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CENTRESPREAD

JBDC EXPANDS ITS REACH THROUGH VIRTUAL EVENTS

by Sancia Campbell

On March 10, 2020, Jamaica joined the rest of the world in what now seems like an unending cycle of lockdowns and restricted movements. These actions were as a direct result of the arrival of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Jamaican shores. The onset of the virus also meant that life as we knew it was about to undergo drastic changes.

As the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) is mandated to drive the sustainable development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Corporation almost immediately got to work to identify new ways to support our clients in what was shaping up to be a year of uncertainty and fundamental shifts in how business would be conducted in the future. virtual events were staged at the same time on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays via the Zoom platform which had grown immensely popular since the pandemic.

The JBDC Virtual Biz Zone is a webinar series with a three-pronged focus; entrepreneur capacity building, capitalising on current opportunities and sensitising the client group as to how businesses will operate in the ‘new normal’. Since April 2020, the JBDC has conducted well over 100 webinars on focus areas including e-commerce, general marketing, business transformation & digitisation, statutory obligations, the importance of customer data, the online business registration process and using research techniques for business growth.

This Virtual Biz Zone webinar series has also facilitated skill building through practical sessions in Leather, Wire & Fabric Craft, Catering and the importance of Food labels, Mask Making and Fashion and Product opportunities. More technical topics such as Queue Management and Reducing Wait time, which is crucial for both the business and

Media and Communications Consultant, Fae Ellington, showsoff her ‘bankra’-inspired bag as she hosted the launch of the National Craft Policy in June 2020 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. In the background was then, State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture & Fisheries, Hon. Floyd Green and Marketing Services Manager at JBDC, Janine Taylor. Kaysia Johnson-Vaughan, Senior Manager, Scotiabank Jamaica/sponsor representative, delivers greetings while the stage is shared by (from left to right) Suzette Campbell - Corporate Communications Manager, JBDC, Valerie Veira - Chief Executive Officer, JBDC and State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce - Hon. Dr. Norman Dunn at the Virtual Employee Engagement Seminar series in Kingston.

Internally, we grappled with our own disappointments, which included the cancellation of our biggest event, the Small Business Expo & Conference, which is staged annually in May. However, the word of the day was ‘pivot’ and that we did! JBDC is well-known for its prowess in engaging the ecosystem through innovative and ground-breaking events, so following the initial shock, we set about brainstorming a rapid response. The first step was to prepare Team JBDC to tackle the ‘new normal’. This meant identifying new ways to connect with the client group and preparing our team to deliver interventions outside of the face-to-face norm. It was no easy feat, as Murphy’s Law enjoys the virtual space. Teething pains were aplenty for us as well as the presenters and audience, who were also learning by doing.

A full engagement with digital technologies was undertaken. In a matter of weeks, training was conducted to build the digital capacity of a select group of team members who would soon become the voices and faces of the corporation. Simultaneously, programmes were developed to engage our target audience in a series of discussions and conversations that would relieve the uncertainty surrounding the ‘how’ of business in the ‘new normal’, as well as prepare the clients for what was to come.

Three new programmes were introduced; the JBDC Virtual Biz Zone, the JBDC ‘In Concert’ series and the JBDC Virtual Gift & Craft Biz Zone. The Entrepreneur’s Journey which is not a new initiative, was also adapted into the virtual space. All

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Lisa Callendar - Founder, ProTrade Consult, Janine Fletcher-Taylor - Marketing Services Unit Manager, JBDC and Kris Jackson - Design Consultant are engaged in discussion at a virtual Global Entrepreneurship Week event in November 2020.

the customer, as well as Ergonomics in the workplace and Lean Production were also explored.

The JBDC ‘In Concert’ series was a collaborative effort with the British Council as well as other government and private sector entities. Done specifically for the creative and cultural industries, this online intervention provided lively discussions in problem areas such as Intellectual Property Protection, Digital Transformation, Literary works and the Book industry, the Future of Fashion, Performing Arts, Team Building, the Film industry, among others.

The series ran over a period of six months and engaged the participation of several well-known experts in the creative and cultural industries. Over the period, more than 30 discussions were hosted attracting more than 4,000 participants.

The Entrepreneur’s Journey began in 2018 as the JBDC sought to share the success stories of some of the clients who have benefitted from our suite of business development services, as well as wellknown heads of larger organisations.

The Entrepreneur’s Journey is a one-toone discussion forum set as an interview in which the interviewee responds to questions about his/her journey along the road to becoming a successful entrepreneur. It gives our upcoming entrepreneurs an insight into the determination, dedication and hard work required for success.

Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, the corporation had been fully absorbed in this activity through many of the islandwide interventions which were hosted. Entrepreneurs shared the stage and their story at events including the Mobile Business Clinic Initiative, Lunch & Learn and the programme of the same name.

In an effort to boost entrepreneur morale and support the client group’s pivot from panic to passion, the JBDC re-introduced the Journey in the virtual space. So far, twenty-nine up and coming and wellestablished entrepreneurs, some of whom have experienced unprecedented growth in their businesses during the pandemic, have shared their stories of trials and triumph, failure and success as well as their hopes for the future.

Following the summer launch of the National Craft Policy by the government of Jamaica, JBDC launched yet another virtual intervention in the form of the Virtual Gift & Craft Biz Zone in September 2020. The purpose of this programme was to support and sensitise the various stakeholders involved in the Gift & Craft industry as well as to update them on the policies in place to support the growth of the sector.

This initiative was fully supported by partner agencies including JAMPRO and the Jamaica Manufacturers’ & Exporters Association who provided relevant presentations at regular intervals to benefit the target audience. Presentations were also conducted by representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment & Sport, the Jamaica Craft Association, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office and the JBDC’s Marketing Services Unit. As we headed into the final quarter of the year, we again tested the virtual space by staging two major existing events: the Employee Engagement Seminar (EES) series in October and Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in November. Like the Expo, both events are major staples on our annual calendar. However, by this time, we were in a much better position to stage them online.

Las Voces Melodiosas performs during the launch of the National Craft Policy.

The word ‘pivot’ was a nightmare for many in 2020, but for us at the JBDC, it was an intense and exciting exercise in which many new skills were developed, new relationships created and thousands of people reached in a space where we now reside, until we can safely face and touch each other again in the physical space.