How
can I adopt new technology and creative ideas to maximise the
return to my business was the question on the lips of many of the
entrepreneurs who attended the COLLABOR8 project transnational
meeting held in Tilburg in the Netherlands last
week. The visit was one in a series of trips to the partner
regions of this INTRREG IVB NWE project where entrepreneurs from
all of areas get the chance to meet and network and most
importantly COLLABOR8 with each other.
The host of this event was the Studio VMK partner based in the Veermakt Quarter of Tilburg. This area of the city is very much the focus of the technology and creativity industries and promotes co-operative working between small businesses to enable them to bid for and work on much larger projects then would be possible in their own right.
The visit also afforded the other eight project partners the chance to visit the Mobile Laboratory of Technology and Creativity which will tour to the partner regions later this year. This project will offer all entrepreneurs in the partner regions the chance to experience at first- hand the range of technologies and new ideas that are available to be used by all businesses. In addition, the entrepreneurs will have the chance to learn how to apply the ideas they see to their own businesses through a series of workshops which will be provided by the Tilburg business representatives.
COLLABOR8 Project Communications Officer Sean de Buitlear said that all of the entrepreneurs who undertook the visit were amazed at the range of ideas they saw during the visit and see excellent potential for the development of their businesses through utilising these ideas. "Examples of how such technology could be used would be in the area of enhancing business websites to highlight the uniqueness of the product on offer to the customer or in utilising design techniques to maximise the experience of a visitor to a building or other premises" Sean said. "The methods of working in the quarter adopted by the businesses located there also offers a first- hand example of successful collaborative working which the project is promoting as one of its main aims" he added.
3 entrepreneurs from the South Kerry area travelled to the event and met with more than 60 other entrepreneurs drawn from the eight other partner areas in Wales, England, Belgium and Holland.
In addition to visiting some of the technology and creative businesses in the quarter as well as a hugely successful Trappist Monks Brewery project and a Textile Mill converted into a visitor centre, the group was also the guest of the Mayor of the City of Tilburg for dinner in the old city hall.
Follow-up work will now be undertaken in the next number of weeks by the project partners to assist in developing the links made between the entrepreneurs as well as in finalising details for the visit of the Mobile Laboratory to the regions during the autumn.
South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. is the lead partner for the INTREREG IVB NWE COLLABOR8 project which aims to promote the collaborative working between businesses involved in the cultural, creative, countryside, recreation, local food and hospitality sectors within the partner regions as well as with the other partner regions. Through this work, the project aims to create long term sustainable businesses in these regions focused on providing quality products to visitors who will enjoy a unique sense of place experience in the region.
END
For further information please contact:
Sean de Buitlear - Communication Officer COLLABOR8
Phone: 087 2670689
e-mail: sdebuitlear@skdp.net
