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Oct 03 2011

Child Health Expo 2011

category: Events author:

On Saturday 15thOctober in Ennis, County Clare, parents, grandparents, carers and healthcare professionals can benefit from learning from a wide range of experts in children’s health.

Child Health Expo 2011, sponsored by Avène, is at Glór from 10 am to 5pm.  Tickets are only €45, including lunch and two workshops. Booking is advisable, by phoning 065 684 3103.

Dr Eva Orsmond – well known from the TV programme Operation Transformation – has a special interest in weight loss and nutrition and will be the headline speaker at this event, on how to ensure that a child stays healthy naturally.  Workshops will be led by experts on asthma and respiratory problems, eczema and skincare, behaviour management (tots to teens), paediatric first aid and alternative therapies. Many more experts will be on hand at the exhibition with information and advice on baby massage and yoga, nutritional therapy, meningitis and other child-related topics.

Marion Morrissey RGN (Safe Aid Training Ltd), organiser of Child Health Expo 2011, comments:

“The Expo was born out of the need to provide parents and caregivers with basic information on children’s health problems. There can be so much information that it’s overwhelming. The event will offer practical information and solutions to many health problems.  Many parents and carers have no idea what to do if a child stops breathing. From personal experience, I know how important it is to have information on first aid and emergency care as well as day-to-day care for children.  This event will be a “one stop shop” for sourcing information and finding out about lots of services and support.  There’s even a chance to win one of lots of prizes from the exhibitors.”

Further information

For more information about Child Health Expo 2011 contact Marion Morrissey on 087 673 5565

Sep 27 2011

Capitalising on Women’s Entrepreneurial Potential

category: Business Networking,Irish Business,Kerry Business,Kerry Businesswomen's Network author:

Paula Fitzsimons, Going for Growth

 

The next meeting of Kerry Businesswomen’s Network is on Thursday 6th October, 7 for 7.30 pm at the Carlton Hotel in Tralee.

The speaker will be Paula Fitzsimons, founder and Managing Director of Fitzsimons Consulting, which specialises in areas related to entrepreneurship and growth.

Paula’s topic is “Capitalising on Women’s Entrepreneurial Potential”.  In an interactive presentation, she will cover:

  • the role of entrepreneurs in tackling the difficult economic challenges facing the country
  • whether gender matters in entrepreneurship
  • whether women have untapped entrepreneurial potential and if they have, the reasons that it remains sub-optimal
  • how this potential can best be harnessed for the benefit of the individual and the wider economy

Paula’s talk will be illustrated with reference to the recent results of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and the role of Going for Growth in supporting women entrepreneurs to develop a growth mind-set and the means to realise their growth ambitions.

Paula has been the national co-ordinator for GEM since 2000.  Recognising that fewer women start new businesses and of those that start, fewer have significant growth ambitions than do men, Paula Fitzsimons designed and developed Going for Growth (http://www.goingforgrowth.com).  This is focused on peer support as a means of assisting women entrepreneurs who wish to grow their businesses.  It was included in the 2009 Good Practice initiatives by the European Commission and voted into the top 10 “most beneficial to implement” of these initiatives.

Please book via kerrybusinesswomen@gmail.com or contact Anne Kiely on 085 716 3762.  There is a fee of only €10 for the meeting for non-members.

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Sep 09 2011

Business Support – Review #1 – bizstartup.ie

category: Irish Business,Marketing,SMEs author:

For Irish businesses, http://www.bizstartup.ie/ is a reliable and interesting source of information.  The Start-up Kit covers feasibility and research, the business plan, structure, getting finance, legal issues and much more.   I keep up with their news feeds by “liking” their Facebook page, which reminds me to check out the stories.  Today’s news includes the launch of a new forum for the unemployed and start-ups and a new company aiming to cut legal costs for Irish firms.

Click on the “Entrepreneurs” tab for inspiration from John Boyle, Sahar Hashemi, Tom Kearney, Bernard Walsh and many more.  The Mentors section doesn’t seem to have been updated for a while, but the posts are still relevant for new as well as established businesses.  “Ask an Expert” is a Q&A section which might have the information you are looking for.  The Resources section is a mix of product reviews and information, but “Events” seems to be non-existent!

