A huge focus of the launch of the IEA report on the Top 250 Exporters was on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

This is not surprising due to the growth in this area over the last few years with new global giants such as Google, Facebook and eBay setting up their European headquarters here.

John Whelan, CEO of the IEA, told the attendees of the launch that Ireland is now seen as the cluster location to be in for the ICT sector. This sector is going to be increasingly important going forward as Ireland continues to expand its cloud hosting capabilities. Mr. Whelan’s speech is available to watch in our exclusive videos section.

This was highlighted by some of our National Enterprise Week speakers especially Paul Rellis of Microsoft, and Justin Keatinge of Version 1.

At the conference Rellis spoke about the technological transformations that are taking place and how natural user interfaces such as Kinect will become more pervasive in the near future. It is predicated that in three years time 50% of phones will be smartphones, and according to Rellis one third of those will be on the windows phone platform. 

Speaking at the launch of the report Minister for Trade, Jan O’Sullivan, said that while multinational companies are important indigenous Irish companies are key to Irish economic stability and growth. You can watch Minister O’Sullivan’s speech in our exclusive videos section.

Justin Keatinge’s company, Version 1, is just that. We spoke to him at National Enterprise Week and he explained his experience of building a successful company in this sector. You can watch the interview here.

What do you think about the potential for growth within this sector? Will it live up to the high expectations?

The Irish food and drink sector has always been very strong globally and continues to grow. It has been said that of all the sectors, this is the one that will lead Ireland out of the recession.

This is also the sector that lends itself best to investigating the opportunities of emerging markets such as China, Russia and Africa. Jan O’Sullivan emphasised this at the launch of the IEA top 250 report last week. She explained that the Department of Foreign Affairs is working to build networks with Irish embassies in a bid to grow local knowledge of global markets and opportunities. Minister O’Sullivan also said that the DFA is establishing an ‘Exports Trade Council’ which will hold its first meeting in Autumn this year. If you want to find out more about the new Exports Trade Council, you can watch Minister O’Sullivan’s speech in our exclusive videos section. Just click here!

The agri-food sector is one dominated by indigenously grown global giants. The best example of this is undoubtedly The Irish Dairy Board. Speaking at the IIEA conference on The Challenges for Irish Agri-food in the Global Marketplace, Kevin Lane CEO of the Irish Dairy Board, spoke about his experience of growing exports in emerging markets. You can find out more about the Dairy Board’s experience here.

Speaking at the same event Mark Cunningham, Director of Business Banking at BOI, emphasised how without funding and support it wasn’t possible for companies in the Agri sector to grow and expand. Therefore, in order to give Agri-Food companies the financial assistance they needed to realise their opportunities, Mr. Cunningham announced that Bank of Ireland had set-up a €200 million fund for Agri-Food companies. Customers who wish to avail of the fund can contact their local branch for details.

Enterprise Week started with a bang on Friday! The national launch was held outside Dublin for the first time, in Limerick.

There was a great buzz about the Strand Hotel where over 350 local business people gathered to hear speakers Richie Boucher, CEO Bank of Ireland, and Michael Noonan, Minister for Finance.

Commenting on the launch, Gillian Horan, All About Business Contributor, said “I thought the event was a great start to this years Enterprise Week! As an SME owner/manager it was not only an informative event but also a great chance for me to network.

Enterprise Week is important because it not only provides me with updated business information but it also allows me to promote my business in a positive supportive environment”.

Positivity and support were the main messages for Bank of Ireland CEO Richie Boucher’s keynote speech. Mr. Boucher spoke about his belief in the future of Ireland. He said that it is up to all of us to restore this confidence in the future and in each other and that Bank of Ireland will be there to offer support for new and existing customers. We spoke to Mr. Boucher after the event and the interview will be available very soon.

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Ernst and Young issued a Europe-wide report today with some good news for Ireland.

After two years of contraction the economy is predicted rebound dramatically in 2011. …

The stands of Thomand Park might have been empty yesterday morning but the National Enterprise Week breakfast event certainly wasn’t! Over 250 local businesses owners and entrepreneurs came along to listen to speakers on the theme of ‘Surviving in Business’ over a full Irish breakfast!

MC for the event was former Munster and Ireland International Rugby player Frankie Sheahan who seemed just as comfortable at the podium as he used to look on the pitch. Allaboutbusiness.ie managed to drag Frankie away from the Munster supporters in the room for a quick interview about his new company, Front Row. You can watch the interview in our exclusive video section by clicking here. …

There was a great buzz in Dundalk on Thursday at the launch event of National Enterprise Week.

Business owners from the area took advantage of the evening to listen to speeches and chat to business experts such as legendary Dragon Bobby Kerr over a cup of tea and a sandwich!

The speakers at the event did a great job of highlighting how SME’s can build better businesses. All of the speakers talked about how important it is to remain positive, even in the current economic climate, and that even though the market is difficult at the moment there are definite signs of improvement so no one should get disheartened! …