Inside View from Ireland: Ideagen in Clonmel

November 26, 2009

Ideagen in Clonmel

ALONG WITH 37 OTHER people, I attended Ideagen in Clonmel, coming with a fluffy idea and looking for a bright spark that might suggest a way to distill a business process from the idea. My focus: pocket media production services. The gist: to produce and deliver trustworthy information onto portable small screens or onto sitting room television sets. But as events unfolded, I discovered I was in the wrong Ideagen venue with my idea. That's ok--I know where to go (WIT Ideagen meeting) with the concept we're developing. Enterprise Ireland (EI) is leading a series of networking events designed to show the reach of industry-led research in Ireland. Specific strategies unfolded in the Clonmel Ideagen meeting, especially for those interested in green technology. At least four EI staffers worked the floor, explaining the way stimulus packages worked and helping people hook up with potential collaborators. I think events like Ideagen are helpful but I wouldn't normally be attracted to an evening as structured as the Ideagen format. That said, spending 160 minutes with a cordial group of like-minded people was an effective use of time and I'd certainly recommend anyone involved in a start-up to carefully read Ideagen literature to determine whether a nearby event suits. You can get more details from ideagendotie on Twitter and ideagen on Facebook. Below the break, I cite a cross-section of specialisms attending Ideagen in Tipperary.