Chamber Connections: Export to Liverpool Programme
As part of our 2022 Enterprise Support Programme, Carlow County Council – Local Enterprise Office & County Carlow Chamber are partnering to host the “Chamber Connections: Export to Liverpool Programme”. The programme is a supported trade mission designed to help companies to build connections in Liverpool and its wider hinterland for sales or business development.
Participating businesses will be selected in the first week of February 2022
8 highly subsidised places will be made available to suitable companies who will:
- Develop your skills and confidence in the field of exporting by attending 2 very practical half day skills development workshops (weeks commencing 14 February & 4 April).
- Be allocated your own export development mentor who will gear you up to move from talking about exploring business opportunities in Liverpool to actually doing it (2 mentoring sessions to be held same weeks as training workshops).
- Meet with a minimum of 5 potential customers in the Liverpool region who have expressed a [provisional] interest in doing business with you.
- Spend 3 days on the ground in Liverpool as part of a group trade mission there from 10-12 May 2022 – participation includes return flights, 2 nights’ hotel accommodation in Liverpool and 1 group dinner in Liverpool for 1 person per business.
Selected companies with less than 10 employees may be eligible for a TAME Grant to support the cost of developing materials for the Trip.
So what is the Chamber Connections: Export to Liverpool Programme?
The Programme is funded by the Carlow County Council – Local Enterprise Office in partnership with County Carlow Chamber.
The purpose of the programme is to provide you with the skills and the confidence to identify, target and exploit new business opportunities in the Merseyside market ….and to then put you in front of potential customers in the Liverpool region during the course of the Programme.
This is therefore a highly practical programme where the emphasis is on finding and converting REAL sales opportunities in Liverpool…. during the Programme and beyond.
Who should apply for a place on the Programme?
You should apply for a place on the Programme if you:
- Own and / or manage a business that is based in County Carlow.
- Are involved in manufacturing or tradable services.
- Have a product or service that is considered to be exportable.
- Currently are doing no more than 30% of your turnover outside Ireland
- Are serious about exploring business opportunities in Liverpool
- Have been trading for more than 1 year
- Have between 2-20 employees
The Commitment from you:
The cost to participate is €250 per business selected
How do you apply?
At this stage we are seeking expressions of interest from suitable companies. In order to be considered please the following survey by 30th January 2022.
The timescale for the programme is initial selection of clients in late January with training and mentoring to be hosted from February to April with the trip to Liverpool to be held in May.
Applicant businesses must commit to fully participating in the training and mentoring and the sales prospecting trip to Liverpool.
Queries in respect of the programme to Seamus Doran in the Local Enterprise Office on 059-9129783 or Brian O’Farrell in County Carlow Chamber.