–set for July 15-17; over 30 businesses, 200 persons to attend

IN an effort to expand the reach of the local private sector, the Together We Win Business Network (TWWBN) will be launching its first annual Small Business Conference and Exhibition on July 15 – 17, 2022, at MovieTowne Guyana.

The conference and ‘expo’ will be held under the theme, “Run Together, Win Together: Turning Setbacks into Comebacks”.

The conference is expected to facilitate some 200 participants and 30 local exhibitors, according to the business network’s Founder and President, Marlon Joseph.

He told the Guyana Chronicle that the conference is expected to feature a line-up of several private sector business experts, who will provide practical knowledge to the participants on a variety of business-related topics, including how to generate sales, negotiation skills, safety and health in small businesses, agro-processing in 2022, emotional intelligence in business, and overcoming start-up hurdles faced by women and youth in business.

Joseph said that as part of the network’s vision of innovation in business, the conference will see the transformation of one of the MovieTowne theatres into the main conference room for the three-day event.

He disclosed that at the end of the conference, participants will have a basic understanding of how to create, manage and sustain a business, while being linked with support resources.

Further, he explained that businesses will be sectorised and participants will get specialised attention to address challenges and provide solutions. These businesses will also create activities to help generate financing for their businesses while implementing networking and collaborative principles learned. These sector activities will also promote compliance at various levels while measuring programme effectiveness.

He added that at the conference, the network is looking to further boost the capacity of its members and the participants through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI).

“At the end of the conference, persons will be linked with resources. For instance, we’re currently in discussion with GBTI and we’re looking to sign an MoU so that our members and the people that participate in our conference can access loans in partnership with the Small Business Bureau at six per cent interest rates,” he said.

Joseph noted that the network is also negotiating a similar agreement with the International Development Bank (IDB) that is set to also benefit those participating in the three-day conference.
Speaking about partnerships, Joseph noted that the conference will also facilitate partnerships with Surinamese business persons and investors.

BOOST LOCAL BUSINESS CAPACITY
In March 2022, TWWBN and the Alliance of Business Associations in Suriname, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to boost local business capacity, while significantly promoting joint investment opportunities.

Joseph noted that the network will be tapping into this newly established agreement during the conference to ensure that Guyanese business persons have easier access to the Surinamese business sector.

“We’ve extended an invitation to our colleague organisation from Suriname and we expect to give exposure to a new set of local small businesses to those Surinamese companies and this will allow the local businesses to go into joint ventures, or talk with business and investment persons from Suriname to get their products exported. Additionally, we know the Surinamese will be looking to see who they can partner with here too, so that’s an added benefit,” Joseph stated.

The Together We Win Business Network is an umbrella body for small and medium-sized businesses in Guyana with the primary objective of establishing a strong professional network through collaborative interactions and the forging of a support system that will engender economic development. The current membership stands at 99.

Joseph told this publication that in order to boost the efficiency of the conference, TWWBN is currently seeking additional sponsors.

“Together We Win Business Network needs support from both public and private institutions through sponsorship. We believe that this is the most opportune time for organisations to pledge and demonstrate their unwavering support for the development of small businesses within Guyana,” he said.

Over the three days, business development areas will be simplified in the most common form so that persons can understand and implement systems while being innovative within their businesses.