Tuesday 4^th March, 3:30pm to 8pm at MERITS, Naas

Whether you want to be your own boss, have a brilliant business idea or simply want to sharpen your entrepreneurial skills, Kildare’s Big Business Show is for you.

The Big Business Show is an absolute must for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. It’s your chance to discover everything you need to know about starting and growing a business.

Join Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise Office in-person to access five focused events as part of Local Enterprise Week.

The event will take place in MERITS, Naas, Co. Kildare.

Enjoy networking, music and refreshments throughout the evening.

• Connect with 20+ business support organisations in the exhibition zone: Connect with business support organisations and register for specific LEO supports in the exhibition zone including Teagasc, AIB, Intreo Kildare, SBCI, Leader Rural Development Partnership, BOI, New Frontiers, HBAN, R&H Skillnet, Intertrade Ireland, The Intellectual Property Office, KWETB, Connected Hubs, Enterprise Ireland's Get Exporting team, Enterprise Europe Network and more!

• 1-2-1 sessions with experts and mentors in the adviser zone 
• Immerse and experiment in virtual reality in the MERITS Content Lab, get your own professional headshot and even demo your first podcast.
• Meet the LEO and MERITS teams and mix with like-minded, ambitious entrepreneurs

Every hour, on the hour we are hosting a different speaker:

4pm     

Bringing the Magic Back To Marketing with Jennie McGinn 

Find the joy in engaging your customer and bringing your product and business to life - from shoestring budgets to collaborations and "surprise and delight" tactics, this session will leave you motivated, energised and ready to have fun with your marketing.

Jennie Mc Ginn is a serial retail and marketing entrepreneur. She's worked with everyone from Kildare Village to Chupi, Lifestyle Sports, Dublin Independent Fashion Week and London College of Fashion. Having founded multiple ecommerce businesses, Jennie now consults across brand, marketing and customer experience and delivers straight-talking, no-nonsense and uplifting content.

5pm     

Becoming Investible  

Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN)  is focused on creating investor groups/syndicates across the island. Learn exactly what they look for and how they work with exceptional start-ups!

6pm     

Unlocking financial opportunities for your business             

Join the LEO Team, Maynooth University and The SBCI's Brian Colgan to answer all of your questions around funding growth.

7pm     

Be on Social without Being on Social with Michael Corcoran, ex Head of Social Media at Ryanair               

Meet Michael Corcoran of We Are Frankly! Michael has 12+ years of experience in social media marketing, "At Ryanair, I ran its social media. I let my work do the talking (most of the time), and I think I'm doing ok at it. You can call me the Aldi version of Gary Vee. Now it’s time to speak Frankly."

Michael advocates that business owners need to think about the role social plays for their brand or business. If you try being all things to all people, you are more than likely diluting your effort and adding to the sea of vanilla corporate sameness. “Alchemy can show us the best ideas or strategies don’t make rational sense. The problems we have could very well be solved by letting go of logic and differentiating yourself.”

He’ll talk:

• Different ways to be on social without ‘being’ on social - to solve a problem or utilise an opportunity for a brand and business on social

• Take some examples of how to use social beyond just posting content and wasting time and money.

• Look at the four key variables that should influence your strategy before deciding what role social can play to REALLY try to add value over time.

And lastly, a bit about how Ryanair did it.

Set to be an unmissable event with access to exhibitors, live panel debates, networking and interactive masterclasses covering everything you need to know to start or grow your business!