NCB SME Conference gets thumbs up
29 Jun 2013
Entrepreneurs who attended the National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Conference last weekend gave the event rave reviews for its relevance, practical application, organisation and the depth of information presented. The three day conference which was held at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, St James from June 21-23, 2013, brought over 150 SMEs, exhibitors and resource persons together under one roof. The Conference, themed, "Facing Challenges - Embracing Opportunities", provided not just training for SMEs seeking to expand their businesses and find opportunities for increased profitability, but also networking and partnership opportunities and the chance to explore new technologies and social media. At the end of the Conference, which featured a stimulating mix of local and international presenters, some participants said they were ready to pre-register for next year's, anticipating another stimulating round of training, networking opportunities and service support. "It's like I've died and gone to SME heaven!" declared one satisfied Conference participant at the end of the session on the importance of good Corporate Governance for all companies regardless of size, which was presented by NCB Board member Sandra Glasgow. His sentiment seemed to have been shared by his peers who got a chance to learn tips of the trade from local and international business experts, display their goods and services, share insights with their peers and source business inputs including new technology - all under one roof. This was evidenced by the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from participants especially via the Bank's social media platforms as tweets and posts trailed throughout the duration of the Conference. The audience proved very receptive to the Keynote presenter Alicia Lyttle of the US-based Monetized Marketing LLC, who demonstrated - using the SMEs' businesses - how the practical use of viral media such as Facebook could enhance their reach and in turn their profits. Jamaica Manufacturers' Association President Brian Pengelley showed how SME's could partner and win over big businesses. "Small businesses can put themselves at a competitive advantage by mastering their core service instead of trying to offer a variety of services. This means having the ability to offer a complete package, for example, production, installation and after-sales service and being flexible and able to adapt quickly to offer products or services in demand," he noted. The weekend Conference was wrapped up with an entreaty by closing speaker Dr Aggrey Irons for the SMEs to manifest the need to Embrace Opportunities by simply paying attention to the ABCs needed to cultivate the behaviour to "Think-Say-Do" which requires one following a particular sequence. Withhis usual ease he had the participants actively reciting nursery rhymes amidst bouts of laughter. He ended the conference on a high note, reminding all that "If at first you don't succeed ¦ wheel and come again, as you can't be doing the same things and expect different results". The Conference was held in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank under a Technical Cooperation Agreement with NCB for the capacity-building of Jamaica's dynamic small and medium business sector.
