Monday, 14 November 2022
Award-winning designer, Edel MacBride headlines our ‘Grow Via Digital’ panel discussion on Thursday morning as part of Digital First Day.
The information session which will be live on Zoom on Thursday 17th of November at 11:30am is the first of a series of events aimed at supporting businesses across the county to engage with digitalisation and increase their presence online.
Business owner Edel MacBride will discuss her experience and journey growing her business online and using local supports and initiatives such as #BuyDonegal and those provided by the Donegal Local Enterprise Office to her advantage.
Growing up in East Donegal on a farm near Convoy, Edel’s mother handknit jumpers and cardigans for Molloys of Ardara, providing her with the inspiration to do the same. Using only locally spun natural yarns which are then handknit and loomed locally, Edel set up her retail business in Derry in 1989 and proudly the craft village connection remains over 30 years on.
Whether you are a business operating online or someone thinking about setting up an eCommerce/online business, click here to register.
In 2020, Edel set about building a website for her business and her dedication to all things local also saw her become a key contributor to the inaugural #BuyDonegal. ‘’This came about very suddenly as I’d been focusing on launching a new website that was more relatable to my online audience in lock down. The Pandemic redefined ‘community’ and helped broaden the campaign’s appeal. During the campaign my website traffic and sales were good and for me it was important that the #BuyDonegal message reflected a quality standard my customer expects’’
Edel will talk in more detail about her experience and challenges transitioning to digital as part of the event. Viewers will also hear from Grace Korbel of the Local Enterprise Office on the funding supports available and Conor Doherty from Donegal County Council will speak in more detail about the impact of the now annual #BuyDonegal campaign.
We also want to hear from local Donegal businesses on their challenges faced operating digitally. Interactive polls will be used throughout the information session to understand the challenges faced.
The event is part of Digital First Day takes place this year with events across the county highlighting how business communities can collaborate to use and leverage the benefits of digitalization for increased awareness, promotion, efficiency and more.
Across Donegal, there will be online/hybrid and in-person events taking place on the 15th, 16th and 17th of November hosted by key organisations in each region including Donegal County Council, Donegal Digital, ALPHA Innovation Project, CoWorkPlus Carndonagh, Gteic and the Inishowen Innovation Hub partnering and working in collaboration to showcase how embracing digitalization and working together has changed the landscape of communities.
