Enterprise Week 2020 looks ahead to new era for local business

March sees the return of one of the city’s most popular events as Enterprise Week 2020 gets underway from March 2-6 with a packed programme of talks, workshops and drop in clinics geared towards answering all your business questions.

The event is organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Innovate UK, Department for the Economy, Invest NI, Women in Enterprise, Jobs and Benefits Office, Labour Relations, Julie Pollock HR, Ulster University, Catalyst Inc, NWRC, Startacus, Strabane Enterprise Agency, Enterprise NW, Foyle Business Network, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, and Young Enterprise. Activities will take place across a range of venues across the City and District.

This year’s programme has a strong focus on innovation and its pivotal role in helping businesses thrive and survive in a world where change is more fast paced and unpredictable than ever. It also promotes the importance of women in business and highlights a range of pathways to achieving business success.

Launching the programme this week, the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Michaela Boyle, encouraged anyone with a business idea or in need of some inspiration to sign up. “Enterprise Week provides a great opportunity for local businesses to come together to share expertise and learnings,” she stressed.

“As always there is great support from our local business experts who will be on hand to mentor and guide aspiring entrepreneurs, and give advice drawing from their own experiences.

“This is an exciting time for Derry and Strabane as we work towards the delivery of our City Deal ambitions, and look forward to the benefits that increased investment in our region will bring. Supporting our local businesses is more important than ever, and we want to get the message out there that guidance is available through a wide range of sources. I hope to see a great turnout to all the Enterprise Week events.”

All the events are free and among the highlights of this year’s programme are a series of workshops aimed at offering the latest digital solutions to enhance business performance. For anyone with a new business idea they would like to take further, a special innovation talk will be delivered by Dr Kelly Clarke from Orryx, offering advice on how new ideas can translate into successful business ventures.

Women in business is a strong theme this year, with a number of platforms for female entrepreneurs to network, share their successes and explore new opportunities as they continue to break through the gender barrier to the benefit of the local economy.

Small businesses will have the opportunity to enhance their chances when competing for larger contracts at a special Meet the Buyer event, offering guidance on linking in with larger scale companies, and landing those more substantial contracts.

Business Support Manager with Council, Louise Breslin, said the programme offered something for businesses of all sizes and sectors. “2020 heralds an exciting new time of opportunity for local business. Our role is to offer the support and guidance for anyone seeking information or inspiration on how they can start a new business or grow and develop an existing business.

“We’ve tried to keep the programme as diverse as possible and to tap into a few new areas to ensure a broad spectrum of information is available. I would really encourage local businesses to check out what’s on and come along to hear more from some of our leading experts.”

You can download the full Enterprise Week 2020 programme at www.derrystrabane.com/enterpriseweek #EW2020