Over 80 delegates attended the Limerick Chamber’s inaugural annual conference “Winning Business at Home and Abroad” on 19 September 2013 at the Radisson Hotel, Limerick.
Sponsored by Bank of Ireland, the aim of the morning conference and expo was to provide delegates with practical guidance, tools and insights on how to win more business by tapping into new markets either at home or abroad.
Opening the conference, Dr Fergal Barry, President of Limerick Chamber, said, “A strong SME sector is crucial to building a sustainable viable economy. 99% of enterprises in this country are SME’s with almost 800,000 people employed by them. However, this crucial sector is not realising its full potential. SME’s make up only 52% of both turnover and gross value added in the economy and over 60% of our workforce are employed by businesses that are reliant on domestic demand. SME’s view expansion, in particular international expansion, to be high risk and costly and there is a danger of them becoming risk averse.”
To address this challenge and provide SME’s in the region with practical guidance and tips on how to expand their business, Limerick Chamber assembled a line-up of speakers including five experts in their field and two successful entrepreneurs:
- Dr Briga Hynes, a lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Kemmy Business School UL, focused on how companies can grow from a local focus to international market success.
- Ray Clarke from UK firm Shaping Business, provided 5 top tips on selling abroad.
- Ed Field of Digino Marketing explained why companies need to rethink their marketing plans as digital communications prevail.
- Colm O’Brien, Carambola Kidz and Liam Ryan, BMS Ireland – the managing directors of two local award winning companies, shared their real life experiences of approaching new markets and identifying opportunities to expand.
- David Byrne, Enterprise Ireland, outlined practical tips on doing business in the UK
- Tom Fuller, Bank of Ireland, demystified the very complex area of dealing with foreign exchange and explained the financial practicalities necessary to support international trade.
All of the presenters were very well received and delegates used the break times to network and gather further information from the 11 exhibitors present.
Maria Kelly, Limerick Chamber CEO, said, “We are delighted with the positive feedback from the delegates. So following the success of this first conference, Limerick Chamber will be planning similar event next year to reflect the needs of businesses in the region.”
Click here to view the gallery from the event.
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