An incredible 10,000+ people flocked to the Kerry EXPO on Sunday. The event was hailed by both exhibitors and visitors as a significant event for Kerry. The expo brought together a mix of SME’s, Start-ups, Major industries, organisations & educational institutions and was an incredible success for all involved. The over-arching theme was to celebrate the commercial side of Kerry and allow businesses to engage with all aspects of the community. “Buy Local, Community Awareness and Integration” were the strong messages delivered by the EXPO, throughout the day. Organisers, sponsors and supporting partners rallied together to shine a spotlight on Kerry as a commercial hub and the importance of coming together to support fellow businesses and promote Kerry as the place to live, work and study.
This year the event took a new direction and focused on family engagement and entertainment with an underlying educational theme. Piloting this year’s event were kids workshops which were designed to promote and incentivise early learning skills, particularly in the areas of engineering, science, concentration and focus. Fred McDonogh of Redchair Recruitment stated that, “engagement between industry and early education is crucial to building a sustainable and educated future workforce”.
“The EXPO is part of ambitious plans to promote Kerry at local, national and international levels and discussions are well underway to implement future proactive strategies to compliment and promote both the EXPO and Kerry’s commercial offerings ” says Liz Maher, Director of Kerry EXPO.
Exhibitors made every effort to develop ideas to attract visitors to their stands, with lots of giveaways, tastings, health screenings and other forms of activities related to their particular company or organisation. . The Bon Secours Hospital achieved the first award for Visitor Engagement, while Aspen Grove Solutions achieved “Best Exhibitor, as voted by the public, The Busy Botanist won “Best Presented” and Teachtech Support won “Best Marketing Engagement”. This of course was capped by a great Kerry Win which was captured on a 50ft screen as crowds gathered to cheer on the Kerry team and the final winning moments of the game.
As the curtains come down on a very successful EXPO, enthusiastic exhibitors are already signing up to exhibit at next year’s event. According to Liz Maher “ We won’t let the grass grow under us, the EXPO team, supporting partners and sponsors will continue their efforts and we will make even more improvements to next year’s event.
