-entrepreneurs, creatives to be recognised for shaping Guyana’s business landscape
BUSINESS in Guyana is advancing as rapidly as other sectors, with higher investment numbers and new ventures in previously unexplored areas. A major contributor to this success has been the rise in educational and collaborative ventures and seminars.
Among the leading business networking spaces is the ECONOME Business Conference and Mixer. Founded by policy analyst and entrepreneur Matthew Gaul, the event has become one of Guyana’s leading business platforms, with recent years seeing the support of national leaders and regional voices.
This year, ECONOME V, is slated to be held from June 20 to 21 at the Four Points by Sheraton. Themed “Swim Different,” Gaul says the event will feature leading business figures as they highlight the importance of being unique and innovative in an increasingly competitive business landscape.
ECONOME started five years ago, and since then it has evolved into one of the sector’s most anticipated events. Explaining the inspiration behind the venture, Gaul shared that he realised that many young people in Guyana wanted to start businesses but did not fully understand business. He identified a gap in knowledge in areas such as finance, marketing, strategy, investment and scaling. This came at a time when Guyana’s economy was changing, with sectors expanding and new opportunities emerging, and it pushed Gaul to create a platform to educate, connect and expose entrepreneurs and young professionals to opportunities and business knowledge.
“In the early years, ECONOME was about inspiring people to think about business and entrepreneurship. But as we interacted with more entrepreneurs, we realised that many people were not struggling with ideas, they were struggling with growth, structure, financing, marketing, and scaling their businesses. So, the mission evolved from just inspiring ideas to actually helping people build and grow real businesses. Today, ECONOME is really focused on helping people move from ideas to hustles, from hustles to businesses, and from businesses to enterprises.”
Along with this growth in vision, ECONOME V is also offering an entirely new experience. This year, the event has been transformed, says Gaul, with an expanded platform and a larger stage, with the first day focused on the conference aspect and day two featuring a number of award ceremonies.
Previous years saw ECONOME mainly focused on the main conference weekend, but this year the event is expanding beyond just that period. As Gaul shared, the conference will host smaller events, community-based sessions, mentorship activities and discussions in the months leading up to the main conference. This, Gaul explained, is aimed at expanding the ecosystem and impact of ECONOME, with one such engagement being a session scheduled for the last week of April in Region Three. Here, Gaul and his team will explore investment opportunities for individuals with between $1 and $15 million in capital. The idea is to create more practical discussions and opportunities, not just presentations, he emphasised.
Being different and innovative is also at the core of this year’s conference. As Gaul shared, the theme this year is “Swim Different,” and the idea behind that is that in business, success does not always come from competing in the same crowded markets as everyone else. As he further explained, “Sometimes success comes from thinking differently, identifying new opportunities, creating new markets, and positioning yourself ahead of where the economy is going. So many of the presentations and discussions this year will focus on strategy, positioning, growth, entrepreneurship journeys, and how Guyanese can build and scale businesses in a rapidly changing economy,” he said. The format of the event has also changed: instead of long presentations, there will be shorter, more impactful talks, more networking opportunities, and a stronger focus on conversations and connections between entrepreneurs, business leaders and young professionals. As Gaul added, “We want people to leave not just with information, but with contacts, ideas, partnerships and opportunities.”
One of the biggest new additions this year is ECONOME’s Black Tie Awards Experience, which will be a ceremony celebrating entrepreneurs, businesses and business leaders across Guyana. The aim Gaul said is to look beyond the biggest names in the industry and instead recognise the builders of the sector. “We want to recognise not just the biggest companies, but the builders, the innovators, the creatives, the people who turned hustles into enterprises, and the business leaders who have contributed to the development of the private sector in Guyana.”
He added that ECONOME has become more than a conference, sharing, “ECONOME V is not just a conference anymore. It is becoming a platform, a network and an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs, businesses and investment opportunities throughout the year, not just one weekend.”
Another major pillar of the event is creativity. To highlight this within the business sector in Guyana, ECONOME V will also feature the Creative Entrepreneur Award. Inspired by the growth of Guyana’s creative economy, Gaul said the award seeks to highlight creatives who have turned their talent into stable businesses and thriving brands.
“We are seeing more photographers, designers, fashion brands, event companies, content creators and beauty entrepreneurs who are not just creative, but are actually building real businesses and brands,” he said, adding, “Traditional business awards don’t always recognise these types of businesses, so we wanted to create a category that recognises people who are turning creativity into business and building successful companies through creativity and branding.”
