Department of Management Studies

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2018, the Department of Management Studies, ShareHome Caribbean Ltd and The Institute of Service Quality Management would like to highlight the upcoming seminar: Fostering Youth Entrepreneurship in Tourism.

The event is aimed at improving the capacities of young people in Trinidad and Tobago and fostering their entrepreneurial mind-set in the area of tourism products and services for the furtherance of the tourism sector in destination Trinidad and Tobago. Insight will be provided into the viability of the tourism sector; opportunities for young entrepreneurs within the growing sharing economy; the practical experiences of young successful tourism operators and importance of mentoring for sustained success.

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Click here to register: http://bit.ly/GEW2018UWI

Upon completion of this programme, participants will be able to:

1. Better understand the concept of entrepreneurship within the tourism industry in Trinidad and Tobago;
2. Recognize the entrepreneurial opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago in relation to global and regional tourism trends;
3. Appreciate the realities and experiences of young entrepreneurs in the tourism sector in Trinidad and Tobago.

WORKSHOP TOPICS

• A Mindset for Entrepreneurship
• All things tourism: Is this a viable sector for me?
• My Tourism Journey: From concept/dream to reality
• Youth entrepreneurship in the age of the sharing economy: tourism opportunities and experiences
• Excellent Customer Service– A Competitive Advantage for Young Entrepreneurs in Tourism
• Mentor Me! - Support for Youth Entrepreneurs in Tourism
• Best practices in Youth Entrepreneurship: fostering mindsets and capabilities

This workshop is ideal for young persons between the ages of 15-35 (‘youth’ as defined by the United Nations) and individuals interested in assisting young entrepreneurs to develop business ideas in the field of hospitality and tourism. Business ideas/concepts extend to the eight (8) sectors in tourism. 

Julian Henry is an experienced SME financing practitioner and entrepreneurship consultant with 20 years in the sector.  Julian has been instrumental in the development and success of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship programmes alike throughout many parts of the Caribbean region through his meticulous systems and process approach to entrepreneurship support including the design and development of unique business performance matrices and risk assessment diagnostics for companies such as Microfin Caribbean, NEDCO and AXCEL Caribbean. Amongst his most notable appointments are:

• Currently a Programme Management Consultant to the UWI Centre for Export Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
• Capacity Building Consultant to Axcel Caribbean, a highly successful regional entrepreneurship and SME financing company with hubs Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia
• Chief Executive Officer for the National Entrepreneurship Development Company (NEDCO)
• Chief Operations Officer for the National Entrepreneurship Development Company (NEDCO)
• General Manager – Group Credit for the DFL Subsidiary Microfin Caribbean Holdings Company Limited, a highly successful regional entrepreneurship and SME financing company with hubs in Guyana, Trinidad, Grenada, St. Lucia and Suriname
• Julian is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with honours in Agri-business management and is also an alumni of the Boulder Institute of Microfinance in Colorado.

Acolla Lewis-Cameron, PhD is currently Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Management Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, Trinidad. Her educational achievements include a MSc. Hospitality and Tourism Education from the University of Surrey, UK and a PhD in Tourism from Brunel University in the UK. Acolla’s teaching experience in tourism planning and policy and marketing, and her research and consultancy in the above areas have provided an all-round understanding of the industry. She is the lead editor of text, “Marketing Island Destinations: Concepts and Cases” and co-author of the text “Caribbean Tourism: Concepts and Cases”. Acolla is actively engaged in research for both the private and public sectors in Trinidad and Tobago.  She is passionate about empowering young people to develop to their full potential.

Brendon Brathwaite is a Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP), Holds a Masters in Sports Management, (November) a BSC in Tourism Management and the Managing Director of BUZZ Concepts Ltd. He started the company in 2006 and over the years have been able to work with key all major companies in Trinidad and Tobago. He manages a team of over 75 young persons and have been able to produce on average 70 events annually. He has been a lecturer in Hospitality and Events for the past 15 years from TTHTI, UWI and Now ALJ Global School of Business. In the new realm of being a motivational speaker he sees himself as a problem solver. His plan is to help others reach their full potential.

