Dun Laoghaire: A Magnet for Digital Businesses Seeking Lifestyle, Connectivity, and Prime Office Spaces
RESULTS OF DIGITAL DUN LAOGHAIRE SURVEY #1 of Dun Laoghaire’s Tech Cluster
September 2016
Background
The goal of this survey is to help support the creation of a strong cluster of digital companies in our town for the jobs and innovation this will bring to Dun Laoghaire. To do this we need to better understand the current status of digital companies in the town and how we can work with DL BID and other stakeholders such as DLR Local Enterprise Office, DLR Chamber of Commerce and others to help digital businesses thrive in Dun Laoghaire. By digital we mean technology in its broadest sense, from digital creative studios to analytics to enterprise/SaaS software.
This is the first survey of digital companies to be carried out in Dun Laoghaire by the new Digital Dun Laoghaire project in partnership with the Dun Laoghaire Business Improvement District and Sigmar Recruitment. Digital Dun Laoghaire is an initiative of Dun Laoghaire BID.
Digital Dun Laoghaire has to date identified 65+ digital companies located in Dun Laoghaire. The survey closed on September 26th 2016 and received 25 responses.
Summary of Findings
Sectors - The results show that there is a strong base of digital companies in the town (in particular creative digital agencies and enterprise software companies) with a specialisation in the areas that have the potential to feed into the value chain of Silicon Docks and Sandyford.
Why Dun Laoghaire - The most important factors influencing respondents in their choice of Dun Laoghaire was lifestyle (64%), public transport (44%), suitable office space (40%) and proximity to key customers (24%). This should be reflecting in future communications plans for Dun Laoghaire as a digital cluster.
Will companies engage in development of a cluster - The respondents recognise that being in a cluster is good for their business (64%) making it easier to recruit talent (48%) and gain new customers (44%). Respondents displayed an appetite for deeper engagement. Current engagement levels between digital companies in the town are relatively low (7 respondents indicated that they are only aware of 2 other digital companies in the town). This provides a good opportunity to build from currently low collaboration levels (8 respondents indicated that they only do business with 1 other digital company in Dun Laoghaire) and achieve positive results over the coming years.
Is the sector growing? - The majority of respondents are growth orientated (96%). It is clear that strengthening the digital cluster in Dun Laoghaire will result in more jobs. Respondents plan to create 450 new jobs in the town over the next two years. 4.35% of the companies surveyed indicated that they intended to create between 20 and 50 new jobs over the 24 month period to 2018, with 27% indicating they would be creating between 6 and 10 new jobs.
Threats to Growth of Companies - The biggest challenges to this growth are access to new customers (48%), access to talent (48%), access to scaling supports (44%), access to suitable office space (24%) and to funding (24%).
Threats to Growth of a Cluster - The key threats to the development of a growth in the cluster of digital companies through companies potentially leaving Dun Laoghaire in the future are lack of suitable office space (8 respondents), rent increases (5 respondents) and lack of talent to support the growth of digital companies (4 respondents).
Digital Dun Laoghaire - In terms of the Digital Dun Laoghaire initiative there is a very high level of awareness of it already (76%). The majority (92%) feel that the initiative could be helpful to the growth of their business.
How can the Council help? - The respondents have a range of suggestions to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on how they might support the growth of more digital in Dun Laoghaire, these have been grouped in Section 1 below under the headings Community , Specialist Space, Talent, development of Dun Laoghaire as a hub, development of the Digital Dun Laoghaire cluster, space, rates and parking.
Final Thoughts - Respondents had a range of questions and comments in respect of the Digital Dun Laoghaire initiative that are grouped under Section 2 below.
See the full results here.
