If you’re a company that wants to exhibit at the Ploughing – but don’t have the means – then this is the competition for you. Open eir is offering three companies the opportunity to win free exhibition space at this year’s National Ploughing Championships. The lucky winners will be exhibiting in the “High-Speed High Street” demo area at the open eir stand.

The prize package is worth €10,000 to each winning business and includes an exhibition presence at “High Speed High Street”, customised promotional stand design, one year’s free broadband, publicity and accommodation.

The competition marks open eir’s second year as official communications partner to the National Ploughing Championships. Anna May McHugh, managing director of the National Ploughing Association, says: “It is the primary aim of the NPA to make the event better every year for visits and exhibitors alike and, as a result, the NPA is delighted to have open eir as the official communications partner, providing high-fibre broadband speeds of up to 1,000MBs.

“High-Speed High Street” highlights the benefits of high-speed broadband to businesses in rural areas who are benefiting directly from open eir’s investment in fibre broadband.

In April, open eir signed a commitment agreement to deliver rural fibre to the home (FTTH) to an additional 300,000 premises throughout the country and is on track to deliver on this commitment by the end of next year. As a direct result of open eir’s rollout programme, up to four out of five of the premises in Ireland (that’s 1.9 million homes and businesses) will have access to high-speed broadband by the end of next year.

Speaking at the launch of “High-Speed High Street” Orlagh Nevin, director of sales, marketing and service, open eir, said: “We’ve chosen the theme ‘High-Speed High Street’ to reflect the positive impact fibre broadband is having on thousands of SMEs across rural Ireland. By providing rural businesses with high-speed fibre broadband, they can harness the full potential of an online presence, allowing them to engage directly with customers online and to explore new markets on a global scale.”

Apply online at www.fibrerollout.ie/ploughing competition. Entries will be accepted until 5pm on Thursday 31 August 2017 for any Irish online SME or business which is using high-speed broadband. Winners will be notified by Wednesday 6 September 2017. CL