Brian Frontin is the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Trinidad Hotels, Restaurants & Tourism Association (THRTA) and the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI). He is currently also the Vice President / President-Elect of the Caribbean Society of Hotel Association Executives (CSHAE) and also represents Trinidad & Tobago on the Board of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA). He has served on the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).  Mr. Frontin previously enjoyed a successful career in banking and corporate business development with solid experience as an architect of financial and business solutions, tailored to meet the complex needs of major local and international companies. Industries served over a decade, in key roles at both CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank and First Citizens Bank, include: Energy & Petrochemicals, Tourism & Hospitality, Light Manufacturing, Fleet management, Transportation, Food & Restaurant and Construction.  He has served as Chairman of the Board of State Enterprises: the Evolving TecKnologies & Enterprise Development Company Limited (e TecK), InvesTT Limited and the Tourism Development Company Limited (TDC).  Mr. Frontin is an Accredited Director with the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (Canada) and a Certified Mediator with the Mediation Board of Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr. Leslie-Ann Jordan-Miller, is a Senior Lecturer, Hospitality and Tourism at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Department of Management Studies, St. Augustine, Trinidad.  She holds a B.Sc. in Tourism Management (First Class Honours) from the University of the West Indies and a Post-graduate Diploma (with Distinction) and Ph.D. in Tourism Policy and Planning from the University of Otago, New Zealand.  She is also a Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and holds a Professional Certificate in Event Management, George Washington University and Institute of Business (IOB). Her research interests include tourism development in small island developing states with special reference to the Anglophone Caribbean; tourism planning and development and tourism policy and decision-making.   More recent research focuses on cruise tourism, heritage tourism, festival and event management and service management.

Kyra Barker is a Marketing Consultant and a Travel Enthusiast. With BSc. Hospitality and Tourism Management and Master of Marketing degrees under her belt she has spent the last 11 years building a career comprising both corporate and entrepreneurial ventures. She is as passionate about marketing as she is about building her global network, connecting with entrepreneurs and industry leading practitioners as she travels. In her circles, she has been referred to as a Marketing Architect based on her ability to not only construct multilevel brand campaigns, but also build and manage winning marketing teams. She has been keen on contributing to initiatives aimed at advancing the Caribbean region, leading her to lend her experience on projects like Tech Beach Retreat (Jamaica) and The Business of Carnival YouTube Series. Most recently she has co-founded travel based startup KLIQ where she has co-created KC, a Digital Travel Assistant that helps travel buddies plan group trips directly in their group chat.

Shedron Collins, is the General Manager at Youth Business Trinidad and Tobago (YBTT) and a young and visionary professional, who, through his developmental journey with the organization since 2009, has a clear understanding of the entrepreneurial needs of young persons. He is the holder of a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of the West Indies.

Michelle Low Chew Tung, MBA BA (Hons) U.K. is the Managing Director and cofounder of INVENI Business & Technology Ltd; and the C.E.O & Principal Consultant of LCT Consulting & Associates Ltd. Her professional experience spans several sectors including hospitality and tourism, banking, insurance, manufacturing, printing and packaging and government enterprise development. Her diversity of sector experience results in an in-depth understanding of the underpinnings of the operations in private and state enterprises alike, giving her a strong appreciation for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in creating and sustaining globally competitive businesses. Michelle’s expertise lies in the areas of marketing and business development. She has used her competencies to build the competitiveness of businesses operating in the SME sector, NGOs and public sector organisations. Additionally, she has facilitated marketing and entrepreneurship training for the Inter-American Institute for the Cooperation of Agriculture (IICA), the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and NEDCO. Her professional career comprises over twenty (20) years including eight (8) years in the public sector. Within in the last five years in her capacity as lead Consultant, LCT Consulting developed a proposal for a collective marketing model inclusive of a regional sustainable livelihoods brand for the CANARI. Moreover, the firm was commissioned by the Caribbean Export Development Agency to develop the Caribbean Spa and Wellness Strategy and Action Plan 2014-2018 for implementation in the fifteen (15) CARIFORUM countries.

Click here to register: http://bit.ly/GEW2018UWI

For more information:

Coordinator: Mrs. Tenisha Brown-Williams
Telephone: 662-2002 ext. 85430
Email: Management.Matters@sta.uwi.edu