Local Enterprise Week 2026: Full line-up of events and speakers announced in Laois

Local Enterprise Week is organised and run by Local Enterprise Office Laois and will take place from March 2 to March 6 and offers a wide range of events and clinics celebrating and supporting local enterprise in Laois.

An initiative of the Local Enterprise Office, supported by Enterprise Ireland and Laois County Council, Local Enterprise Week offers many seminars, one to one mentoring clinics in person and online, most free of charge.

The clinics offer local business people an opprtunity to speak with experts to discuss key areas from financial skills, marketing to boosting their business online.

If you wish to attend any of the events or clinics, please register online www.localenterprise.ie/laois or contact LEO Laois on 057 86 61800. Registering online is essential.

The Following are some of the key events taking place:

Eoin McGee

Bestselling author, Radio and TV broadcaster and podcaster Eoin Mc Gee will speak on Wednesday March 4 in the Midlands Park Hotel Portlaoise at 6pm.

Eoin has been working with clients and businesses for the past 25 years and is a financial planner, the founder of Prosperous Financial services and the host of RTE’s ‘How to be good with Money’.

In 2025, Eoin began a new column with the Irish Independent. In 2024, Eoin was named as the presenter for a new show on RTE One, The Complaints Bureau. In 2023, Eoin released with podcast ‘Understanding Money with Eoin Mc Gee’.

Places are limited so Register Today.

Gerry Duffy Talk - 5 Business Resources every Leader Should Use - But Most Never Do!

If you have not experience one of Gerry Duffy's talks, you have missed out. Gerry Duffy is a speaker and author in High Performance working with business leaders and teams to help them perform at their best.

He has worked with over 1,000 organisations across Ireland and internationally, ranging from SMEs to global brands, helping people improve focus, execution, and results in fast-paced environments.

Best known for completing 32 marathons in 32 consecutive days, Gerry brings powerful real-world insights into goal setting, resilience, and high performance under pressure. He translates lessons from endurance sport into practical, relatable strategies that business leaders can apply immediately — keeping sessions engaging, grounded, and refreshingly human.

Gerry will be speaking in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, Abbeyleix on Tuesday evening March 3 from 6pm - 7pm. He will speak about 5 Business Resources Every Leader Should Use – But Most Never Do!

Drawing on experience working with over 1,000 companies and organisations, this keynote showcases a set of powerful business resources that many leaders overlook. Over 60 minutes, Gerry brings these resources to life and demonstrates how they can be applied effectively in any organisation, whether leading a team of 5 or 500.

This event is organised in collaboration with Laois Chamber

Ken McHugh - Lefthand Productions Ltd.

Ken is always a favourite during Local Enterprise Week and he is back again to deliver a workshop on AI Tools for Business that you will Actually use! An informative 3 hour webinar workshop on using AI tools for Business.

Ken will teach attendees practical ways that AI can increase productivity, save you time and promote your company.

Working Smarter with Lean and Digital - Practical lessons for Todays small businesses Webinar with John O Shanahan.

John O Shanahan from Lean BPI is delivering a webinar on Working smarter with Lean and Digital - Practical lessons for todays small businesses.

John is a senior business consultant with over a decade of experience in Lean and Digitalisation. If you have a small business and wish to explore how small businesses are successfully adopting digital tools to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences and drive growth, this is the talk for you!

Friday March 6 12.20pm - 1.15pm.

Laois Women in Business Meet up & Lunch event will take place in the Killeshin Hotel on Friday March 6 to celebrate International Womens' Day.

Registration will take place at 12 noon with event starting at 12.30pm sharp. Key speaker is Derval O Rourke.

Derval O'Rourke is a former Irish International athlete. She competed internationally in the 60 and 100 metres hurdles. O’Rourke participated in two Indoor World Championships, five Outdoor World Championships and 3 Olympic Games.

She is a four-time European medallist and World Indoor Champion which makes her one of Ireland’s most successful athletes. Since retiring from a very successful athletics career, Derval has published two bestselling cookbooks, created a healthy lifestyle online platform, derval.ie and Derval is also a sports analyst for both RTE and World Athletics.

Tickets are only €20 per person but booking is essential. Places are limited so early booking is essential. 

To register for any event, please click on www.localenterprise.ie/laois or contact Honor Deevy, Local Enterprise Office Laois on 057 86 61800.

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