Almost 150 SME businesses from across Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland recently participated in a series of skills development workshops ahead of a large scale Meet the Buyer event organised by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and assisted by COMET Councils in Northern Ireland.
The workshops designed to assist the businesses develop their sales and networking skills and perfect their pitch before meeting key buyers at a large scale cross border Meet the Buyer event, formed part of the Gateways to Growth initiative. The cross border initiative, supported by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), will see over 300 businesses enhance their exporting capability and create cross border trading links.
The project has brought together key private sector buyers from a range of industries which includes Lagan Construction Group who will meet with programme participants at the first Meet the Buyer event scheduled for Belfast.
Businesses availing of the programme will have the opportunity to make a pitch to these buyers and will enhance their company profile through the creation of a high value cross border network.
“Lagan Construction Group is delighted to be a part of the Gateways to Growth Meet the Buyer event. Participating as a buyer allows us the opportunity to meet with SME businesses who could potentially supply into our company.”Colin Loughran, Managing Director of Lagan Construction Group
“The ultimate aim of the project is to encourage companies to supply, buy and network and assist in their growth and development by providing the opportunity to develop their skills set to export in what are viewed as nearby low risk markets. We are delighted to have secured the support of key buyers from across Northern Ireland and the cross border region to meet with suppliers at our first event”Martina Crawford, Gateways to Growth Project Manager at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce