Facebook Ireland will be providing free training for SMEs in Dublin through its ‘Boost with Facebook’ series. This comes after a recent survey conducted by OECD, the World Bank and Facebook revealed that over 40% of Irish SMEs adapted to the pandemic by setting up a website or online business presence.
On Thursday, 29th October, the virtual training event will focus on helping SMEs develop and improve their online content strategies in time for the busiest shopping season of the year.
The first session took place in Cork on 20th October with An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, welcoming SMEs from the locality and sharing details of Government supports. Facebook’s training series is free to attend with past webinars available to rewatch at Boost with Facebook.
As part of the programme, Facebook experts will show SMEs how to drive business results and grow their reach through content creation on Facebook platforms. On Thursday, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar will provide opening remarks on how the Government is supporting small businesses at this challenging time.
Guest speaker Aoibhín Garrihy, Irish actress, businesswoman and influencer, will host a small business panel with Dublin businesses, Mummy Cooks and Catch Events as well as Yoga with Emma from Wicklow, to discuss how they have adapted to keep their businesses afloat in response to COVID-19.
SMEs will also hear from Chief Executive of Dublin Chamber, Mary Rose Burke who will provide a regional outlook on the business environment as well as Head of Enterprise at the Fingal Local Enterprise Office (LEO), Oisín Geoghegan who will share advice, information and practical support the the LEO network can offer to businesses locally. The online event is free and people can register to attend at Boost With Facebook .
Commenting on the importance of supporting SMEs during COVID-19, Vice President of Global Business Group at Facebook, Ciaran Quilty said, "Small and medium sized businesses in Dublin are currently facing the challenge of a lifetime. The need to move fast and adapt has been crucial to the survival of many SMEs. At Facebook, we want to guide and support them as they move their business online by sharing advice, training and inspiration and help boost their digital skills to recover and grow."
He added, "Also, we recently launched a Season of Support hub to help SMEs get Christmas ready. The hub has a range of resources such as free training, support and insights designed to help businesses continue to reach customers during this busy season."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
