Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) held a virtual forum this week to discuss Brunei’s household and commercial services industry as a continuation of the 10-part BIBD SME360 Series.
The event held on February 22 until yesterday began with discussions on the market challenges faced by businesses during the outbreak of the second wave and current transition phase.
The first session of Day 1 saw a panel of speakers which included Managing Director of Fabrica Steven Pang, Hiap Guan Cushion Furniture Business Development Manager Jerry Neo and Good Home Admin Executive Angelina Kong.
They shared that while the outbreak of the pandemic’s second wave posed numerous challenges for many businesses in Brunei, the closure of country borders increased domestic spending which in turn resulted in higher sales.
The following session covered the topic ‘Business Development and Social Media’ which was discussed by industry players including Thermomix Brunei Branch Manager Ellin Chong, Gurukul Sdn Bhd General Manager Madine Singh and Jaquar World Marketing Manager Haji Mohd Sofian bin Abdullah Lai.
They touched on the importance of using social media to help them market their products and services efficiently.
The last session of Day 1 focussed on ‘Trends and Consumer Patterns in the Home Industry’ which was participated by YTL Trading Company General Manager Dennis Yong and Borneo Aquatics Technical Director Benny Lim.
The first topic on Day 2 of the forum was on best practices and strategies during the outbreak and the new normal, participated by Setia Builders Sdn Bhd Managing Director and Systematic Living Business Support Manager Sun Jenn Hwan, HTG Services Sdn Bhd Operations Director Han Liang Siew and Encore Sdn Bhd Assistant Human Resources and Operations Manager Kevin P’ng.
They shared that they had to be innovative to counter rising logistics and supplies costs in order to ensure the sustainability of their businesses. They also highlighted the importance of communications and transparency to customers.
The second session of Day 2 titled ‘Critical Time, Critical Measures’ featured speakers from Bersih Solutions – Ahmad Fitri, Khairul Hazmi and Khairul Hazwan – and Rentokil Initial Brunei – Nurhaziah Haji Morsid, James Tiama and ‘Attiyah Rahmat.
They highlighted the importance of staff welfare and market research to ensure the long-term sustainability of their businesses.
The final session was participated by BIT Computer Sdn Bhd Founder and Director Loo Kuan Look and Kaimana Living co-founder Trish Lai. Both speakers discussed the trend of eco-friendly business ventures and commented that there were plenty of opportunities in the sustainable business market to be explored by entrepreneurs in Brunei.
All topics discussed were in line with BIBD’s effort to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) recover sustainably following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
The public are welcome to join the next BIBD SME360 Series on March 8 and 9 from 2.30-5.30pm by registering at curiousmind.biz/sme360.
The next forum will cover the real estate and construction industry.
The SME360 SERIES, which runs from January to May features two industry highlights every month. The series of virtual forums aim to gather thought leaders and industry experts from 10 main business sectors across Brunei in engagement sessions with business owners and stakeholders to discuss the challenges, best practices, perspectives and opportunities to come back stronger.
The programme is organised by BIBD with DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) as strategic partner.
