SMEs Invited to Network and Learn as Major Business Show Launches for the first time in Dublin
April 16th 2015
Legendary Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody has just been announced as the latest speaker at a major business event in Dublin this month.
The Smart Business Show is sponsored by Vodafone Ireland and takes place in the RDS in Dublin on April 22nd and 23rd and is the first event of its kind in Ireland. The aim of the show is to help businesses connect, network, and create opportunities with new suppliers and thousands of potential customers as well as discover smarter ways of doing business.
Visitors can also hear from a wide variety of speakers, all of them at the top of their game, and take part in workshops on a host of themes. The show has an entry charge of only €30.
One of the greatest managers of all time, Cody delivers his keynote talk on the first day, April 22nd, at 1.30pm, with an insight into his career, tips to making the transition from player to manager and advice on how the skills and experiences of sport can be transferred to business.
Speaking at the press launch in the RDS today Cody said: “SMEs are key to the future of the Irish economy. I’m delighted to be speaking at the Smart Business Show because it will genuinely give business people an insight into increasing their networks and how to grow their business. Many of the skills and experiences gained in sport are the same as those you need to succeed in business. I am really looking forward to sharing my experiences and to explaining these many parallels.”
Mr Cody joins over 60 industry leaders and thinkers over two days on an array of topics, all of them designed to help businesses succeed and grow. Topics include networking, entrepreneurship, technology, digital engagement, exporting, sales generation, communications and marketing.
Other Speakers at the show include:
- Finn Goulding: CIO, Paddy Power
- Julia Hobsbawm: World’s First Professor of Networking
- Brian Corish, Head of Digital, Vodafone
- Will King: multi-millionaire businessman who started King of Shaves
- John Mullins: one of the world’s foremost thought leaders in entrepreneurship and business funding
- Eddie Esposito: international expert in referral marketing who worked for Michele Obama
- Peter Casey: (from Dragon’s Den) about managing talent and getting the best out of your workforce
- George Mordaunt: Acclaimed author and business survivor
- Louise Phelan: VP of Global Operations at Paypal
- Runa Sandvig: Forbes contributor, worked alongside Edward Snowden, cyber security expert
With over 150 exhibitors, Gareth Quinn, Smart Business Show Commercial Director says the event is turning out to be a huge success: “This is our first year running the show in Dublin and we have been blown away by the appetite and support for what we have planned on 22nd and 23rd April. The show will provide a wealth of opportunity for businesses of all types and sizes to gain practical advice and ideas on how to improve and grow their enterprises. With over 20 partners working alongside us for the past six months we have been particularly impressed with just how many key decision makers we have been able to engage with and are coming to the show.”
Brian Corry, Smart Business CEO added: “The combination of top class speakers with a major exhibition for the first time gives visitors the opportunity to put into immediate practice the ideas and opportunities the speakers and workshops provide. Networking is also a key attraction of the show. Despite the influence of social media, face-to-face has proven to still be the most effective way to build strong and lasting customer relationships. We’ve made it even easier to organise meetings at the show with our Smart Business Show app, which allows visitors to prearrange meetings with other attendees and exhibitors.”
This is the first time the Smart Business Show will take place in Dublin after a very successful first event in Belfast’s Odyssey Arena in 2014, which attracted more than 3,000 visitors and delegates.
Other features of the Smart Business Show include:
Talkzones: a programme of short, insightful talks delivered by industry experts on a huge range of essential topics including digital marketing, SEO, Video, the cloud, intellectual property, exporting, mobile, sales generation, ecommerce and more.
Workshops: short one-hour intensive sessions with experts across a range of subjects delivered by the event’s partners.
Digital Engagement Zone: One-to-one advice from Facebook and AdRoll, with industry experts working directly with Facebook and Twitter.
Innovation Zone: Partnered by the NDRC this area will feature 20 of the most innovative enterprises in Ireland delivering services and products for businesses.
Growth Zone: Straight talking with Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices, finance companies, Dublin Institute of Technology and more to gain practical insight on how you can grow your business.
Design Think: run by the Innovation Academy from UCD participants will learn how to run quick experiments at low cost to transform organisational culture and reduce the risk of new projects.
Export Pavilion: Expert advice on how to tackle Europe and beyond.
Partners include Enterprise Ireland, Irish Exporters Association, Institute of Directors, SFA, iSME, ICS, CiPD, the Digital Marketing Institute, the Sales Institute and more.
For more information on the event and to book tickets go to: http://www.smartbusinessshow.com/
