There’s a moment every year when Ireland’s social enterprise community stops building for a day, compares notes, and goes home sharper. That moment is back – the National Social Enterprise Conference 2025 – and this year it lands in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, on Thursday 20 November (Shearwater Hotel).
Born from the State’s Trading for Impact policy commitment to “build awareness”, the conference is delivered by a sector coalition – SERI, ISEN, the LDCN, and The Wheel – on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. Translation: policy meets practice, and the agenda is set by people who actually do the work.
Five conversations you’ll want a seat in
Not themes. Conversations. Expect frank, no-spin exchanges about:
- Shared services – when pooling finance, HR, or logistics actually saves money (and when it doesn’t).
- Social procurement – practical routes to winning contracts without losing your mission in the fine print.
- Enterprise supports – what’s worth your time right now; where the hoops are; who’s genuinely helpful.
- Circular economy – enterprise models that create jobs and reduce waste, with numbers you can copy.
- Growth pains – governance, pricing, margins, succession, and the boring-but-critical stuff that keeps you resilient.
What this day is (and isn’t)
It is: keynotes that set direction, workshops that get hands-on, and corridors full of people who’ll answer the question you can’t ask in a funding application.
It isn’t: a parade of vague case studies. Expect backstage details – timelines, contracts, pitfalls, fixes.
Who tends to get the most value
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Leaders shaping strategy for 2026
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Managers building a trading arm or new offer
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Boards facing scale or succession decisions
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Newcomers who want a realistic map of the sector
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Local authorities, funders, and policy teams seeking practitioner reality
What you’ll carry home
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One page you can execute: a stripped-down plan for a partnership, procurement bid, or shared-service pilot
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Three names to call next week: peers who’ve wrestled your exact problem
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Clear signposts: which supports to chase, which to park, and how to avoid the admin swamp
Why Ballinasloe is the right room
Meeting in the West is a reminder that social enterprise is a national project, not a capital-city conversation. The Shearwater Hotel gives you a focused space, walkable chats, and a full day where you can think, test ideas, and commit to next steps without inbox noise.
Credit where it’s due
This is a whole-ecosystem build: SERI (the trading voice), ISEN (knowledge and network), the LDCN (local development horsepower), and The Wheel (national support). When those perspectives sit together, you get usable answers – not just good intentions.
Take the seat you’ll wish you had
If you believe in trading for impact – strong enterprises with clear social outcomes – be in Ballinasloe. Places are limited for a reason: real conversations work best in the right-sized room.
Reserve your spot now:
National Social Enterprise Conference 2025 – Ballinasloe, 20 November (Eventbrite)
Come with one challenge. Leave with a plan, partners, and momentum.