GTT’s Innov8 Summit kicks off today with a lineup of activities, including STEM workshops, a gaming tournament and the first locally held Cosplay competition.
The Innov8 Summit is a three-day event being hosted at the Marriott Hotel. It continues tomorrow, and ends on Tuesday.
Perhaps the most intriguing feature of the summit is its introduction of Cosplay to Guyana. Cosplay—an amalgamation of the words “Costume” and “Play” – gives individuals the opportunity to dress as characters featured in movies, books, films and the like.
According to GTT’s Marketing Consultant Samantha Gooden, it is expected that providing a creative space for individuals will fuel innovation, and increase their capacity to address challenges.
“The event is called Innov8 for a reason. We wanna start thinking differently about everything… innovation is driven by collaboration; collaboration is driven by creativity. So, without powerful creativity, we will not get the very best innovation,” she stated yesterday via telephone.
“We’re seeing in Guyana there’s a lot of conversation that’s happening about the shift in our economy, but if we are not equipping our people and ensuring that they have the best approaches to ideation, they have an appreciation for technology, they have an appreciation for creativity, then some of the challenges we’ll face as we grow will be difficult to overcome unless we are ready for them. So, Cosplay, as simple as it may seem, is actually another way to improve creativity, it will drive collaboration, which will ultimately drive our innovation,” Gooden added.
Gooden related that the response to the Cosplay competition has been tremendous, with over 400 persons already signed up to participate in this aspect of the summit.
The competition will be judged by Steve Douglas of Bravo Arts, along with other judges.
Innov8’s Cosplay show is scheduled to begin at 5.30 pm today, but Gooden advised that patrons try to be there at least an hour in advance to secure seating.
The competition features two categories—Children (ages 6-14 years old) and Adults (ages 15 and above). Entrants in both categories will compete for a first prize of $100,000. There will be no second or third place prizes.
Although persons were allowed to pre-register for the summit, registration can also be done at the venue.
Additional information on the summit can be accessed at the website https://www.gtt.co.gy/innov8-summit.
