Applying Innovation Workshop at DEC

Let's Talk About Innovation 

Innovation is the difference between market leaders and their rivals. 

And yet, although we all know this to be the case, businesses regularly find themselves at a creative impasse for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we are full of ideas but lack the resources to implement them. Sometimes we let the need to innovate be pushed to the back-burner while trying to keep on top of a hectic day-to-day schedule. But we need innovation, not just for pulling punches against our competitors and signposting our organisation as cutting edge- we need innovation in order to streamline those very tasks that often prevent us from innovating in the first place. Innovation is the bread and butter of the thriving enterprise and deserves our attention. With this in mind Dungarvan Enterprise Centre is delighted to announce that in March we will be running Solutions Consultancy Ireland’s “Applying Innovation” workshop.

Bernadette Clancy and Dermot O’ Reilly of Solutions Consultancy Ireland have made it their business to sow innovation wherever they go. They acknowledge that to many people, innovation is a rather vague concept- “something to do with ideas”. This is certainly true but, as Dermot points out, innovation in an entrepreneurial sense tends to register with people mostly as an image of an early-stage entrepreneur tinkering away at some ingenious project. The thing is, in order for these ideas to ultimately succeed, innovation must be enforced across every aspect of your company or service, not just as your starting point. Solutions Consultancy Ireland hopes to teach entrepreneurs and businesspeople how to achieve this through their workshops around Ireland. If the testimonials on their website are anything to go on, this half-day workshop will prove invaluable by equipping participants with a strategic approach to harbouring creativity. 

“Overall, the combination of outside the box creative thinking and strategic insight was very impressive.” (Brand Led Growth, workshop participants) 

Bernadette and Dermot teach their approach to innovation through four simple steps:

• What IS (Your current product or service),
• What IF (Looking at the ideal version of your product or service- the sky is the limit!) 
• What will wow the customer, and
• What will ultimately work.

During the workshop participants will be guided through this process and explore the tools needed in order to implement the innovation process in their business. “It will make you more innovative in the long run and it will improve your market share and give you the edge on any competition you might have,” explains Dermot. “It could also help you come up with an idea that’s completely different to anything that’s been done before. So it’s a creative process, it’s a fun process, you should enjoy the day and you should come away having learned a hell of a lot to give your business or organisation the edge that you need in today’s world."

“Applying Innovation” will take place on Wednesday 23 March at 9:30am and Bernadette and Dermot are keen to stress that these workshops can be applied to all businesses, no matter what their purpose or what stage of development they are at. So whether you are a fledgling enterprise trying to establish a customer base, or a more seasoned professional looking for a new way to stimulate life and growth in your business, or even a potential future entrepreneur with nothing yet but an idea, this workshop could help you to achieve your aspirations and establish you as the only choice for your customers. 

The cost is €60 per person and includes light refreshments. For more information, or to book a place, please call Dungarvan Enterprise Centre at 058 23598 or email dungarvanec@gmail.com

'' Playground and Creativity'' workshop

As part of the Start Up Gathering, Waterford City Enterprise Centre and Dungarvan Enterprise Centre, in association with Waterford LEO, have come together to present a unique creativity accelerator called ‘The Playground’ on Tue 6^th October.

‘The Playground’ will take place in Central Arts in Waterford and is a creativity workshop with a difference. The workshop is facilitated by three experts in the areas of creativity, idea generation and action planning. Participants will be brought through three different phases in one day; going from creative brainstorming to idea generation and acumination, and resulting in a solid ‘beermat business plan’ that can be actioned immediately.

Running from 9.30-17.00 the workshop is open to people with a business idea, people who are in early stage business and those who have been running a business for some time. We are looking for people who might have a business idea but need help honing and developing that idea. We are also looking for people who are operating a business but who might be looking at developing innovation in their business, improving efficiencies, or who might be considering diversification. We have carefully selected three facilitators from the Arts, Creativity and Business disciplines and we are excited to be able to deliver this action-focused workshop as part of the events taking place for the Start-Up Gathering.

Creativity or left brain activity is often neglected on a daily basis as people get caught up in focusing on daily tasks, operations, accounts, admin issues and generally “getting the job done”. This workshop offers an opportunity to take a step back, free your mind from its inhibitors and open yourself to lateral thinking that will ultimately benefit your bottom line. The workshop includes idea sharpening and action planning phases that will ensure you take advantage of the ideas you have generated.

The workshop is free to attend for successful applicants. Registration is via competitive call, with application forms available to anyone in business or thinking of setting up a business. 

Applications are open until Friday 25^th September at 5PM and applications are available from dungarvanec@gmail.com