St Vincent to host two-day OECS creative industries business management workshop

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent — The Dominica-based OECS Export Development Unit (EDU) is to host a two-day workshop on business management for the creative industries sector of the economic union in Saint Vincent on Friday and Saturday.

Leaders/managers, owners or self-employed persons in firms and enterprises working in the creative industries, individuals/artists who serve as sole proprietorships and others who intend to manage or own their businesses can benefit from this training.

The two-day workshop is entitled: “Development of Human Capacity in the OECS Cultural Industries: Entrepreneurship, Strategic Development and Management (ESDM) and will provide training for the arts and culture to promote effective planning and management of projects and activities being considered by cultural enterprises.

Sobers Esprit, business development officer at the OECS Export Development Unit noted the global approach the workshop is taking to further boost the economic potential of products within the region’s creative industries sector.

“We are paying close attention to the issues of management, marketing and product development. What we are trying to do is to look at improvements in the management and overall enhancement of the capacity to drive firms and or individual business in the creative industries sector recognizing the fact that management is really a weak link in so far as the development of that sector is concerned. We want to help firms understand the management systems needed to better understand how cultural enterprises operate and work. We want to look at the business environment in which the arts and cultural enterprises operate globally and regionally and we want to be able to develop project ideas in the creative arts so that firms and business can engender a new system of working together and building competiveness,” he said.

This workshop is part of efforts by the EDU to deliver customized intervention to enhance management skills and overall business capacity required to drive the competitiveness of enterprises in the OECS’ creative industries sector. The EDU Creative Industries program covers entrepreneurial and business activities related to audio-visual arts (film and music), handicraft and fashion.

“This workshop is part of an overall strategy by the OECS EDU to focus attention on building capacity in the creative industries sector. We recognize the creative industries as a critical pillar of our emerging economies and it is necessary for us to place close attention to that sector and give it the necessary support to make the sector much more competitive,” Esprit said.

Dr Jo-anne Tull of the University of the West Indies, lecturer and researcher in the creative industries sector will be the facilitator.

The next in this series of workshops across the OECS will be held in Dominica from November 15 – 16, 2013.

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