Turn Out At The Business Summit Exceeds Expectations - Organisers On Course for 2011 Summit

Sept. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- All the speakers took to the stage to arm attendees with advice on how to beat the recession and stand out from the crowd. Delegates even got one-to-one tips during the question and answer sessions. The speakers didn’t hold back, all used candid examples from the highs and lows of their business-lives to illustrate how to cope with the unexpected, get out of a rut and how to be effective in business.

The pervading theme of the summit was that, you are it! There is no white horse riding in to save your business and that Irish businesses must sharpen their edge because what worked in the Celtic Tiger years doesn’t work in a recession. Businesses are going back to basics, it is now about selling once again and not about taking orders. The customer is king, cash is queen and knowledge shares joint place with king. This is because knowing what your customers want and giving extraordinary customer service will help drive growth. Knowing how to plan your day, circumvent stress and manage your time are key, because if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

It was clear from the early interaction of all participants that The Business Summit was going to be and is now a proven success. The delegates and speakers really engaged, Sean Gallagher mingled with the audience before taking to the stage, Eddie Hobbs worked the crowd after his speech as did the other presenters, so delegates got more than they bargained for.

The organisers plan to use the 2010 model as a platform for future events. “Feedback from attendees has been great”, says Business Summit founder and Kildare woman Geraldine Daly, “we’ve been getting thank you emails and twitter posts @thebizsummit from people who got direct advice from the speakers or those who are now energised from the connections they’ve made”. Her co-founder is pleased the effort paid off; “We are already getting people approaching us asking what next? And if we are going to do it again next year and we’ve even got potential sponsors lined-up” says Mark Wynne.

Both founders are grateful to all the speakers who believed in their purpose, to all the shared contacts who rallied around the event to volunteer their services along with media who publicised the summit. They firmly believe, people should work together to get through the down turn. The founders’ goals were to inspire business people and kick-start the fire in their bellies; they feel they have achieved that. This event is evidence that there is a place for The Business Summit in the conference calendar. The principles are admirable and the advice dished out is from the horses' mouth, that is, people in business who know what they are talking about.

Quotes from the speakers:
Sean Gallagher opened by saying, ”Entrepreneurs feel isolated because they have no one to share their problems with” and that “the recovery of the Irish economy will be done by Irish indigenous entrepreneurs, they need encouraging & nurturing”. Financial advice was meted out by Eddie Hobbs who had dozens of questions fired at him during his Q&A. He did say, “Coming out of recession requires deep cuts & no tax increases. The nation needs tax certainty taking political courage”.

“The recession can be great in many ways, it makes you really focus, you sink or swim says Sales Manager Adrian Killigrew from Palmerstown House in Kildare, who is actively growing the business. Growth will follow an extraordinary customer experience, says Sage speaker and Managing Director Liam Mullaney.

“Good people are your biggest asset, points out Len Regan from Kildare TV. He is backed up by Noelle O’Connor, the Dragons’ Den winner feels, “You need the right people on the bus, they need to know where they're going, if they’re not on same journey, set them free”. She was also open about the TanOrganic advertising campaign saying “Gavin didn't want to do it but we talked him into it, you live and learn”, says O'Connor.

Brody Sweeney finished his talk to an ovation, says “A good concept, enough customers willing to pay a fair price, enough for you to make a profit, the right location and being a good leader “are all vital in business. Brody was very candid about his fall from grace with O’Brien’s and return to success with his Diep at Home deliver business along with his “Your Country Your Call” nomination.

The well-known Capel St. Tailor, Louis Copeland joked, if you get a suit for a job, he’d guarantee you’ll get that job. With that belief in his clients, they go away with the attitude they’ll get the job and Copeland says, invariably they do! On a more serious note, when asked why he doesn’t go into women’s fashion, Copeland says, “Focus on what you know, do what you are good at, don't sidetrack too much”.

Other top tips include; “It is important that you associate with people you admire, show me your friends and I will tell you who you are!”, home truths by Coach Trainer Eoin McCabe. His words were reinforced by summit founder and Business Coach Mark Wynne who says, “You are the average of whom you surround yourself with” That’s why serious business people should join a Mastermind to share ideas and be accountable for their actions. This was driven home by Sean Gallagher who strongly recommends having a coach. He says “All successful people have mentoring, be it formal or informal”.
The relationship between a healthy body and healthy mind was tackled by Liam Griffin, Hurling Coach and Hotelier; “If you don't train the body, you'll struggle to train the mind”.
The issue of stress affects everyone at sometime or another but it “cost employers over €700 million in stress related absenteeism in 2008 and the HSE €4billion in 2007-2008”, Geraldine Daly, summit co-founder advises “You can sleep in a storm if you adapt and change your plans, listen to advice, manage your stress & your time”.

Notes to Editors:
The Business Summit is the brainchild of just two people, Mark Wynne originally from Offaly but Dublin based and Geraldine Daly from Kildare. Geraldine has 20 years experience in accountancy firms and Mark is a Business Coach with a global IT consultancy background. Both are working in their own businesses and are committed to helping themselves and others ride out the recession. They wanted to design a no-nonsense business event for business people by business people. This is why they set up Mark Wynne Ltd the platform for the Business Summit and future events. With the aid of credible business practitioners as speakers, this style of conference avoids academia and jargon. It offers condensed, targeted conference training precisely what businesses need in this climate. The event is highly varied and more interactive than the typical conference. Networking breaks are factored in and there are question and answer sessions.

For More Information Go to www.thebusinesssummit.com  or @thebizsummit for tweets from the event

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