The videos tab is a link to YouTube content on setting up a business and the challenges that go with it, including this one from Jill Fitzgerald in Kerry -

http://www.bizstartup.ie/video/v/316-jill-fitzgerald-talks-to

BizCentre focuses on the bizstartup partners, including Ulster Bank and the bookstore is (not surprisingly!) operated by Amazon.  What a shame the prices are in £ sterling.

Overall, this is a really useful resource for Irish businesses and one to put onto the favourites list.

 

 

 

 

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Sep 08 2011

Two Kerry Businesses Create Jobs And Visitors

category: Irish Business,Kerry Business author:

 

There’s great news for Kerry from the Celtic School of English, based on Greenview Terrace in Tralee.   When competitors Anne O’Keeffe and Alison Boardman met earlier this year, they decided to merge their language teaching activities to create a bigger and better school for a wider range of languages.  Twelve part-time jobs have been created, as well as maintaining four full-time positions.

There’s even more good news, though, as they expect to welcome more than 200 people to Tralee over the next 12 months to study English.  The visitors take part in a cultural and social programme, bringing them to tourist attractions and leisure activities in Kerry.  Alison will be visiting many schools throughout Europe to promote the school and Tralee as a great place to learn.

Expansion of the services includes small group classes in Irish, French, Spanish and German for young people and adults, and grinds for Junior and Leaving Certificate students.  In January, weekend workshops for oral and aural tests will be available to help students with the increased emphasis on these exams.

Many host families are already on the Celtic School’s list and more would be welcome (phone Anne O’Keeffe on 087 227 5677).  Students enjoy living as part of a family and building their language skills and there’s an income for the hosts.

Unique Voice Language Institute will also be based at 7 Greenview Terrace, managed by Eilish Ruddle, continuing to provide translation and interpreting in all languages.

Further information:

For more information about Celtic School of English, contact Alison Boardman on 087 934 1613 or Anne O’Keeffe on 087 227 5677

 

 

 

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Aug 23 2011

Achieve Great Publicity For Your Business

category: Kiely & Associates,Public Relations,SMEs author:

Ask yourself the three questions below and the answers will help you achieve great publicity for your business in just seven minutes.

1  Where will I get maximum positive exposure for my business?

If your aim is to increase sales for example, will this best be achieved through articles in the national press or trade magazines?  Maybe setting up interviews on radio or TV might be a better bet or what about a social media campaign? You will already have some ideas about the media your business should be in. Perhaps you see your competitors in certain media on a regular basis?

Take three minutes to jot down your ideas.

Because we deal with the media on a daily basis, we know the opportunities that are coming up and we can also make sure your aims are realistic. If you opt for our results-only service, you only pay for the coverage we achieve for you.

2 What’s the angle and how can I make it sizzle?

Let’s take a real life example.

One of our clients is Serenity Retreats in Castlegregory, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the stunning Maharees Peninsula in County Kerry. It’s the only retreat centre in Europe which caters for families and carers affected by addiction, offering a nurturing environment for those in recovery (www.serenityretreats ireland.com).

This alone should be enough to get some coverage but one simple idea really helped to make it leap into the news. We wrote to actor Colin Farrell asking him if he would come to Ireland to open the centre. As a result we sparked media interest and got national newspaper, radio and TV coverage, achieving the targets Serenity Retreats set for us and we are now planning a social media campaign which will keep the centre firmly in the public eye.

Think about your business now for three minutes and see if you can come up with an angle that can really make your business stand out from the rest.

3 How do I do it?

The mechanics of getting a story into the media appear tricky. If you are not used to the way the system operates, you can find yourself dazzled by a dizzying range of questions:

Should I ring or e-mail the journalist?

Should I get in touch with the editor or the newsdesk?

Should I write a press release or just call with the story?

Should I send in a photo?

How long should I wait after I e-mail my press release?

And many, many more…

The short answer to these questions is “it depends” – all publications work differently. Because we work with the media every day, we know when and how each publication wants stories pitched to them.

One way you could find out is by ringing the switchboard of the publication and talking to them for just one minute.  They are there to help and if they are not overloaded with work, they usually will.

Most importantly, keep trying. Never forget the value of persistence.

Good luck to you all and if you need a hand, give us a shout!

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