wood Quay Venue
This event, held in partnership with TrailblazHER™ and Enterprise Engagement at TU Dublin, is sure to be an exciting, informative and inspirational look at how Irish women have come to thrive in the business world. The event will feature three women sharing their stories of resilience, with their identities to be revealed on the night.
Start Your Own Business Bootcamp, 9.30am, 8 March, The Digital Hub, Thomas Street
Many out there will be wondering how they can go about starting their own small business, and this day-long event will take participants through the key steps required on their start-up journey, and motivate them to take the leap. Highly interactive, this event is your opportunity to ask everything you’ve ever wanted to know about starting a small business.
Straight-Talking Entrepreneurship with Brian Lee, 11.30am, 3 March, The Lark, Balbriggan
This networking lunch event leads off with a fireside chat with trailblazing Irish entrepreneur Brian Lee, who founded and formerly owned Freshly Chopped, The Healthy Food Company. Get invaluable insights on resilience, mindset, scaling and real-world strategies from a business leader who has done it all.
Cork
All Things LEO Grants, 9am, 6 March, Oriel House Hotel, Ballincollig, Cork
This event sums up the benefits of Local Enterprise Week as attendees have the opportunity to join LEO Head of Enterprise, Sean O’Sullivan, and LEO Assistant Head of Enterprise, Joe Burke, for a insightful conversation around accessing funding and top tips for SMEs.
Everyone Makes an Impact: A Keynote with Aoife McNamara, 6.30pm, 5 March, Fota Wildlife Park, Cork
Aoife McNamara, founder of Aoife Ireland, a sustainable fashion brand making waves on a global scale, will talk you through turning your passion into a successful business, provide insights into sustainability and dive into how you can access sustainability supports from LEO.
Meath
National Launch of Pilot Entrepreneurship Programme for People with Disabilities, 11am, 7 March, Solstice Theatre, Meath
Featuring keynote speaker Jack Kavanagh, this Local Enterprise Week sees the launch of a new suite of enterprise supports for people with disabilities. This event is for anyone who has a disability or knows someone with a disability who would like to become self-employed and find out more about the new tailored supports on offer from the Local Enterprise Office.
Louth
AI Unleashed: Supercharge Your Small Business, 9am March 3, Ballymascanlon Hotel, Carlingford Road
The world of AI is exciting as it is confusing, but mastering it could open many doors for your small business.
Hosted by Greg Fry, co-founder of digital media strategy firm Content Plan, this event will assist you in learning how to use AI to boost your marketing, building customer profiles, streamlining your planning, writing killer proposals, and so much more.
Waterford
Unlock the Energy Efficiency Grant of €10,000, 2pm March 6, online
This online event will be an interactive session including a presentation on the supports and services that can help assist you, and the Energy Efficiency Grant which covers 75% of eligible costs from a minimum grant of €750 to a maximum of €10,000.
The seminar will also look at:
Remember, the above is not a full list of Local Enterprise Week events, and no matter where you are in the Republic of Ireland, there will be useful and informative events taking place near you.
To find out more go to LocalEnterprise.ie/Week or check out Local Enterprise Offices on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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