Entrepreneurs, innovators and people with creative ideas are invited to get involved as both speakers and participants for an upcoming conference with a difference.
Organised by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs, Bizcamp Galway visits the West of Ireland for its second year in a row on September 10. Based in NUI Galway, the day long event follows the model set by the previous year's hugely successful conference, and is the only Bizcamp in Ireland in 2011.
Paul Killoran, Founder of exordo.com and one of the Bizcamp organisers said: “With an increase in start-ups and new businesses, we rely on the creativity of innovators and entrepreneurs for our future economic success and prosperity. We are asking people from the West to come to Bizcamp and learn and share from each other.”
“The Bizcamp event is deliberately NOT about sales pitches, we want to hear about how you adapted your business to current market needs, to lessons learned, and to valuable experiences gained within your business.”
Bizcamp already HAS an exciting panel of speakers lined up, but organisers still want to hear from people who would like to present a short talk.
Speakers will give a 20-minute presentation, with 10 minutes for open discussion, on a topic of their choice. Bizcamp is not necessarily a ‘techy’ event and topics will vary from adapting your business, to innovative marketing, to product design, pricing, sourcing finance, web and social networking and stress management.
Members of the business community, VC’s and angel investors, as well as representatives from the relevant state agencies will also be there on the day to share their experiences and provide the necessary information to guide fledgling entrepreneurs in the right direction.
Michael Fitzgerald, founder of xap.ie and a Bizcamp organiser states “Bizcamp is all about encouraging, mentoring and supporting innovative and ambitious business ventures. There’s so much going on in the areas of technology, medical devices and industry in general in the west of Ireland right now. It’s a really exciting time, and we wanted to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to meet with new people outside their main circles to share and learn from each other.”
Interested speakers and attendees can register online at www.bizcamp.ie/galway More than 300 Irish entrepreneurs, innovators, and ideas people came together in Galway on September 10 2010 for the West’s first ever Bizcamp where hundreds of connections and business ideas were explored, making it one the most successful recession-rebounding events to be held in Galway. The event was run on a completely voluntary basis and was sponsored by Microsoft, NUI Galway and Enterprise Ireland.
The theme for Bizcamp Galway was “The Power of Failure in Pursuit of Success” and featured a panel discussion between a number of Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs who faced failure at some point in their career.
Global manufacturing genius John Concannon and Aidan Daly, Professor of Marketing at NUI Galway, shared stories of financial strife, unforeseen market changes to poor business planning and showed how such negative experiences positively contributed to their businesses succeeding.
Pat Phelan, founder of MaxRoam.ie, inspired the audience with tales of doing business in the United States and selling to Ryanair. “The door is open for anyone who wants to do deals," he said.
Some 30 experienced business people gave a variety of presentations in a bid to fight the fears associated with the current economic crisis. From talks on setting up a business in a recession to raising finance in Silicon Valley and launching a business online, attendees were inspired to forge their future in Irish enterprise.
