Local Enterprise Week returns this week (3-7 March) with more than 350 events taking place nationwide.

Hosted by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices, one for every local authority area in the country, the events are open to everyone at any stage of business and cover all aspects of business from getting started to accessing funding to exporting and sustainability.

Some of the events include a Pitch Battle for funding, networking with cocktails, a Pier-to-Pier networking walk and a host of AI events to benefit businesses.

Speaking to BusinessPlus.ie, Kieran Comerford, chair of the the network of Local Enterprise Offices, said that out of the 45,000 people that attended LEO programmes last year, nearly a third (14,000) did so during Local Enterprise Week.

This week there are events on green initiatives, digital initiatives, AI technology management, pensions, cybersecurity and much more.

"The events are all designed around having a roadmap for people," said Comerford. The events are "informing and educating people in a really focused way."

"What this showcase is allowing us to do is to enable clients to educate themselves, network themselves with the right people, connect themselves with new knowledge in order to form a pathway to opportunity because, ultimately, business is about opportunity and challenge," he continued.

"It's really about showcasing the breadth and depth of supports that are available ... because businesspeople are bombarded with lots of different messaging all year round."

In Carlow, where Comerford is based, the Local Enterprise Office is working with partners such as South East Technical University, the local Chamber of Commerce, and Bank of Ireland to put on the events, which are designed for local demand.

Additionally, Carlow LEO will launch a rural enterprise hub this week to provide a co-working space following feedback from local businesses.

Regarding the local authority structure adopted by Local Enterprise Offices, Comerford said it makes LEOs "react to local economies in a much more adaptive way" while still pushing products available nationally such as the Green Business Voucher and the Energy Efficiency Grant.

Beyond events such as Local Enterprise Week though, he says a lot of LEOs' best work is "done in private" through advice, mentoring and aftercare for individual business. He estimates 300 to 400 people come to LEO Carlow for advice every year.

Education is one of the main aspects of Local Enterprise Week. Businesses will approach LEOs year-round looking for advice on making operations more sustainable, completing their digital transition, exporting, etc.

Murphy's Craft Butchers in Tullow, a butcher like hundreds up and down the country, approached the LEO unsure of how to make their business more green.

"They went through the Green for Business voucher, which was a consultancy piece, which basically designed the project for them, and subsequently did an investment piece about energy efficiency in their shop, and they've made significant savings, said Comerford.

"But the first piece of any pathway is the education, development, networking piece, and there's plenty of [such] examples of people across all the Local Enterprise Offices [doing similar] because you bring people together, you enable opportunity."

Some of the standout events taking place this Local Enterprise Week include:

• Pitch Perfect 2025 Showdown A cornerstone event of Local Enterprise Week, Pitch Perfect: Battle of the Startups, returns for its third electrifying year at TU Dublin. The highly anticipated live pitching competition will see six of Dublin’s most promising early-stage startups go head-to-head for a game-changing prize worth over €10,000.
• Fingal Enterprising Women Network  “Accelerate Action: The Neuroscience of Making It Happen”, this event offers a unique opportunity for businesswomen to connect, learn, and be inspired, all while gaining actionable insights from a leading expert in neuroscience and success psychology.
• Kildare’s Big Business Show The Big Business Show is an absolute must for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. 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!
• How to Achieve more for your business in 30 days! Pádraic O Máille is a leading motivational speaker and writer in Ireland and is delivering a talk to small and medium sized business owners to redefine their view of yearly planning. Padraic has created the 30-Day Year. A mindset; a methodology; and a measurement - to help you develop clarity and focus.

Photo: Oisin Geoghegan, Local Enterprise Office and Carol Gibbons, Enterprise Ireland are pictured with Aisling Tuck of Naked Bakes, Myriam Doyle of Mimitoys and Aisling Wood of Bean Around at the launch of the Local Enterprise Week 2025 which will run from the 3rd – 7th March. (Pic: Andres Poveda)