IT Sligo’s Enterprise & Innovation Week is a week-long programme of seminars, workshops, events to promote innovation entrepreneurs and creativity (see attached schedule). The Enterprise & Innovation Week’s Programme will formally launch in the Innovation Centre, IT Sligo on Monday 22 February. The programme was developed in partnership with Sligo’s County Development Board, Enterprise Ireland and the Western Development Commission.
The Enterprise & Innovation Week will run from the 22nd to the 25th of February 2010, and will feature over 20 events, including a number of international high-profile presenters. Some of the key note speaker includes:
- Danny McCoy, newly appointed Director General of the Irish Business & Employers Confederation (IBEC) will formally launch the week’s programme
- Larry Farrell, leading US author and expert on entrepreneurship
- Harry Grill, Corporate Partner, with global law firm K&L Gates, counsels clients on cross-border, strategic transactions and advises international businesses looking to establish a commercial presence in the United States.
- Seán Gallagher, Founder and CEO at Smart Homes and a Dragon on RTE’s Dragon’s Den
- Ian Brannigan, Development Executive with the Western Development Commission. Ian will be presenting the findings of the WDC’s recent report on the huge potential of the creative industry in the West of Ireland
- The final of Sligo VEC’s Dragon’s Den Competition.
IT Sligo’s President, Prof. Terri Scott, today announced the details of this exciting week of events and gave a call to companies, organisations and individuals in the Northwest to get involved and take advantage of this week of innovation.
“Our Enterprise and Innovation Week is a regional initiative supported by our enterprise, development and community partners. Through our Innovation Centre, IT Sligo provides the gateway for enterprise and entrepreneurs to access a wealth of expertise including expert staff, graduates, students and special facilities” commented Niall McEvoy, Head of Innovation at IT Sligo.
Visit Enterprise & Innovation Week’s website www.itsligo.ie/innovationweek for up-to-date information on the week’s schedule, news and events, and how to get involved.
Enterprise & Innovation Week Schedule
10.Feb.10 
Events, General 
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The Galway Mayo Institute of Technology is now recruiting for the next Midlands & West Enterprise Programme (MWEP) commencing in April 2010. This is a one-year programme providing entrepreneurs with business skills, networks, facilities and supports necessary to navigate and execute the business start-up process.
Applicants should ideally have a number of years industry experience and have the enthusiasm and drive necessary to develop and grow a successful business. Participants may apply to Enterprise Ireland for CORD funding, which could provide up to 50 per cent of previous year’s gross salary.
The MWEP provides participants with business acumen, office desk space, mentoring, networking, facilities, and supports necessary to help them in establishing and running their own businesses. Participants should have a business idea with growth and export potential.
“These new start-up companies will form the foundation for the next generation of Irish enterprises,” said George McCourt, Manager of the Innovation in Business Centre in GMIT, Galway and he added “We are looking forward to supporting the next generation of innovative start-ups in the region through the new programme.”
Fifteen high potential entrepreneurs are participating on the current MWEP – products/services being developed include Innovative Medical Devices, Mobile Phone Services, Energy Monitoring, Bibliometrics, Smart Travel Tools, Specialist Financial Portals and Environment Research & Development services.
“Starting up a business venture can be a daunting prospect. The MWEP was fantastic in providing a structured approach to the start up process as well as providing advice and mentoring on how to navigate through the early stages. I would recommend anybody embarking on a startup venture to participate in a programme like this to improve chances of success.” — Colm Rochford, CEO, Powersavvy Limited.
The MWEP may also be of interest to expatriates who are hoping to return home to set up their own business in the West of Ireland.
The Innovation in Business Centres at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology provides incubation space and a range of business development supports to new start-up companies. Further information is available at our website www.gmit.ie/iibc.
Applicants interested in the Mayo centre should contact Maria Staunton at (094) 9043198 or email maria.staunton@gmit.ie
09.Feb.10 General Read more Comments (0)
Castlebar and Sligo will be two of the 18 nationwide stops for the Better Business travelling roadshow later this month.
The Show is a ‘bootcamp’ for businesses, making them more efficient and fit for purpose. It will include advice on exploiting business opportunities and becoming sustainable, as well as those all-important cost-cutting tips.
The Better Business Show is presented by the Small Firms Association in partnership with a collection of some of Ireland’s market-leading companies, including Aviva, Eircom, ESB Customer Supply Greenstar and Ulster Bank.
The Better Business Show will provide, free of charge, world-class information, advice and assistance to Ireland’s 250,000 small businesses across a range of business issues.
A panel of experts will advise on themes such as assessing the economic ouflook, accessing and managing finance, using technology to drive productivity and enhance marketing/customer relationships, and saving money through energy efficiency and streamlined waste management.
Reservations can be made free of charge on www.betterbusiness.ie. At each venue personnel from the partners and the SFA will be available for interview.
The Sligo show takes place in the Clarion Hotel on Tuesday 16th February and the Mayo show in Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar on Wednesday 17th February
05.Feb.10 Events, General Read more Comments (0)
Avail of training for your staff at NO COST – Are you interested in improving the skills of your staff at NO COST to your business. FAS are supporting businesses in the North West that are currently on short time working by providing funding for the development of their employees. LEAP will be hosting a information session on this opportunity on Thursday 11th February 2010 at the Westport woods Hotel from 9-10.30am. For further information contact Paula Crowley of LEAP on 091-755736 or paula@leapadvisors.ie.
01.Feb.10 Events, General Read more Comments (0)
A discussion on time management at today’s meeting of Mayo Open Coffee Club inevitably led to one topic – emails!
Chris B Kerndter told of how he had dramatically reduced his daily email load by up to 80 per cent by unsubscribing himself from all manner of irrelevant newsletters, along with setting up filters to keep emails from various contacts all in one place. Thus, he can deal with emails in shorter, sharper bursts, rather than allowing them to dominate throughout the day.
