25th September 2018
Taking Care of Business: Over 200 attend free one-stop-shop event for small businesses in the Mid-West
• 29 state bodies, agencies and services come together to answer questions and provide advice to small business owners, managers and entrepreneurs
• Focus on access to finance options for SMEs
Over 200 small-business owners, managers and those interested in starting their own business today (Tuesday) attended a one-stop-shop event for SMEs, Taking Care of Business, in The Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa on the Ennis Road, Limerick.
This free half-day event was an initiative of the Government of Ireland and organised by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation – in conjunction with the Health and Safety Authority and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland - to provide people thinking of starting a business and existing entrepreneurs with the information they need from across the public sector.
Taking Care of Business brought together 29 state and public-sector bodies, agencies and services in two strands, with presentations in one area and information stands in a separate area. Nearly 2,500 people have attended events such as this since 2013 to learn about key regulatory requirements and assistance available to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses.
Giving the keynote speech at the event, the Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, T.D., said “I believe that Taking Care of Business is a further demonstration of our commitment to reach out to the business community, and to promote awareness of the full range of supports available to the SME sector, start-ups and entrepreneurs. It is also a sign of our commitment to regional development.
“We all need small businesses to thrive, so I welcome efforts such as this to provide advice on so many aspects of regulation and tell people about the supports available to them.”
The State bodies represented deal with a wide range of areas, including:
• Access to finance for SMEs;
• Assistance and supports from enterprise agencies;
• Tax, Employment and Health & Safety obligations;
• Legal requirements for setting up and running a business;
• Requirements in areas such as food safety;
• Advice on government procurement and intellectual property;
A number of representative bodies from industry supported the event and were available to talk to attendees on the day. The three sessions of presentations in Taking Care of Business were chaired by Helen Downes, Chief Executive of Shannon Chamber, Frank Murray, Managing Partner of The Linkage-Partnership and Mike Cantwell CEO of Innovate Limerick .
For more details including the running order of presentations and the full list of State bodies attending, please visit takingcareofbusiness.ie.It is also intended to have the presentations on the DBEI website in due course
ENDS
The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) plays a key role in implementing the Government’s policies of stimulating the productive capacity of the economy and creating an environment which supports job creation and maintenance. The Department also has a remit to promote fair competition in the marketplace, protect consumers and safeguard workers.
For more information please contact press.office@dbei.gov.ie or ph: (01) 6312200
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