Tauranga entrepreneurs starting out in the business world can take part in activities designed to help explore their potential as innovators during this week's Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce and Priority One are co-hosting a series of events and activities to celebrate the week from November today until November 18.

The seven-day event is the largest celebration of the innovators and job creators, who launch start-ups which bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare.

Chamber CEO Max Mason is delighted to be co-hosting Global Entrepreneurship week with Priority One.

'Both organisations are involved in different, but complementary aspects of the entrepreneurial encouragement and support process.”

Event activities include a ‘What's On The Horizon,' future business opportunities seminar where industry experts predict trends and opportunities available to Bay firms in the next one to three years.

There will also be a follow up event to the Tauranga Startup Weekend, which was held last month, consisting of the launch of the Plenty of Innovation group organised by Angel Investors.

The guest speaker will be international angel capital authority Nelson Gray.

Throughout the week Chamber and Priority One contacts will receive an inspirational video clip to start the day with messages from some of the world's top entrepreneurs to reinforce messages of innovation and aspiration.

Locals will be able to vote for their favourite Tauranga business person throughout the week.

The final days will conclude with a multimedia celebration of Steve Jobs life and legacy.

Priority One CEO Andrew Coker says the success of the week is enhanced by participation, with people getting behind the main message - ‘entrepreneurial thinking and activity is vitally important to our economic growth and development.'

'Entrepreneurship is particularly vital to Tauranga because we need more high value businesses that don't just depend on population growth to be successful.

'We need to encourage new sectors that sustain employment and the creation of wealth when there are economic downturns which impact sectors such as building and retail.”

Max says local business leader Peter Farmer of Farmer Autovillage accepted the role of patron of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

'Peter is a true embodiment of what entrepreneurship means, having built up a very successful business and is a role model here in Tauranga.”

The GEW initiative was launched in 2008 and has since grown to 125 countries—with 24,008 partner organisations planning 33,846 activities that directly engage millions of participants every year.

Activities in Tauranga can be viewed on the GEW website http://nz.unleashingideas.org/

If members of the public or business community have any events or activities to include in Global Entrepreneurship Week they should contact the Chamber or Priority One.