MSME Sector to Be Fully Represented at Employee Engagement Conference

The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) says the micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector will be fully represented at the 2019 Employee Engagement Conference from October 16 to 17.

Speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the JBDC, Valerie Veira, said that the services and products offered by MSMEs will be promoted at the conference, as a part of the organisation’s efforts to be inclusive.

“The MSME is the backbone of our economy, and so we are particularly focused on them, but not exclusively, because we believe that there is merit in clustering the large companies with the small ones,” she added.

Assistant Manager in Project Management and Research Development, JBDC, Sasha McCalla, said entrepreneurs will be showcasing a variety of products and services over the two-day conference.

“We will have persons doing makeup therapy sessions, a fitness instructor and we will have others who are doing paint and sip, massage therapy and live cooking,” she added.

Ms. Veira appealed to companies and individuals to assist MSMEs to attend the conference.

“We have a special commitment to the MSMEs to ensure that they are involved, so we are trying to get scholarships for those who would not be able to afford the cost to attend, as we don’t want them to be excluded from the conference,” she said.

The CEO noted that the focus of the conference, which is employee engagement, is relevant to all organisations of all sizes.

“Whether you have five persons or one hundred, if the staff experience is bad, the results will be bad, and this will result in poor customer relations,” she added.

The event, which will be held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston, is being staged under the theme ‘Employee Experience 3D – Design. Develop. Deliver’.

Persons interested in attending the conference can visit the JBDC website at www.jbdc.net and complete the application form.