Local Enterprise Office Waterford announces online programme for Local Enterprise Week 2021
Waterford Local Enterprise Office has announced a programme of online events during Local Enterprise Week 2021, which takes place from March 1st to March 5th.
More than 200 virtual events are planned by the Local Enterprise Offices around the country and these include training workshops, information webinars and masterclasses with entrepreneurs and experts, designed to help Ireland’s small businesses and those looking to start a new business in 2021.
Organised by Local Enterprise Office Waterford and supported by Enterprise Ireland and Waterford City and County Council this year’s theme is ‘Making It Happen.’ Common topics across the week include starting a new business, resilience and recovery, the green economy, becoming ‘leaner’, exploring new markets, doing business online and the new trading relationship with the UK. For the first time, Local Enterprise Week also includes ten ‘Spotlight’ events, and these are open to every business across the country.
On Tuesday, March 2ndLEO Waterford will host a seminar titled “Waterford as a place of innovation and enterprise – a vision for the future”. This event will be of relevance to anybody interested in what the future of Waterford can and should look like. The seminar will examine how people will live and work, how they will develop skills and grow in their communities, and how their creative and community lives will play out. In particular, it will look at how Waterford can be a place which will be attractive to a skilled and diverse set of people willing to raise their families in Waterford, contribute to their communities and build sustainable businesses.
Contributors to the event will include Michael Walsh, Waterford Council’s chief executive; Miguel Ponce de Leon, Head of TSSG; Michael Kelly, CEO of GIY Ireland; Brian McGee, Director with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and a number of other entrepreneurs and policy makers.
On Tuesday, March 2nd from 2.30pm to 4pm,Eddie Shanahan will deliver a virtual workshop for makers and small craft enterprises, “New Normal, New Thinking, New Commerce.”If you are a craft business in Waterford, are passionate about your product but need help with planning, customer focus, multi-channel trading and collection development this virtual workshop will focus on developing an effective sales strategy.
Food, the Waterford Way Huddle takes place on Wednesday, March 3rd and is the ideal opportunity for local food producers, restaurateurs, and café owners to connect virtually and use their collective experiences and knowledge to promote Waterford’s amazing food offerings to locals and those further afield. As winner of the Foodie Destinations in 2019, this virtual networking event will underpin how to continue to build and protect the integrity and status of our region’s foodie status.
On March 5th, The Social Media Mash Up is a free exciting session, featuring a host of Waterford’s social media experts, and will be broadcast live via YouTube.
Along with MC Teresanne O’Reilly there will be a line-up of expert panellists discussing topics such as which apps can you use to enhance your social media offering, the importance of blogging, digital marketing plans and how to build a GDPR compliant email list, along with practical tips and tricks you can start using straight away to benefit your business.
Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Waterford Richie Walsh said, “Small businesses throughout Waterford are being severely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions and many haven’t been able to trade fully since last year.That’s why initiatives like Local Enterprise Week are more important than ever as they showcase all the supports that are available to small businesses and start-ups now.As well as the ten ‘Spotlight’ events, we are offering a full programme of events over the five days of Local Enterprise Week.Our advice to all local businesses and to those with a business idea, is to have a look at the events taking place and to book early.”
Mayor of Waterford City and County Council, Cllr. Damien Geoghegan said, “This year’s Local Enterprise Week programme while a little different from previous years, still has something for everyone, whatever phase your business is in, or whatever sector your business is in. In a year that has challenged the most stoic of businesses, the range of events and the calibre of hosts and facilitators deal with the topical business issues affecting small businesses today and in the future.”
Other events taking place throughout Local Enterprise Week include Springback Stronger – Building Leadership & Resilience; Growing Lean – One small step or one giant leap; Agritech – The 4th Industrial Revolution; Health Checking your business for its forward journey, and S.M.A.R.Tech for Start-Ups and Benefits of Green for Business – Launch of Green for Micro.
As with previous years, many of the events are expected to book up quickly so early booking is strongly advised.To register for Local Enterprise Week events taking place in Waterford and throughout Ireland visit www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford/
