Ciarán Gorman and Darren Fenton of Bevcraft, winners the National Enterprise Award this year, with Pat Gallagher, chief executive of Westmeath County Council (left) and Christine Charlton, head of Enterprise, Westmeath.

Westmeath businesses log on for first virtual Local Enterprise Week

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Businesses across County Westmeath are being invited to participate in a programme of virtual events for Local Enterprise Week 2021. This year’s event is being held entirely online, and more than 200 virtual events are planned this week, till Friday March 5.

The events include training workshops, information webinars and masterclasses with entrepreneurs and experts designed to help the country’s small business people and those looking to start a new business in 2021.

Local Enterprise Office Westmeath is hosting a packed programme of events for businesses – from those at the start-up stage to those gearing up for expansion.

The virtual events are all free of charge, but online registration is essential at localenterprise.ie/Westmeath.

The Westmeath schedule includes masterclasses on goal setting, and how to stand out on screen. Businesses can also avail of mentoring in areas including finance, hospitality, social media and marketing your business in a pandemic.

Christine Charlton, head of Enterprise at LEO Westmeath, said: “Local Enterprise Week is a chance for small businesses and for those possible future start-ups to see the range of supports there for them. No matter what their business challenge or sector the LEOs will be putting on events for everyone, be it LEAN workshops, trading online, finance, sales and marketing, mastering social media, or how to start a business, it will be covered, or if you are thinking of expanding, we have a business advice clinic that will show you the supports you can avail of.”

Spotlight events

In addition to Westmeath local events, there are a number of Spotlight Events taking place which are open to businesses nationwide.

• Benefits of Green for your Business – Launching Green for Micro, on Monday March 1, organised by Local Enterprise Office Dublin City.

• Spring Back and Step Forward: Building Leadership and Resilience, on Monday March 1, by Local Enterprise Office Donegal.

• Building The New, featuring start-ups and innovators, on Tuesday March 2, by Local Enterprise Office Galway.

• Growing Lean: One Small Step or One Giant Leap, Getting Started with Lean, on Tuesday March 2, by Local Enterprise Office Kildare.

• AgriTech Revolution in Farming and Food, on Wednesday March 3, by Local Enterprise Office South Cork.

• Creative Connections: Enabling your B-2-B Online Opportunities, on Wednesday March 3, by Local Enterprise Office Carlow.

• Engage for Growth with David Meade, on Thursday March 4 at 10am, by Local Enterprise Office Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.

• S.M.A.R.Tech for StartUps, on Thursday March 4, at 4pm, by Local Enterprise Office Clare.

• Masterclass: Health checking your business for its forward journey, on Thursday March 4, by Local Enterprise Office Wexford.

• Trading Online Voucher Information Webinar, on Friday March 5, by Local Enterprise Office Fingal.

All events are free of charge, but as places are limited, early booking is advised at localenterprise.ie/westmeath.

Challenges

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar says that we have all had to do things a little differently because of the pandemic, but those participating in Local Enterprise Week will find this year’s week just as useful as previous years.

“Many businesses have really relied on their LEOs for advice, training and financial help during these difficult few months. LEOs are the point of contact for many of the government’s grants and training schemes, such as the new Green for Micro initiative, the Trading Online Voucher Scheme and the Lean programme.

"Local Enterprise Week is the perfect opportunity to have a look at what help is available and find what works best for your business,” he added.

• For more see, localenterprise.ie/westmeath.

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