Enterprise Ireland is responsible for developing Irish businesses with ten or more employees. More specifically it assists those businesses involved in manufacturing and internationally tradeded services and overseas natural resources companies operating in Ireland. Enterprise Ireland aims to increase the sales, exports and numbers of jobs in client companies, through their offering of a range of business solutions. The organization offers expertise in areas such as research, development and design, human resources, and marketing.

This concept of offering business services to industry rather than simply providing financial aid seems to be paying dividends when it comes to employment and revenue growth in Ireland. In its end of year statement for 2001 Enterprise Ireland reported that all its key targets from the business strategy 1999-2001 have been met or exceeded. At year end exports were up 5% to Euro 11 billion (over $10 Billion) and non-food exports were up by 9% Employment had a gross gain of 14,000 - the third highest recorded in 10 years, and as a result employment in the indigenous sector grew by a net 1,000 bringing total employment to 148,116.

Enterprise Ireland now has 13 offices covering all of the country and 30 international offices in such far flung corners of the globe as Tokyo, Warsaw, Madrid, Singapore and of course New York. As part of their assistance to Irish companies Enterprise Ireland recently oversaw the international marketing of The 2sth Annual SHOWCASE IRELAND, the international craft, gift, fashion and interiors fair. The media launch of the show was held in New York at the prestigious 21 Club last December and was attended by An Tanaiste, and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the Irish Government, Mary Harney T.D. along with members of the New York team from Enterprise Ireland. It was the first time the launch had been held outside Ireland, and was a gesture of solidarity with Enterprise Ireland's friends in the United States. The ever increasing number of international buyers attending the Fair is the result of a major year long promotional drive by Enterprise Ireland offices throughout the world, including the New York office.

Showcase Ireland took place at the RDS Complex, in Ballsbridge, Dublin from Sunday January 20th to Wednesday 23rd 2002. The Fair is primarily an opportunity for buyers to source merchandise made in Ireland, it is a huge undertaking and it is to the credit of Enterprise Ireland, among others, that the Fair had 700 exhibitors and fully occupied the whole of the enormous exhibition complex at the RDS.

Showcase Ireland is Ireland's largest trade fair and is the flagship of the Crafts Council of Ireland, the Fair is staged annually as part of the Council's ongoing promotion of the crafts sector at home and abroad. A shop window for the best of Irish crafts, it has developed from relatively small beginnings in 1977 into one of Europe's most important trade fairs. Exhibitors at the trade fair were confident of netting Euro 60 million, ($50 million) of business before the event ended. Some 9,000 buyers, including an estimated 2,000 overseas buyers from some 36 countries scattered all over the world, including the United States, the U.K. and Japan were in attendance and were delighted with the plethora of Irish goods on display. Goods that included custom made furniture, hand painted silks and velvet, fine crafted silver and gold jewelry, decorative ceramics, designer knitwear's, and Irish linens and tweeds. Eighteen companies from Northern Ireland also exhibited an innovative range of quality giftware, clothing and accessories including soft furnishings, Irish art, and publications.

Events held in Dublin to coincide with the Fair included the North American Celtic Buyers Association annual buyer's dinner in the Berkeley Court Hotel in Dublin, where the work of Enterprise Ireland was highlighted by the Association's President Tom McGrath in his post dinner speech. The North American Celtic Buyers Association is the trade association of Celtic (Irish, Scottish and Welsh) stores in the United States and Canada. Its mission is to facilitate communication among businesses, vendors and other interested parties, and to develop programs of value to its members. To mark Showcase Ireland 2002 Enterprise Ireland invited buyers from the Fair to a reception at Dublin Castle hosted by the Irish Government.

Despite a extremely successful Fair the work of the Enterprise Ireland team is far from over and this year, Enterprise Ireland's objective is to deliver 3,000 planned meetings between Irish companies and key buyers, an increase of 20% over last year. In all Enterprise Ireland clients will be engaged in more than 170 group projects. These will include the major international trade shows and fairs, overseas trade missions, inward buyer missions, and a series of meet the customer networking events on a sectoral and country basis.

All of this work on the part of Enterprise Ireland can only help to improve Ireland's growing economy by increasing sales, exports and jobs.