Representatives of almost 100 businesses attended the first Supplier Engagement Day for the Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm project.
The event - the first of its kind held in Ireland for the emerging offshore industry - focused on the opportunities that offshore renewable energy brings to Ireland.
German energy company RWE Renewables is developing the proposed Dublin Array wind farm, which will be located about 10km from the coast of counties Dublin and Wicklow.
Earlier this year it was announced as one of the successful bidders in the country's first ever auction to generate electricity from offshore wind.
Once fully operational, Dublin Array will be capable of producing up to 824 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity from between 39 and 50 wind turbines.
This would be enough energy to supply the equivalent of around 770,000 typical homes and will help reduce the country's arbon emissions by more than 1.4 million tonnes per year.
The offshore windfarm will also assist the Government meet its target of 5GW of offshore wind energy being connected to the Irish national grid by 2030.
Dublin Array will be RWE's first offshore wind farm in Ireland, which the company views as a key market.
Additional projects already in development include the 900 MW East Celtic Offshore Wind Farm and the company is also expanding its existing onshore wind farm and battery storage portfolio in Ireland.
Peter Lefroy, Dublin Array Project Director, said the event highlighted the huge opportunities the emerging offshore industry in Ireland can bring to local communities.
"We had a fantastic mix of attendees and some really excellent speakers, including a number of Irish suppliers that are already actively working in the offshore wind industry. The conversations our team had will prove invaluable as we look to ensure Ireland taps into the benefits of this new industry," he added.
He also said the company will be holding more supplier events as the project progresses, and also hosting events to highlight what skills are needed to ensure Irish people and businesses can capture as much of this opportunity as possible.
Speaking at the event in Dun Laoghaire, Minister Ossian Smyth also said that developing the offshore renewable energy industry in Ireland is a "move towards regaining our energy independence and our economic strength".
He also acknowledged that "building our renewable energy close to where people use it makes sense".
