South East Business Expo

The inaugural South East Business Expo which will take place on the 3^rd of April at WIT Arena, Waterford.  

The one-day event is designed to bring together the key stakeholders from Business, Industry, Academia and Government to discuss and debate the key issues facing the region. The South East region with a population of 510,333 consists of five counties Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary. The region is home to 75 multinational companies employing over 15,000 highly skilled people. Key clusters include Technology, Financial Services, International Business Services, Technology, High Value Manufacturing including Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices, Food and Engineering.

This event is all about connecting business people in the region, encouraging local commerce, inward investment and sharing knowledge. The exhibition will feature a number of dedicated zones including Manufacturing, Technology, Business Services, Food & Tourism, Sales & Marketing & Innovation. Each zone will feature key note speakers who will deliver talks displaying in-depth knowledge and valuable insights.

Total employment in IDA Ireland client companies in the South East is up 7% to 15,580 employees in 2018. The economy of the South East (SE) region is now recovering strongly from the lows of 2012 and there has been strong and sustained GDP growth and declines in unemployment. Across the region there are a number of flagship developments recently that are likely to feed through into economic growth such as a major new employer West Pharma commencing operations, MSD’s investment in Carlow, the New Ross bypass, the resumption of UK flights at Waterford Airport, the mooted investment in the Waterford/S.Kilkenny North Quays, the Questum centre in Clonmel, Smithwick’s Visitor Experience in Kilkenny, all of which is underpinned by greater coordination between the region’s local authorities and chambers of commerce. The structural economic issues within the region will be a core part of the themed seminars including insights into investment in higher education capacity, acute hospital services, IDA and Enterprise Ireland (EI) activity drives ever higher job quality. The region faces economic headwinds shared with the State (such as Brexit and the fragile EU recovery); but the structural economic issues within the region continue to assert themselves as the dominant economic trend.

Speakers Include:

• Michael Walshe – CEO – Waterford City & County Council
• Andy Crowley – General Manager – TEVA
• Ken Thomas – Head of Engineering – WIT
• Jim Gordon – CEO – Boxworks
• John Norris – Head of Talent – Sanofi
• Jo Mulcair – Financial Controller – ITW Mima
• Dermot Walshe – MD – Walsh’s Bakehouse
• Mike White – VP Innovation – WIT

Careers in Manufacturing

The event will also feature a dedicated jobs and careers in Manufacturing. If your organisation is currently looking to recruit graduates or experienced engineers and operations staff you can exhibit in our dedicated Manufacturing Jobs Zone.

This event is an excellent opportunity to meet over 1,500 key business and industry decision makers to develop new business relationships or re affirming current ones. Nothing is more important affirming, than a face to face conversation when it comes to finding a product to suit your exact needs. With the correct sales staff on-hand, a potential customer can easily ask questions and receive instant answers. By exhibiting at the South East Business Expo potential buyers can talk directly to you and find what they need without making multiple searches and phone calls. By being present at an exhibition, you are likely to receive much firmer leads. Please find attached an exhibitor pack and floor plan with rates.

There are a limited number of exhibition opportunities available at the South East Business Expo.