SIFE looking for units

Hi,

I'm working with a program called SIFE (Students In Free Enterprise). SIFE is an international foundation that seeks to engage 3rd level students in addressing a major socioeconomic issue in their society through the use of business skills. This is the first year Ireland has taken part in the project.

My team's project is based on a pop-up shop business model.

The Prop-up team of Trinity SIFE seeks to turn a negative byproduct of recent economic turmoil, namely numerous vacant retail units around Dublin city, into a unique opportunity for creative groups and disadvantages members of society to express and display their work. We are seeking to bridge the gap between groups lacking in business acumen, and landlords negatively affected in recent years since the property bubble burst. Ultimately we aim to benefit the target group, by providing them with an otherwise unattainable inexpensive unit in the heart of the city, and the landlord, by increasing media exposure and footfall to an otherwise vacant unit and offering complimentary decoration and business services.

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At the moment we've had a number of groups interested in participating in the project but are having difficulty finding units around the city centre that fill the following criteria:

• City centre location (as central as possible).
• Suitable to house a creative workshop or exhibition space (electrical fittings, secure location...etc). If the owner is interested the artists involved can decorate the space.
• Cheap rental agreement - The target groups in question are making no money off their venture so we are ideally looking for public properties (e.g. NAMA acquisitions) or generous private holdings. We can benefit the landlords in other ways, such as media exposure of their unit, decoration, the opportunity to affiliate their business with a charitable organisation looking use entrepreneurial skills to benefit a disadvantaged group.

I'm awaiting response from Enterprise Ireland and DCEB. Ideally we would be looking to avail of recent NAMA acquisitions to raise awareness of these properties while helping out our target audience. Any advice on how to go about finding these units or getting in touch with NAMA directly and making a request?

Any thoughts or help on this would be greatly appreciated, we're 100% voluntary and completely open to changing our path as we develop.