County Meath aims to attract business with a seminar today which will extol the advantages of living and working there. Speakers will include Government Ministers and top business people

Meath today launches a concerted effort to change people's perceptions of the county. A day long conference in central Dublin will hear from three Government ministers and leading businessmen, not just about Meath but about doing business generally.

The goal is to put the Royal County on the business investment map, explains the county's economic development officer, Frank Fitzmaurice.

"We are challenging the perception of Meath as a rural location," says Fitzmaurice. "We are up against this perception of Meath in the Dublin-based business community."

The county has decided to fight back with a most unusual day-long conference today entitled "Meath - A better Business Direction". Some of Ireland's leading business people will speak during the event's three main sessions at 8am, 12 noon and 5pm.

The three blocks will cover financial services, information and communications technology, and general business investment, and will be addressed respectively by Government Ministers Dick Roche, Noel Dempsey and Micheal Martin.

The event includes displays extolling the advantages of doing business and setting up ventures in the Royal County.

These will describe the developing road infrastructure, the spread of broadband and will look at property and rental costs, which the organisers say are substantially cheaper than in Dublin. The current skills pool will also be described.

Sponsored and organised by the county council, the overall goal is to attract companies to locate in Co Meath, says Fitzmaurice. Yet the speakers will not be doing a hard sell on behalf of the county. Rather they will be discussing business trends and challenges, he says. "We are hoping that in the process, Meath will be associated with business activity," he adds.

It is remarkable to have three ministers but there are other big names for the conference, which is free of charge.

The line up includes Sean Fitzpatrick, chairman of Anglo Irish Bank; Tom Healy, CEO of the Irish Stock Exchange; Lorcan Tiernan, Partner, Dillon Eustace; Tom Carson, MD, BT Networked Solutions; Frank Ryan, CEO, Enterprise Ireland; Sean Dorgan, CEO, IDA Ireland; Prof John Hughes, President, NUI Maynooth; Jim Power, Friends First; and Kieran Wallace, Partner, KPMG.

Meath County Council chairman, Cllr Brian Fitzgerald, and county manager, Tom Dowling, will also be on hand to address the 400 to 500 people expected to attend during the day. The assumption is that people will sign on for the session of particular interest to them but they may attend all the sessions, says Fitzmaurice.

Improved roads and broadband access make the county an attractive alternative to nearby Dublin, he believes. But price is where it comes into its own. "That is the advantage we have," he says.

Prime commercial accommodation in Dublin costs an average €478 per square metre (€44.50 per sq ft) but the average is only €178 (€16.50) in Co Meath, a 64 per cent reduction. Private accommodation is also better value and is typically 33 per cent cheaper than comparable homes in the capital, according to figures provided by Fitzmaurice.

There are similar savings right across the commercial property board, with prime industrial in Dublin €112 (€10.40) compared to Meath at €70 (€6.50). Purchased industrial space for units under 500sq m show Dublin at €1,720 (€160) with Meath at €1,200 per sq m (€111.50 sq ft).

The county went to some lengths to prove its case, even to carrying out a survey among Meath-based workers who have to commute to work in Dublin. Nine out of 10 surveyed said they would take a job in Meath in preference if it came up. Even more striking was the finding that a full two thirds of respondents said they would take a lower paid job in Meath if they didn't have to commute.

Meath - A better Business Direction takes place today at the new chq building on Custom House Quay, Dublin. Those wishing to attend can either drop in, register online at www.workinmeath.ie or register by calling Lisa Hines on 01 6694900.