Would-be entrepreneurs make connections at town Bizfest

LARGE numbers of would-be entrepreneurs gathered at this year’s Bizfest in the National Opera House to make connections with business owners and managers and to see how best to further their own ambitious plans.

The Bizfest was hosted by Wexford Local Enterprise office and sponsored by Bank of Ireland, which held a talk about the costs of running a business.

The free event featured 26 exhibitors with stalls from the Bank of Ireland, Turas Nua, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Wexford Campus IT Carlow, Innovate, Arc Labs and much more.

Ton Banville, from Wexford LEO, opened the Bizfest before Julie Sinnamon CEO of Enterprise Ireland gave a talk about Irish-owned industries becoming a powerhouse of job creation in Ireland to more than 100 people.

After lunch, attendees took part in a panel discussion at which Ivan Yeats was MC and Fiona Dillon, Tumbledown Media, Jim Hughes, Innovate, Mag Kirwan, Goatsbridge Trout Farm, Lauren Murphy, St Killians Candles, Patsy Carney, Eirgen Pharma and Paul Jacob, Smart Storage spoke of their business experiences.

Meanwhile, 14-year old Leah Barnville from Meath, a Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist, wowed the crowd with her voice.