County Kildare Business Expo

A reminder that expressions of interest are now being accepted from exhibitors for the County Kildare Business Expo, scheduled for 17 October at the Curragh Racecourse, writes Brian Byrne. The exhibition is organised by the County Kildare Chamber.

A limited number of exhibitor spaces are available for the event, which allows local businesses to showcase their products and services, build connections, and network with a wide range of companies across Kildare.

The day will feature panel discussions with industry experts and speed networking with other businesses.

Expressions of interest can be made at this link. 

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Taste of Kildare this weekend in Naas

A reminder that the Taste of Kildare Festival of Food and Drink is being held this Saturday and Sunday at Naas Racecourse. The event is supported by Into Kildare tourism, Kildare County Council and Local Enterprise Office Kildare.

The two-day festival celebrates the best of Kildare’s food, drink, and culture with delicious food tastings from top Kildare restaurants and producers. There will also be a great selection of local drinks. 

Live cooking demos from well-known Irish chefs will feature, and there will be live music from local acts throughout the weekend. Children's activities and entertainment will help to keep everyone happy.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite with a discounted €12 general admission. 

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Senator calls for Brexit and COVID-type supports for exporters

Brexit and COVID-type supports are needed for Kildare exporters following the EU-US agreement on tariffs, according to Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, writes Brian Byrne. While the 15 per cent tariff agreement brings some certainty to transatlantic trade for Irish businesses, the senator warns that it also poses 'real challenges' to Irish exporters.

“More supports are necessary to help Irish companies stay competitive, protect jobs, and pursue growth in the US and beyond," the Senator said. "We need to support the impacted businesses as we did during Brexit and COVID.”

She points to several government and agency initiatives already in place to develop strategies for adjusting to the new trade environment. These include Enterprise Ireland's Tariffs Response Team, tomorrow's Government Trade Forum meeting, and upcoming action plans on competitiveness and productivity, and market diversification.

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Start your own food business course

Main image: Vincent Tan via Pexels.

A course on starting your own food business is planned for this autumn by Kildare Local Enterprise Office, writes Brian Byrne. The course is designed specifically for early-stage food entrepreneurs.

The course will be appropriate for a variety of food-based initiatives, including new food products, new food-based hospitality, or new catering services.

Participants will learn about trends in the Irish food landscape, costing and pricing, branding and packaging, sales strategies, and the supports available from LEO and other state agencies.

Expressions of interest in the course can now be made at the Kildare LEO website at this link. The end date for this process is 31 August, and the start date for the course will be given later to those taking part.

The location will be in the new Food and Drink Skills Innovation Hub in Athy, and this will be the first programme to launch there.

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Kildare Business Expo

The County Kildare Business Expo, organised by the County Kildare Chamber, will be held on the Curragh Racecourse on Tuesday, 7 October, writes Brian Byrne. The event is an opportunity for businesses in the county to showcase their offerings, establish connections, and network with a diverse range of companies. 

The Expo will include panel discussions with insights from industry experts, followed by a speed networking session with the wider chamber alliance. 

Expressions of interest can now be made to the organisers via this link. Exhibitor spaces are limited, and the associated costs will be communicated at a later date. (An Expression of interest is not a guarantee of an exhibition space.)

Whether you seek to enhance your brand visibility, introduce a new product, or simply expand your professional network, this event provides an ideal opportunity to achieve your objectives.

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Kildare LEO offering Business Transformation Programme

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The Kildare Local Enterprise Office is seeking expressions of interest in a Business Transformation Programme aimed at clients who have struggled to sustain a 'Lean' mindset from previous project experience, writes Brian Byrne. The free programme will comprise online and in-person workshops over a six to nine-month period.

The continuous improvement initiative, under the catchline Simplify, Standardise and Sustain, will provide training, peer group support, coaching, and tools and templates to participants. The programme is aimed at building skills, enhancing leadership, and creating peer networks for support.

Further information and booking are available at this link. 

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Start Your Own Business course

A Start Your Own Business course is being run by the Kildare Local Enterprise Office over two weekends in July. The in-person programme is designed to help people develop their ideas into actual businesses.

The fee is €50 and bookings can be made at this link. 

The course takes place on one Friday evening and two successive Saturdays.

Kildare LEO also offers an eight-week online Start Your Own Business course — details here. 

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Workshop on Amazon selling

An opportunity to learn how to sell a product on Amazon and scale their online business into international markets is being hosted next week by the Kildare Local Enterprise Office, writes Brian Byrne. The event will be at the MERITS facility on the Kildare County Council HQ campus in Naas on Wednesday next, 25 June.

The workshop is for in-person attendees only and will be conducted by Alex Dawson-Stanley, founder of Elevated Seller — Ireland’s first Amazon-specific marketing agency and a seven-figure Amazon seller himself.

The event runs from 10am to 12.30pm, and while attendance is free, spaces are limited. Information and booking at this link. 

Those taking part will have the chance to win a professional Amazon listing build-out from Elevated Seller — including keyword research, SEO-optimised copy, and conversion-focused enhancements, and a €1,000 launch credit towards services to help start or scale an Amazon presence.

Kildare LEO stress that this is not a theory-based seminar, but a straight-talking practical session.

