Galway’s Local Enterprise Week prioritises AI, digital futures and female empowerment
Galway’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO) will host 19 separate events as part of this year’s Local Enterprise Week (LEW). Running from March 2 to 6, businesses and entrepreneurs from all across the county are invited to attend talks, workshops and pop-up events, with AI, digital futures and female empowerment very much in focus.
Among the highlights of the week, Sinéad D'Arcy of Future Roots will facilitate a talk entitled Mind the Gap: Thriving in a Multi-Generational Workplace.
Taking place on Tuesday, March 3, at the Portershed, the event will focus on moving beyond stereotypes to understand the values, motivations and working styles of each generation. It will provide practical ways individuals and organisations can bridge generational differences, leverage diverse strengths, and create teams that work better together.
The event will unpack how different life stages, experiences and expectations shape the way people communicate, make decisions, and collaborate at work, and where friction – and opportunity – can arise. It will include a panel discussion featuring voices and perspectives from Gen X (Michael Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO of OnePageCRM), Millennial (Marie Donnellan, CEO Platform94), and Gen Z (Orla Canney, Founder and CEO of Orla Canney Consulting).
AI Forward for SMEs will be a hands-on, practical programme, designed to help small business owners use AI in ways that are realistic, useful, and immediately applicable. The programme will take place over four half day workshops, delivered in-person at the Portershed in Galway on March 4 and online on March 26 and April 22.
On Thursday, March 5, the LEOs in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon will join forces for an event entitled, Lean First: Your Foundation for Smarter, Digital Ready Work. This practical workshop will show how Lean strengthens processes and prepares businesses for digital and AI.
Taking place at the BIA Innovator Campus in Athenry, it will deliver clear steps, real examples, and tools businesses can use straight away.
Digital Futures on Friday, March 6, is being organised as a collaboration between LEO Galway and Action Tuam, taking place at the Ard Rí House Hotel in Tuam.
Attendees will learn the unique capabilities of AI for business and hear Danny McCoy's perspective on the power of digital innovation. Danny will help attendees explore the business capabilities of ChatGTP, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Claudde and Perplexity.
To mark International Women’s Day, Galway LEO and Network Galway will host an event entitled Women Empowering Women, on Friday, March 6, taking place at the Salthill Hotel. Dr Ruth Mackey,
Co-founder, Chief Science Officer, and COO of MBRYONICS Ltd, is guest speaker, followed by a panel of inspiring speakers sharing their stories, insights, and practical takeaways.
For a full schedule of events taking place for Local Enterprise Week in Galway, visit www.localenterprise.ie/galway.
Pictured: Noreen Donohue (LEO Galway), Cathaoirleach of Galway County Cllr David Collins, Sarah Nic Chraith (LEO Galway), Mairead Herlihy (LEO Galway), Liam Conneally (Chief Executive of Galway County Council), and Caroline McDonagh (Head of Enterprise, LEO Galway) at the launch of Galway LEW 2026.