He also recommended the advice of Timothy Ferris (The Four-hour Work Week) to set aside two times a day to check emails. Robert Grealis felt this might not work with a consumer-driven business, but agreed with the sentiment.
“The culture of being engrossed in emails is killing business,” said Robert Grealis. Emails are crucial for many businesses, he said, but they must be kept in check.
Chris also talked about monitoring yourself throughout the day so you can see if you are using your time effectively. He recommended www.rescuetime.com as a valuable resource that gives minute-by-minute breakdown of how you spend your time at your desk.
People who don’t spend all their time at a desk should still select a day where they log their time in 15-minute blocks, said Robert. It could prove quite revealing. Perhaps a lot of valuable time is being wasted on non-essential activities!
07.Jan.10 General Read more Comments (0)
Despite the bad road conditions, there was another excellent turn-out of over 25 people at yesterday’s Mayo Open Coffee Club (MOCC) meeting in GMIT, Castlebar.
MOCC is beginning to find its feet, and, towards the end of the meeting, a good discussion took place about the future direction of the network. There was a strong consensus that it is proving a valuable and worthwhile network, and we look forward to even bigger gatherings in the months ahead.
Network member Robert Grealis – one of the organisers – delivered a practical and thought-provoking talk on goal-setting. Robert, former Chief Executive of Ireland West Airport, is now a business advisor and mentor with The Discovery Partnership.
The slides he used to illustrate his talk will be made available here on the MOCC website.
Some nuggets that emerged included:
- In these tough times, where things are changing so quickly, it is still important to plan your day, your week, your month, and your year. A plan offers an overview of where your business is going, and helps to focus the people involved;
- ‘Be passionate’ about your business, said Robert. He was preaching to the converted – those who come to the MOCC meetings make the effort because they are determined to succeed;
- Ask customers if there’s anything else they’d like –further opportunity to sell to customers may present themselves simply by asking;
- Brainstorm – with your staff, with your friends, with people you trust;
- Ask yourself “right now, am I making the best possible use of my time” – time management is crucial. Time is one of our biggest resources and must be used wisely. Be careful about the ‘side roads’ you go down;
- Hard work remains the key – persevere – but don’t be afraid to believe in the occasional miracle too.
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 3rd, at 11am in the GMIT. All you have to do is turn up and take part. The more the merrier.
A word of thanks to O’Brien’s, who once again sponsored the refreshments; GMIT, who hosted the event; and guest speaker Robert Grealis.
07.Jan.10 General Read more Comments (0)
The IiBC in Mayo and Galway are holding FREE MENTORING CLINICS AT GMIT INNOVATION CENTRES.
The purpose of this is to give people help and advice to people with new ideas for start-up businesses.
IiBC Castlebar: Mon 18th & Tue 19th Jan 2010
IiBC Galway: Wed 20th & Thu 21st Jan 2010
Contact Trisha Carrick to book your session.
Tel: 091-742853
Email: trisha.carrick@gmit.ie
Download PDF for more information
30.Dec.09 Events, General Read more Comments (0)
Setting – and achieving – goals for 2010 will be the theme of a talk by former Ireland West Airport chief executive Robert Grealis, at the January meeting of the Mayo Open Coffee Club (MOCC).
The meeting will take place on
Wednesday, January 6th,
at 11am,
in Seminar 25
on the GMIT’s Castlebar campus.
The move to the GMIT has taken place due to the large numbers attending recent meetings, with each of the last three get-togethers attracting in excess of 40 people.
21.Dec.09 Events, General Read more Comment (1)
There was another excellent turn-out of over 40 people at Wednesday’s Mayo Open Coffee Club, held in the new location of the GMIT in Castlebar.
This is the third consecutive month that the attendance has exceeded 40, and illustrates the desire among Mayo businesspeople to come together to network. The guest speaker was Johnny Beirne, an expert in social media, and his discussion generated a great deal of discussion about how businesses can incorporate social media into their operations.
The format of the Open Coffee Club meetings is very informal, and it is proving an outstanding place to make valuable contacts.
There is no charge for attendance, thanks to the generosity of the GMIT, who provide the venue free of charge, and O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar, Castlebar, who provide the tea, coffee and finger food.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 6th. All meetings start at 11am and last between one hour and 90 minutes.
04.Dec.09 General Read more Comments (0)
The October meeting of the Mayo Open Coffee Club (MOCC), a business network run by businesspeople for businesspeople, attracted a record attendance.
Space was at a premium as over 40 people turned up for the meeting, which featured a talk by an expert in design.
The talk by Justin Knecht, Manager of the Centre for Design Innovation at Sligo IT, proved most informative and also sparked a good questions and answers session. Among Justin’s many pearls of wisdom was to “get close to your customer, observe how they behave, and react accordingly.” (The presentation is available for registered users of our forum)
Many present were given an opportunity to promote their business, and it is hoped to expand this element of the club in the coming months. By the end of the meeting, it was clear that a significant number of people were developing strong business ties and bouncing ideas off each other.
Again, we want to thank O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar in Castlebar for sponsoring the event.
The next meeting of the MOCC will take place on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009. Meetings are held in the Innovation in Business Centre, which is located on the GMIT campus in Castlebar. All meetings start at 11am and last between one hour and 90 minutes. All you have to do is turn up on the day.
More details on the Mayo Open Coffee Club are available here, or you can email any of the organisers: Chris B Kerndter, Robert Grealis, Maria Staunton, or Liam Horan.
Start-up businesses, people with the germ of an idea, and established businesses all find the Open Coffee Club a useful vehicle to get in touch with what’s happening in the business world around Mayo.
10.Oct.09 General Read more Comments (3)