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Grants process seminar

An online seminar on understanding the process of applying for grants is being run by the Kildare Local Enterprise Office on 19 June, writes Brian Byrne. It's aimed at both new and existing business owners who intend to apply for grants or loan support.

The briefing will include a step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare financial projections for a business in order to apply for a grant.

All applicants for grants from Kildare LEO are required to take part in this briefing. Follow up mentoring will be available. The event is free and will run from 1.15pm to 3.45pm.

Booking can be done at this link. 

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Shop display grant available

A Retail Window Merchandising Grant is now available to shop-owners from Kildare County Council, writes Brian Byrne. The grant is worth a maximum of €1,000 over a year.

The funding is designed to allow retailers and businesses to enhance their window displays with a view to creating a more attractive streetscape for shoppers.

It can be used for general internal displays including lighting and shelving, and can relate to expenditure during holiday season displays.

Up to 50 percent of costs can be funded to a maximum of €1,000. More information from this link. 

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New web portal for Kildare food and beverage producers

Food and beverage producers in Kildare are being invited to register on a new web directory being set up by Kildare County Council's Local Enterprise Office, writes Brian Byrne. The Flavours of Kildare Network is aimed at providing a collective platform to enhance awareness and marketing of the industry in the county.

The initiative is for food producers, restaurants, artisan makers, market traders, cafes, catering services, food training providers and any other business that is part of the local food tourism network.

The advantages include official recognition and being part of a trusted local network, increased online visibility to both local and visiting customers, media exposure and the network and business supports of Kildare LEO.

Registration of a listing can be made very simply here. The actual FlavoursOfKildare.ie website will go live shortly.

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Kilcullen woman in new hair salon enterprise

Aislinn and Charly.

Kilcullen woman Charly Higgins, from Cnoc na Greine Woods, has opened a new hair salon in Clane with her colleague Aislinn Kavanagh. Vibe is the realisation of a dream to have their own business after a combined 20 years working in hairdressing.

Both originally from Naas, the enterprise also marks the move back to Ireland from Marbella in Spain for the two, where Charly had worked for over five years, Aislinn working with her for the last 12 months of those. Charly had previously managed a hair studio in Tenerife.

In their post-school years, Charly had studied under Paul Quigley and Aislinn in the Mandika salon, both in Naas. The two are highly professional in their field, and their qualifications include specialist certifications in colouring. The Clane operation is the first of what they plan to eventually be a chain of salons, their own hair academy, and their own line of hair products.

A full launch of Vibe will take place on the afternoon of Saturday 31 May in a cocktail party mode. All welcome. In the meantime, the salon is open for business and bookings can be made at 087 4769072.

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Kildare's Big Business Show

A business show planned by Kildare Local Enterprise Office will offer networking with support organisations, workshops on marketing and fundraising and one-to-one sessions with experts and mentors, writes Brian Byrne. The event is on 4 March at the Merits Innovation Thinkspace in Naas.

The Kildare's Big Business Show will run from 3.30pm-8pm and will include more than 20 stands representing business support organisations that include Enterprise Ireland, Kildare Leader, Kildare LEO, KWETB, the Enterprise Europe Network, accountancy firms and major banks.

The show is aimed at both aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. More details and registration at this link. 

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Kildare Chamber Open Morning

The County Kildare Chamber business association is holding an Open Morning on Wednesday 19 February at the Westgrove Hotel in Clane. The Chamber has an employer base of 400 businesses and over 38,000 employees across the county.

The event will run from 9am-10.30am and is open both to members and non-members. For those latter it will be an opportunity to meet with others in business and see how the Chamber and networking through it might help their operation.

Registration for the session can be done here. Light refreshments will be provided. 

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County business awards open for nominations

Sinéad Ronan, CEO of County Kildare Chamber, and Sinéad Dooley, head of public engagement, EirGrid.

Applications are now open online for the County Kildare Chamber Business Awards 2024, writes Brian Byrne. There are 15 categories, and nominations close of Friday 27 September at 5pm.

Sinéad Ronan, CEO of County Kildare Chamber, says they are expecting an even bigger entry this year than last year's record-setting 450+ entrants, for what is the biggest event of the year for the county's business community.

The overall sponsor is EirGrid, and the full list of categories and sponsors are below. The winners will be selected in a robust process by six independent judges, with the results announced at a black tie gala event in Killashee Hotel on 15 November.

Categories: Excellence in Communications, sponsored by Eirgrid.

Net Zero Achievement, sponsorship opportunity available.

International Trade, sponsored by T&I Fitouts.

Excellence in the Community, sponsored by Colourtrend.

Sustainable Development, sponsored by AIB.

Health and Wellbeing, sponsored by Killashee Hotel.

Innovation in Business, sponsored by KPMG.

Employee of the Year, sponsored by MJOS Group.

Best Emerging Business Award, sponsored by LEO Kildare.

Best Performing Small Medium Business of the Year, sponsored by Murphy Ireland.

Best Performing Large Business, sponsored by Osbourne.

Excellence in Customer Service, sponsored by Endress & Hauser.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, sponsored by Kerry Group.

Overall Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Permanent TSB.

Outstanding Contribution to Business Award, sponsored by Crystal Air.

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