Workshop For SMEs At Empire Today
By Yusrin Junaidi

Bandar Seri Begawan - In an effort to identify a range of short-, medium-and long-term strategies that could ensure an effective and relevant marketing support service for Brunei's SMEs, some 50 people will be attending a two-day workshop at the Empire Hotel & Country Club today.

The workshop, which is being jointly organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat (UK) and the Entrepreneurial Development Centre, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, is a follow-up to the survey conducted by a marketing consultant appointed by the Commonwealth Secretariat in 2007.

Out of the 50 participants, 36 are representatives of SMEs while the rest are from various government agencies.

Establishing a functioning market and other marketing support services for local SMEs that could complement and strengthen the various marketing programmes already put in place is one of the objectives of the workshop entitled "The Development of Marketing Services for Brunei's SMEs".

It also aims to identify a series of recommendations on the type of products and services that could be pursued by local SMEs in the sub-regional, regional and international markets.

The facilitator of the two-day workshop will be Mr Roland Charles, Adviser for Enterprise Development at the Special Advisory Services Division, Enterprise and Agriculture Section, Commonwealth Secretariat, UK.

During the workshop, a marketing mechanism would be prepared by taking into consideration three main strategies, namely: (1) Organising an online networking that will cover the domestic and international markets; (2) Strengthening the capabilities of SMEs in the form of ICT-based programmes and e-commerce; and, (3) Tracking and benchmarking the capabilities, dynamism and competitiveness of SMEs.

Various marketing programmes that had been initiated to facilitate SME development will also be discussed.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, efforts to synchronise and coordinate roles and functions with key government agencies and the private sector through 'strategic alignment' are currently being undertaken at all levels.

The approach of working together with the private sector through the so-called "Private-Public Partnership" is being highly emphasised and being put into practice by both parties, the statement said, adding that this is an important approach in attaining economic diversification.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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