SLIM Gamata Marketing empowers SMEs with marketing training

Tuesday, 3 March 2015 00:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) has joined hands with University of Ruhuna (UOR) to develop the fishing community in the southern region by educating them on adding value to fish-based products. This program, organised by SLIM and UOR, includes a series of workshops which provide technical knowhow and knowledge of marketing concepts, and around 40 families have been shortlisted to participate in the program. A workshop was held on 19 February at SLIM Business School – Matara. Sumith De Silva, a SLIM resource panellist, shared his expertise through a carefully developed presentation which emphasised the importance of marketing concepts, branding, packaging, pricing, distribution and providing ethical and customer friendly business solutions to the customer base.

A large number of participants attended the workshop and showed genuine enthusiasm through active participation in various practical sessions and games incorporated into the program by De Silva. “Marketing is an essential tool and a skill for the growth of an SME. This is because there is a greater likelihood of customers being drawn to a

product or service when it is marketed effectively to them. Therefore, the objective of this programme is to empower the SMEs in the southern region to achieve accelerated growth going forward,” said SLIM President Kalana Rathnayake. “Taking marketing beyond the cities is the main purpose of Gamata Marketing and this workshop provided the participants with valuable knowledge on how to grow their business. We are delighted with the response we got and I am confident that this workshop will empower the fishing community to develop their livelihoods,” said Gamata Marketing Project Chairman Suranjith Swaris. The next event in the program, ‘Fish Bonanza,’ will be held on 21 March in a carnival atmosphere at the Matara beach front. This event will showcase the whole range of developed products of the SMEs with appropriate packaging, whilst the practical production process will be displayed by the respective entrepreneurs for the public to view and gain first-hand experience of this novel concept. In the year 2013 SLIM partnered with University of Moratuwa and successfully conducted the Gamata Marketing project by helping to develop bamboo related products of selected entrepreneurs and assisting them to find new market opportunities. Gamata Marketing is an annual national level CSR project conducted by SLIM to uplift the living standards of an identified cottage level industry by developing value added products and new market possibilities in local and international markets.