The Afrika Handmade 2016 Symposium offers a unique opportunity for the sharing of ideas and resources among artisans and designers in the handmade sector.
The symposium emerged from Jumpstart Thursday, a much smaller monthly forum that we started in 2012. There was a need to create a platform for peer to peer exchange. Too often, we found situations where one entity – for example government- knew nothing of what was happening on the ground, and vice versa.
It became apparent that there was also a need to create a networking forum to allow the exchange of ideas, resources and information, not only among the various organizational entities, but among artisans and designers as well.
The program below is in draft and therefore likely to change. What will not change however, is our consistency in facilitating interactive, meaningful discussions.
You can register for the symposium here.
Date | Overall topic | Presentation title | Speaker | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 October | Welcome and overview of symposium | Christine Gitau | 9 - 9.15am | |
Production | The Social Enterprise: Working With a Triple Bottomline | Sammy Makau - Sales & Marketing manager, Kazuri Beads | 9.15 - 9.45am | |
Discover Gearbox: The Open space for Design and Prototyping | Kamau Gachigi - Executive Director, Gearbox | 9.45 - 10.15am | ||
Outsourcing Production: The Challenges and Opportunities | Katungulu Mwendwa - Fashion designer & owner, MOFTI store | 10.15 - 10.45 | ||
Open discussion/Q&A | 10.45- 11.30am | |||
Tea break | 11.30 - 12noon | |||
Practical skills workshop | Defining Your Customer: Who are you really selling to? | Larrissa Muthoni - Founder, Zamoyo | 12 - 1pm | |
Lunch break | 1 - 2pm | |||
Distribution | The Science of Retail: What You Might Not Know But Should | Mark Stephenson - CEO, Sandstorm | 2.00 - 2.30pm | |
Global Markets: Where are the Top Export Destinations for Handmade Products? | Ruth Mwaniki - CEO, EPC | 2.30 - 3.00pm | ||
AGOA: Gaining Access to US Markets | Zohra Baraka - Chair, AWEP | 3.00 - 3.30pm | ||
Open discussion/Q&A | 3.30 - 4.30pm | |||
Tea break & depart | 4.30pm | |||
2 October | Recap of previous day | 9 - 9.15am | ||
Branding and Intellectual Property | Create a Powerful Brand Through Storytelling | Ken Oloo - Founder Filamu Juani | 9.15 - 9.45am | |
Copyright 101: Practical Steps to Take When Infringement Occurs | Liz Lenjo - IP lawyer | 9.45 - 10.15am | ||
Interactive discussion/Q&A | 10.15 - 11am | |||
Tea break | 11 - 11.30am | |||
Practical Skills Owrkshop | Pricing for Profit: How to Calculate Your Optimal Price Points | Duncan Turere - MSME financial consultant | 11.30 - 12.30pm | |
The Building Blocks to Credit Worthiness | Amal Mohamed - Project coordinator, HEVA Fund | 12.30 - 1pm | ||
Lunch break | Lunch break | 1 - 2pm | ||
Open Spaces | Exploring Collaborative Opportunities: What I Have, What I Need | 2 - 3.30pm | ||
Articulating Way Forward and Commitments | 3.30 - 4pm | |||
Tea break, evaluations and depart | 4 - 4.30pm |