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BEDC celebrates local entrepreneurship next month

Jamillah Lodge, BEDC director of communication & development, and GEW project manager (Photograph supplied)

Scavenger hunts, talks, competitions — Global Entrepreneurship Week organisers are promising a host of activities next month. The Bermuda Economic and Development Corporation is organising GEW in partnership with the Department of ICT Policy and Innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship Initiative, from November 18 to 24.“We are so excited this year to have so many opportunities lined up to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit of Bermudians,” said Jamillah Lodge, BEDC director of communication & development, and GEW project manager. “We have seen many entrepreneurs succeed and bring their vision to life, and we want to continue to inspire people to make their business ideas a reality and celebrate those that have already started on their journey. We encourage anyone interested in starting their own business, or those who just want to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, to come out and take part in the events put on during the month of November, and beyond.”GEW is celebrated worldwide. Launched in 2008, it has grown to include over 170 host countries, 50,000 partner organisations with millions of activities planned worldwide. Bermuda has participated in GEW since the start and has been recognised globally at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress for hosting the most events per capita — and this year there will be plenty on offer to get involved in.The celebration will kick off on Friday with a public overview of GEW to be broadcast on all GEW social media and web outlets. On the same evening, there will be a scavenger hunt to allow new and existing entrepreneurs to work together to identify some of Bermuda’s small business landmarks.On Saturday the public is invited to celebrate and support local entrepreneurs and industry experts at Cocktails with Creatives at The Birdcage starting at 4pm. This event is a chance to learn more about the entrepreneurial opportunities lined up next month. There will be entertainment, food and locally made products during this networking event.A BEDC spokesman said an exciting new opportunity this year, will include a partnership with New York based advertising and marketing company Driven Society, to bring some of the hottest influencers from the United States to Bermuda. Join them at Fairmont Southampton for Inspire Bermuda Weekend starting on November 8 with a vendor and art market showcasing top Bermuda talent.On November 9, nine panellists including international influencer Alex Wolf and co-founder of Blavity, Jonathan Jackson, will share insights on how they made it. This is the first event of this kind specifically targeted to up and coming entrepreneurs.Other highlights of the month’s events include the Youth Pitch preliminary presentations taking place on November 18. This category of the Rocket Pitch Competition will allow Bermuda youth to pitch their ideas for a chance to win a spot to compete in the Rocket Pitch finals on November 20 at AXA XL.A spokesman said the finals of the competition are always an exciting time with entrepreneurs from five categories, including Pitch Pink, Pitch Town, Pitch Tech, Pitch Green and Youth Pitch battling out to see whose idea will come out on top and take home the $5,000 cash award and a start-up package of services to help them launch their business.Applications will be accepted for the competition until November 2.In celebration of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Conference on November 19, will be a daylong event featuring marketing and development strategist, Tameka Vasquez. She is assistant vice-president of global marketing for the high-tech and manufacturing division of Genpact.The third annual Small Business Awards will take place on November 23 at Pier 6. The event will celebrate the island’s small businesses and entrepreneurs and the winners will be revealed. Nominations will be open until November 1.To purchase ticket visit www.bedc.bm.