Strabane businesses urged to join Enterprise Week 2017

Businesses in the Strabane district and the city are being encouraged by Derry City and Strabane District Council to register their interest now for the 2017 Enterprise Week.

Enterprise Week 2017 is sponsored by Virgin Media Business and will take place from Monday 6th to Friday 10th March in locations throughout the city and district. A number of those events organised for the five day programme have been specifically catered by Council to suit the needs of Strabane businesses.

Louise Breslin, Business Manager at Derry City and Strabane District Council said there are a lot of workshops and talks throughout the week that will appeal to Strabane businesses and she encouraged those interested to register as soon as possible.

She said, ‘I would encourage all businesses to view the programme and see what is relevant to their business. Places will be limited so early registration is essential. From our discussions with local businesses we know there is a particular interest in the Strabane region on the opportunities that rural funding can present.

‘Anyone interested in applying for this type of funding should come along to the session we have organised on 8th March at the Heritage Education Centre in Sion Mills. This session will provide all the information you need on potential funding opportunities for rural businesses through the NI Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is being delivered by the Derry and Strabane Rural Partnership.

‘The Rural Business Investment Scheme provides grants to micro and small businesses with £2.5 million available for the Derry and Strabane area up to 2020. This funding includes marketing grants up to £10,000 and capital grants of between £5,000 and £90,000 depending on the size of business. The Rural Development Programme team will also be available on the day to provide details of marketing grants of up to £10,000 that are available through the Rural Business Investment Schemes so I would advise anyone interested in this to come along.

‘Strabane Enterprise Agency will also be holding a ‘Start a Business’ Drop in Day on March 8th. For anyone considering going into self-employment, this is a must. The team have a vast amount of experience and can provide all the support you need to get yourself set up and running.’

The Enterprise Week programme aims to provide opportunities for local businesses. It features sessions on ‘Doing Business Cross Border’ with advice from digital experts, female entrepreneurs and those experienced in business innovation and growth.  There will also be opportunities to hear from the Prince’s Trust, the World Host Food Ambassador programme and a chance to enter the Derry City and Strabane District Council £10,000 Business Start-Up Challenge.

The week will end with a ‘Meet the Buyer’ event designed to ensure local small and medium sized businesses have the confidence to bid successfully for public sector and big business contracts. ‘Meet the Buyer’ presents the opportunity for SME’s to showcase their business capabilities to an influential, public sector and big business audience. 

Enterprise Week will take place from Monday 6th until Friday 10th March 2017. To view the full programme and to register, go to www.derrystrabane.com/enterpriseweek.

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