Connemara will host two special workshops designed to help budding business people in the west.
Organised by Féile Icarus - a business and social event for entrepreneurs - the full-day workshops will be held on August 27 and 28 aimed at helping entrepreneurs, start-up businesses, and innovators devise practical ways to unlock their business potential.
The workshops are being supported by the Western Development Commission as part of its strategy to “promote and develop the creative sector in the Western Region”, says WDC regional development executive Joanne Grehan.
“Our 2009 study Creative West: The Creative Sector in the Western Region, showed there are 4,779 creative businesses operating in the Western Region, directly employing more than 11,000 people.
“This generates an annual turnover of €534m and directly contributes €270m to the gross value added of the regional economy. It is therefore a major economic contributor to the region that we believe can be grown significantly, and events like Féile Icarus are critical to driving that growth,” she said.
During the workshop, participants will work through a number of business questions, drawing on the expertise and insights of the group. All delegates will develop a flight plan, and identify a tag-team partner with whom they will collaborate after the event as they implement their action plans.
“Féile Icarus adopts a unique approach to helping entrepreneurs by encouraging them to learn through facilitated peer discussions set against a backdrop of clear structure, discipline, and a value proposition. By supporting entrepreneurs like these to turn their ideas into viable businesses, we move closer to realising the potential to create an extra 2,000 jobs in the creative sector in the Western Region”, added Ms Grehan.
Féile Icarus promoter Chris Mortimer says: “Entrepreneurs are driven by their passions and learn from their failures. Through this event, we endeavour to make use of those learnings and devise actionable plans that will capitalise on the passions.”
Tickets for the events are priced at €19.50 per day and can be purchased at www.feileicarus.com
