Series of events in Westmeath and Roscommon for Enterprise Week
Small businesses and budding entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to sample 13 events aimed at helping them start or grow their business as part of this year’s Local Enterprise Week in Westmeath. This initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the local authorities, takes place from March 3 to 7 this year across the country.
The Westmeath events will focus on social media and digital marketing, Digital, Lean and Green business supports, business structure, scaling, business expansion and networking.
A flavour of the events planned includes the Westmeath County Enterprise Awards, Student Enterprise Awards, All in a Day’s Work – Digital/Lean/Green webinar, and the International Women’s Day Regional Event for Women in Business.
The Westmeath Enterprise Awards will take place in the Bloomfield House Hotel, Mullingar, on Wednesday next, while the Roscommon equivalent will be held in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, on Monday.
Tracey Tallon, Acting Head of Enterprise, LEO Westmeath, said: “Local Enterprise Week is a fantastic marker in the road for any business. It’s an opportunity to take stock of where you are, see where you can grow, where you can innovate or maybe become more sustainable and see what resources are available on your doorstep. There is something for everyone and for those who maybe always had ambition to start on their own, or a great idea, this is the week to see how to get started and make it happen.”
In Roscommon, this year’s Roscommon Enterprise Awards will see nominees honoured in five different categories as part of Local Enterprise Week. The overall winner will go on represent Roscommon in the National Enterprise Awards in May and follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Boyle-based business Postude.
Postude designs business apps for accounting systems. Its Cloud account, called ‘Thrive’ is a mobile application that complements and supports business accounting systems, particularly in the builders and homeware provider brand sectors.
As well as the overall prize, this year’s other Roscommon Enterprise Award categories include honours for Ambition and Growth, which will recognise a business that has demonstrated significant job growth and excellence in their field.
The One to Watch award will honour a business with exceptional potential.
The remaining award categories this year are the Smart Business award, which will celebrate a business that has adapted its model and introduced new technologies, and the Outstanding Contribution award which will recognise a local business that has made a huge contribution to Roscommon and its business community.
Last year’s category award winners were Garden Play Ireland in the Start-Up business category, operated by Padraig Scott from Tulsk and Donal Regan from Loughglynn, and Willowbrook Glamping and Hideaways, located on the Loughglynn Road in Ballaghaderreen which won a Digital Journey Award.
The winner of the Ambition and Growth award in 2024 was Central Switchgear from Monksland.
The company supplies electrical design, manufacturing and engineering services for switchgear and power distribution solutions.
Last year’s Special Contribution award was won by another Monksland-based business, Paul Farrell and his ‘Kreative Salon Supplies’. A native of Roscommon town, Paul’s business distributes hair salon products countrywide.
This year’s Roscommon Enterprise Awards will be held in the Hodson Bay Hotel, on Monday, March 3 at 1pm. Chief Executive of Roscommon County Council, Shane Tiernan, will reveal the winners, accompanied by Head of Enterprise with Roscommon LEO, Louise Ward.
The Enterprise Awards are just one of a series of Local Enterprise Week events in Roscommon.
Two in-person events will take place in the Athlone area. On Wednesday, March 5, The Athlone Springs Hotel will host a Pension Auto-Enrolment Breakfast Briefing from 8am to 10am in the Clonmellon suite.
This is being jointly hosted by Roscommon and Westmeath Local Enterprise Offices and staff from both LEOs will be on hand to help businesses identify suitable supports.
The final day of Local Enterprise Week, Friday, March 7, will celebrate International Women’s Day.
The Roscommon LEO in association with the Roscommon Branch of Network Ireland will acknowledge the vital contribution of women in business as a major driver of the local economy. This event will take place from 10am to 2.30pm in the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone.
Other events include a Remote Website Health Check Clinic, two separate events on Artificial Intelligence, the start of a six-week remote Start Your Own Business course, a four-week Basic Booking course, with an emphasis on small business accounts, a Makerthon event, and business advisory clinics.
All events during Local Enterprise Week are free. However booking is advisable on the Westmeath and Roscommon Local Enterprise Office websites, as some events are already fully booked.