SERVICE providers in Guyana’s creative industry are benefitting from a three-day workshop that will equip them with skills they need to better market their products and be able to tap into foreign markets.
The programme, which kicked off on Monday, is a joint effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) and is being spear-headed by Trinidad and Tobago’s Management Consultant, Rabindra Jaggernauth.
Minister of Social Cohesion, George Norton, who has responsibility for culture, youth and sport, was on hand to open the ‘Creatives Go Global’ workshop in the presence of Director of Foreign Trade, Dianna DaSilva-Glasgow, and other government functionaries.
The workshop aims to help the service providers to be in a better position to “sell Guyana’s culture abroad,” DaSilva-Glasgow told Guyana Chronicle in an invited comment.
Participants included artists, photographers, fashion designers, writers, painters, and sculptors.
The workshop will see about 50 participants, which is a number bigger than what is usually accommodated, and a repeat workshop will be held to especially target those who are export-ready.
Mr. Jaggernauth, who is also a certified ‘Go Global Trainer,’ told this publication that the training will help the participants know what they need to do to prepare themselves for export services. “It’s the first of its kind in Guyana and hopefully, it’s not going to be the last because this workshop can address every single service sector,” he expressed.
Minister Norton observed that within just a few weeks, many artists and other stakeholders of the creative arts industry will be heading off to Carifesta XIV in Trinidad and Tobago, and hence will have just about two weeks to promote their products and showcase their talents to the rest of the world.
“Often time, we would find that even the best of our creative minds fall short of adequate marketing of themselves and their products. So, they don’t always reap sufficient benefits for their hard work, and we must change that,” Norton expressed.
According to him, the workshop will address critical areas such as gathering market intelligence, starting a marketing plan, developing a marketing strategy, market entry options, financing and getting paid, contracting and legal aspects, etc.
“I want to encourage all of the participants of this workshop to make full use of it and to put their best foot forward in marketing themselves and their products. As much as we can, the Government of Guyana is here to support your growth, but your ability to market yourselves is critical to the development of the creative arts industry,” he said, adding, “We, as policy makers are fully cognizant of the fact that your pieces form part of our identity as a country. We cannot and we must not allow inadequate compensation to hinder your creativity.”
Fashion designer, writer and craftsperson, Valerie Martin, expressed thanks for the training programme. “I truly believe that this workshop will assist me a lot in my journey as an entrepreneur as I prepare to export.”
Martin said she is hoping to learn how to be a better entrepreneur in the area of exporting and to know how to access funding. “The market is very competitive, so you must have the kind of finance you need to push your business to another level,” she said.
Another participant, Martin Massiah, deals with media acceleration and creating digital content for his clients. A workshop like this, he said, would help him expand to new markets like those in the US, Canada, and Europe. “So we’re looking to get a perspective that will help us strategically enter these markets. This is the time for Guyana to springboard into the world and this is our opportunity to sell Guyanese culture to the world, and a workshop like this is going to give us the tools necessary,” he expressed.
