10th June 2019
Local and regional businesses attend talks and workshops aimed at growing business online both nationally and internationally
Google, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, hosted the “Grow With Google” event at the Theatre Royal in Waterford today. The event involved talks and workshops on the many free digital tools that can help Irish SMEs find and understand new clients both domestically & overseas. One-to-one masterclass sessions with key Google executives were also held so that business owners could receive practical training in these vital skills and knowledge.
The event brought together over 100 SMEs from across Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary, and was attended by Minister John Halligan TD, Minister of State for Training and Skills, in addition to representatives from Waterford City Council and Waterford Chamber of Commerce.
Grow with Google Waterford was the first in a series of events held this year by Google in partnership with Enterprise Ireland which aims to upskill and educate Irish SMEs in reaching new customers, expanding their businesses, and future-proofing their operations for a digital world. The events take their inspiration from Google’s highly popular Breakfast Briefings held monthly at its EMEA HQ in Dublin, and the company aims to upskill 8,000 Irish businesses via Grow with Google initiatives this year.
Speaking at the event, Minister John Halligan said, “I warmly welcome Google to Waterford for the first of its “Grow with Google” events to be held outside of Dublin. It is widely acknowledged that for small and medium-sized businesses nowadays it is not enough to simply have a presence online - they need to have the skills to effectively market themselves to stand out in an increasingly competitive environment, and this is especially true for companies wishing to expand abroad. Google has greatly benefited SMEs of the region here today by helping them to boost their digital capabilities and encouraging them to look beyond their local markets.”
David Sneddon, Director at Google, added, “We have seen so much talent, enthusiasm, and passion from SMEs in Waterford and surrounding counties, so we were delighted to bring our Grow with Google event here today. Many of the business owners I have spoken with have expressed an awareness of the importance of a good online presence and the appropriate use of digital tools to grow their business, but until now they have been unsure or nervous about how and where to start. We hope that today’s talks and workshops will have contributed positively to local businesses’ continued growth aspirations, not only nationally but also internationally. Our Grow with Google programme has already trained more than 10 million people in digital skills across EMEA and we are committed to ensuring Irish people and companies are at the forefront of digital”
Sharon Hogan, Media Buying Director for Waterford-based International Living Publishing, commented, “International Living has 500,000 readers from around the world and clients based across multiple continents, so we deeply value the industry knowledge and expertise of our support team at Google in reaching our global audience - in particular we value their advice on how best to use Google Ads, which has been at the centre of our marketing efforts for some time now. Leads acquired via Google Ads prove time and time again to be of the highest quality, going on to purchase a subscription, a product or attend one of our many events hosted around the world, converting to high-worth customers and making a real difference to our company. Thanks to our relationship with Google we have seen revenue increase by 45% and our team double in size in the past 2 years, all from our base here in Waterford"
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