An award-winning Profes-sor of Marketing from the United States is scheduled to visit Guyana next week to conduct seminars in Linden and Georgetown designed to assist the local private sector in developing workable strategies to support the marketing of their goods and services.
Professor Harvey Markovitz, of Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York will conduct separate seminars in Linden and Georgetown on May 27th and 28th respectively at which participants will benefit from insights into low-cost marketing techniques. The visit to Guyana by Professor Markovitz is being hosted by the United States Embassy in Georgetown.
The Linden seminar is being hosted by the Embassy in collaboration with the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) while the Georgetown forum, which will be held at the office of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is being held in collaboration with the GCCI.
The visit to Guyana by Professor Markovitz is taking place against the backdrop of concerns that have been continually expressed by key private sector bodies regarding limitations in marketing capacity particularly among small and medium-sized businesses in an increasingly competitive regional and international business environment.
GCCI President Chandradat Chintamani who has alluded to the prohibitive cost of marketing and the lack of capacity, particularly among local small businesses seeking to sell their products both regionally and extra-regionally, told Stabroek Business that the sessions with Professor Markovitz will target small businesses seeking to build that capacity. He said that the choice of Linden as the location for one of the two seminars should be seen against the backdrop of efforts to seek to respond to the particular challenges facing small businesses in that community. Stabroek Business has learnt that Professor Markovitz who is Director of Interactive and Direct Marketing will work with participants in the Linden seminar on techniques aimed at developing workable marketing plans. The Georgetown seminar which will focus on effective low-cost marketing strategies that can enhance sales levels both locally and internationally is open to all members of the GCCI.
Chintamani told Stabroek Business that the visit here by Professor Markovitz should be seen as part of the ongoing effort by the GCCI to work with the United States Embassy and with other agencies to seek to provide practical responses to the challenges confronting the local business community including the difficulties associated with increasing market share and expanding their businesses.
Meanwhile, as part of the programme arranged for his visit Professor Markovitz, along with Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) Geoffrey Da Silva and the GCCI President will participate in a panel discussion on HBTV Channel 9 on the subject “Promoting the Guyanese Brand Over-seas”. The programme, which will be recorded on Thursday May 28th will be screened subsequently on the station’s “Spotlight” programme.