Carlow Business Awards open for applications later today (Friday, 1st July).
The annual event was launched last night at Rathwood, last year’s Outstanding Business of the Year winner.
Brian O’Farrell is Chamber CEO and told our Eimear Ní Bhraonáin; “It’s great, there’s a couple of new categories coming into it this year, I’m delighted to have it back, honest to God I don’t know what to do for a launch next year because we had everything this evening; magic, fun, excitement and best of all it wasn’t just about business, we had families and kids here as well so amazing evening”.
He adds “Nominations are open from 12 o’clock and really looking forward to seeing what’s coming through and that as well, they will be open until 15th August, feels like a long time but time will go fast, the links will be out there, carlowchamber.com is the best place to go and you can link directly from that”.
Patrick Keogh of Rathwood said he’d encourage people to get involved “The awards are so important I think and my story about the awards going back maybe, as I said that night with the Santa train, is about 12 years ago, 13 years ago, it was after the Recession, we were at a low point here in our business struggling, struggling, struggling, and we went to Carlow that night, it was in the Dolmen as well, and we won the best event of the year and that was the boost that kept us going”.
He adds “We were doing 4,000 people a year for Santy at that stage and within three or four years we had grown ten-fold, about 45,000, so that’s how important the awards is and it’s fierce important for the smaller company that’s maybe only operating only two years and even going to the awards is worth it, but if you win it’s a little boost to get everyone forward and I encourage everyone to join”.
To apply or see more information click through to carlowchamber.com
