For immediate release:
 
‘DRAGON’ BOBBY KERR TO HOST FREE EVENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS 
AND BUSINESS PEOPLE AT DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL (4 MARCH) 
 
Dublin, 3 March - The Dublin Book Festival will host two free events for jobseekers, entrepreneurs and business people on Friday, 4 March at Dublin City Hall (Dame Street).
 
Dragons’ Den star Bobby Kerr; entrepreneur Brody Sweeney and motivational speaker Yanky Fachler will host a discussion entitled “Setting Up Your Business and Surviving the Recession” on the main festival stage at 9.45am. They will share their personal experiences, offer advice and there will be an opportunity to put questions to the panel.
 
Bobby Kerr is the Chairman of Insomnia Coffee and has a variety of business interests in food and hospitality, technology, hardware and exhibitions. Brody Sweeney founded the O’Briens Sandwich Bar chain in 1988, and built the chain to over 300 outlets in 16 countries. In March 2010, he sold his interest in the remaining O’Briens businesses. He is author of two business books, Making Bread and Small to Tall. Yanky Fachler is a broadcaster and motivational speaker, delivering keynotes, seminars and master classes to corporations, business events, and Business Start audiences.
 
The second event entitled “Your Career and Personal Finances:Getting Back on Track” will take place at the same venue at 11:15 am. The panel for this discussion includes, personal finance guru Colm Rapple and business coaches Brendan Foley and Jane Downes. 
 
Colm Rapple’s personal finance guide Family Finance has been an annual best seller since first published in 1977. He is a journalist by profession having been at various times in his career business editor of The Irish Independent, The Sunday Independent and The Irish Press Group. He writes on economic and personal finance topics in The Irish Mail on Sunday, The IrishDaily Mail and The Irish Examiner. Brendan Foley is a life and business coach who, through his company Seachange Training, has worked with 1,000’s of people and 100’s of companies in Ireland and the UK to help them create meaningful success. He is the author of the Yin Yang Complex (Mercier Press) and his forthcoming book, The 5 States of Success; Tools for Meaningful Success in your Career, Business and Life launches in July 2011 (Mercier Press). Jane Downes is one of Irelands best-known Career Coaches and author of, The Career Book– Help for the Restless Realist. She owns Clearview Coaching Group, a Career Coaching and Training business, which she established in 2004 following an extensive career working in the area of recruitment and HR consulting.

Both events are free and no booking is required.
 
The Dublin Book Festival (2-6 March) will bring together over 80 of Ireland’s top authors, poets, journalists and thinkers for five days of readings, debates, interviews and workshops.
 
The festival will center on Dublin City Hall on Dame Street, with events also taking place in a number of satellite venues in the city centre.
 
Insomnia will be operating a special Festival Café at City Hall between 4 and 4 March, and there will also be a Festival Bookshop offering books from over 100 Irish publishers.
 
The full programme is available at www.dublinbookfestival.com.
 
For updates follow the Dublin Book Festival on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DublinBookFestivall) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/DublinBookFest).
 
NOTE TO EDITORS:
 
Festival spokesperson Zoe Faulder and Programme Manager Julianne Mooney are available for comment. Selected authors are also available for interview. Contact Gert Ackermann on Tel: 086 176 9287 or email gert.ackermann@gmail.com.
 
The Dublin Book Festival is organised by Publishing Ireland, the association of Irish book publishers, and is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport; Foras na Gaeilge; Dublin City Libraries and Dublin City Council.
 
Photographs are available.
 
End//