The Midland Business Network (MBN ) has confirmed it has secured the services of Dragon’s Den entrepreneur and presidential candidate, Seán Gallagher, as the keynote speaker for its first annual address in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone on September 12.
The MBN offers its members a forum for business-to-business contacts, and meets for breakfast meetings on a weekly basis.
It was formed in November as a local alternative to the Business Network International (BNI ), a worldwide entrepreneurial franchise which has over 600 chapters in Ireland, but which costs €800 a year to join, compared to the €100 for the MBN.
One of the founder members, and spokesman for the MBN, Keith Nolan of KK Print in Athlone, explained that apart from the smaller joining fee, its unique selling point to prospective members is the fact it only allows one member from each business sector.
“The Midland Business Network is more intimate. This is businesses having to develop themselves with no other agendas,” he said.
He pointed out that the MBN differed from the Chamber of Commerce on two central tenets, frequency of meeting (monthly versus weekly ), and one member per sector, but admitted his forum would find existence very difficult without the Chamber.
“The Chamber looks after the legal side of business for us. We couldn’t operate our thing without the Chamber,” he added.
Already with 20 members from across the Midlands, he believes MBN is now operating at half its full potential.
“We hope to grow it to 40. That’s the magical sustainable number that’ll make it worthwhile to be in it,” he said.
Another member, Rosemarie O’Brien of Midlands Employment Support Agency (MESA ), which provides employment assistance for people with disabilities, has placed 10 people in employment in the region since January, and she credits at least half of that to the MBN.
As a State employee under the auspices of the Department of Social Protection, Ms O’Brien found the application fee for the Midlands Network much more saleable to her boss, and has reaped the rewards since.
The MBN meets every Wednesday morning at 7am in the Sheraton in Athlone, and will host an open evening at the same venue to publicise its endeavours and seek new members at 5.45pm on September 12 at which Seán Gallagher will speak.
