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SNS Meet The Buyer Event report
Purchasing representatives from some of Irelands largest manufacturing firms gathered in Limerick on March 9th to meet with some of the mid-west regions small and medium enterprises. Buyers from firms including Dell, Analog Devices, Bord na Mona, Bombardier, Stryker, Abbott, Creganna, Schwarz Pharma and Wyeth Nutrition participated in Supply Network Shannons very successful Meet The Buyer Event.
The Meet the Buyer event, which took place from 9.30am to 12.30pm at the Castletroy Park Hotel, was organised by SNS and supported by InterTradeIreland the Cross-Border body responsible for developing trade links on the Island of Ireland
The event was officially opened by Brendan Flood, Enterprise Irelands recently appointed Head of Regions and Entrepreneurship who will be heading up Enterprise Irelands new National Regional Headquarters in Shannon. Mr. Flood took the opportunity to outline the new role Enterprise Ireland is planning to take in the region to the assembled group.
Liam Brown, (EI); Brendan Flood, (EI); Maurice McLernon, (SNS); Dr. Cathal Heavey, (UL)
The Meet The Buyer Event on March 9th was arranged in response to member company feedback where small companies were finding it difficult to get in the door to meet purchasing contacts in the larger MNCs. The event was seen as a cost-effective and time-effective way for both buyers and suppliers to make an initial contact, which through follow-up discussions may lead to new business for the supplier.
According to Maurice McLernon, Chairman of SNS, “Many of our members had identified some of the larger manufacturers as potential customers but found it frustratingly difficult to meet key decision makers, to inform them of the services they offer. This event was a unique and effective opportunity for suppliers and buyers to meet face to face and gain an understanding of each other’s requirements and services.”
While many suppliers would be familiar with an exhibition where they present their wares at a booth and wait for the buyers to approach them, this event put the buyer on the stand and arranged the suppliers to meet with them for a defined, scheduled 10 minute slot. The event involved a series of over 180 individual ten minute meetings between the engineering buyers from large companies and sales staff from small local manufacturing and service companies.
In between the buyer meetings the suppliers had an opportunity to network with other suppliers and many were able to generate additional business leads from these informal meetings.
Overall this was a highly successful event. Feedback from all participating suppliers and buyers was excellent and many are keen to see the event repeated later this year. The event was business focused, time and cost efficient, informative and well organised. Sample comments from participants included:
“Last year we spent 3 days on a stand at an exhibition in Dublin. We made more & better contacts in 3 hours here than in those 3 days and at a fraction of the cost.”
– Noel Phelan, Takumi Precision Engineering (Supplier)
“Made more contacts in one morning than I would in two weeks of phone calls and cold calling”
– Eamon Dwyer, Connaught Packaging (Supplier)
“Excellent, well worth time and effort. Congrats to all concerned”
– Donal McGuinness, Bord na Mona (Buyer)
“Excellent – It really captured the energy”
– Anon. (Symposium)
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Some pictures from the event:
One side of the meeting room showing meetings in progress at the buyer booths
A meeting in progress at the NT-MDT booth
Brendan McCormack (SNS) Ron Quinn (Bombardier) and Carrie Small (InterTradeIreland)
Meetings at the Bombardier, Dell and Hi-Life Tools booths
The Sercom Solutions and Wyeth Pharma Booths
The Creganna, Abbot and Schwarz Pharma booths
Suppliers networking between meetings
Dierdre Fox and Richard Cullen, Impact Labels, With the SNS Chairman (centre)
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