Nurturing young Brunei SMEs

A two-day SME development programme entitled "Brunei: A Leap Into the Future of Marketing Communications" is scheduled to take place between September 11 and 12, 2006.

The training programme is a component of Asia Inc Forum's 2006 SME Partnership Programme aimed at nurturing and developing young SMEs.

The goal of the marketing communications sessions are to offer Brunei's rising entrepreneurs a practitioner's vantage of the global, regional and local dynamics of marketing and in particular the issue of 'Communications'.

According to a keynote speaker Wempy Dyocta Koto, Regional Senior Account Manager at Young & Rubicam, the shift planned by the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to migrate economic dependence from crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied gas to a diversified knowledge-based economy places pressure on Bruneians to expand the private sector and develop their professional skills.

Central to the national vision is an understanding of the catalytic role that the marketing communications industry plays in private sector innovation and expansion.

Wempy added that ultimately, the communications industry is about selling, and its professionals are idea-generators explicitly driven to prompt or alter mass or niche consumption behaviour.

Marketers pursue agendas in environments where evolving research, learning, technologies, brand experiences, cultural insights and consumer trends challenge the integrity of final strategic recommendations and creative solutions.

The core aim of the SME Development Programme, partnered by Brunei Shell Petroleum, Baiduri Bank, and the Brunei Economic Development Board with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources is to arm Brunei's young business owners with directions and possibilities within the world of communications - from dominant and backseat 360 degree resources to vibrant frontiers afforded by new digital technologies.

Currently based in Singapore, Wempy's career commenced in 1997 at American Express in Sydney. Acquiring 360 degree disciplinary experience within client and agency quarters, Wempy has worked for, and partnered, the world's leading communications brands including Young & Rubicam, Wunderman, Ogilvy & Mather, OgilvyOne International, GroupM, Research International, Burson-Marsteller and Hill & Knowlton to launch strategic communications across Asia Pacific and The Middle East for established and rising Fortune 500 companies including Citibank, American Express, LG and SAP.

For further enquiries, contact Nanette Ramos, Brunei Programme Manager at 2226555 or email nanette.ramos@asiaincforum.com.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin