On Thursday November 10th, Wexford County Hall became the home for Google and Microsoft as the 2016 Wexford Business Expo provided local businesses with the knowledge and practical advice to establish and develop effective online sales strategies for their products and services.
Taking place in the immediate aftermath of the US presidential election results, business owners from across the South East region were eager to address the economic uncertainty which Brexit and the impending Trump presidency have created, by exploring new online sales channels for their business.
As referenced by the President of Wexford Chamber, Karl Fitzpatrick, in his opening address, the value of online spending in Ireland at present is in the region of €7.5 billion. However, it is predicted that this figure will reach €14.1 billion by 2021, highlighting the significant revenue generating opportunities that are now available to Irish businesses.
Featuring many high profile speakers, who discussed the various factors that contribute to creating a successful e-commerce strategy and a key note address from renowned economist, Jim Power, attendees were informed that leading online platforms, such as Amazon, Ebay and Etsy, could provide South East businesses with access to millions of customers worldwide.
A particular highlight of this year’s Expo was the Google Digital Garage workshops, which took place throughout the day. The Google Digital Garage, which has been described as the ‘Growth Engine for Digital Skills’, enables users to discover the complete range of Google tools that are at their disposal and how they can be used to maximise the effectiveness of an online presence.
Focusing on the topic of ‘Reaching Out To Your Customers’, the Google Digital Garage provided the Expo attendees with demonstrations on how businesses can best use Google’s tools to reach their customers and ultimately increase their sales, a workshop that proved to be extremely beneficial for each of the participants.
Hailing the success of the 2016 Wexford Business Expo, Mr. Fitzpatrick stated “Businesses throughout the South East recognised the importance of bringing their products and services online and they were very impressed with the quality of the information which was available to them on the day, with many confirming their intentions to use this knowledge to maximise their return from the growing online sales market”. “Likewise, the exhibitors commented on the quality of the sales leads which were generated at the Expo”, added Mr. Fitzpatrick.
The 2016 Wexford Business Expo was organised by the Wexford Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with Wexford County Council, lead sponsors Zurich Insurance, ESET Ireland, Graphedia and RIKON and media partner, the Sunday Business Post.