Athlone based business, Klaas Kickz, availed of the opportunity to exhibit to more than 200,000 people at the recent National Ploughing Championships as part of the Local Enterprise Village.
Klaas Kickz, which is supported by Local Enterprise Office Westmeath, is an innovative company selling colour coded football boots to help children learn football through colours and become more confident.
The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs ) saw more than 30 small businesses from across the country take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to some 200,000 prospective customers across the three days of the event.
The Local Enterprise Village was very much the place to visit across the week as it welcomed well known faces from Nevin Maguire and Minister Simon Coveney to President Michael D Higgins and An Tanaiste, Micheal Martin.
“Overall, the National Ploughing Championships was a great success for Klaas Kickz. We received massive PR from the event including a TV appearance on Ireland AM and local radio which was great recognition for our brand. The event gave us the opportunity to educate our customers on what colour-coded football boots are and how they can help your son or daughter learn to play football/GAA and we also sold some Klaas Kickz football boots at the event. The stand also gave us the opportunity to link in with shops and hopefully future customers,” Mark Connaughton from Klaaz Kickz stated.
“The Ploughing Championships are a wonderful platform for small businesses from all over Ireland to connect with potential customers from the personal and business world. Mark from Klaas Kickz was a fabulous representative for LEO Westmeath and made the most of the opportunity,” Christine Charlton, head of enterprise, LEO Westmeath, added.
Some of the clients involved this year covered areas such a children’s clothing and games, agritech products, luxury bathing and skincare products, artisan food and drink producers, sustainable clothing and beauty products and range of innovative products from Ireland’s best small businesses. Year on year the Local Enterprise Village has proven to be one of the most popular destinations for visitors to the Ploughing Championships.
The Local Enterprise Village is just one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices hosts, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow.
Since their inception eight years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create more than 25,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses.
